Spotlight on Seafood Markets as Expana Adds Tuna and Lobster Forecasts

Expana has expanded its seafood market coverage with the addition of US lobster and skipjack tuna price forecasts. Building on over 15 years of expertise in seafood price forecasting, this expansion brings the total number of seafood price series to more than 60, including key species such as salmon, shrimp, cod, and crab. These new additions reinforce Expana’s position as the world’s leading provider of seafood price forecasts. 

This expansion was driven by customer feedback underscoring the critical role of seafood market coverage in the agrifood sector...

ANALYSIS: Ecuador Shatters Export Records as Tariff Uncertainty Drives Historic May Performance

Preliminary trade data shows that Ecuadorian shrimp exports achieved an unprecedented monthly milestone in May 2025, reaching 334 million pounds in commercial weight, obliterating the previous record of approximately 275 million pounds. This remarkable 21% surge above the prior peak underscores the profound impact of impending U.S. tariff decisions on global trade flows, which is occurring even as American consumer demand has returned to pre-pandemic levels following the temporary surge during the pandemic.

The May explosion propels Ecuador's year-to-date exports 16.5% above...

Trump Announces US Trade Deal With Vietnam, Including 20% Import Tariff

President Trump announced that the United States has agreed to a new trade deal with Vietnam on July 2.

Trump stated that Vietnam will pay the US a 20% tariff on all goods exported to the U.S. and a 40% tariff on transshipped goods. The higher 40% tariff targets products that are not originally made in Vietnam but are routed through the country to bypass higher tariffs. This move is significant, as many countries have used Vietnam as a transit point to avoid stricter trade penalties aimed at Chinese...

ANALYSIS: Fresh Chilean Salmon Fillets Soften Ahead of Seasonal Trend

The market for fresh Chilean salmon fillets continues to show signs of weakness, trending lower earlier than usual for this time of year. Historically, pricing begins to soften after Mother’s Day, but this year the decline began in early May. Since the end of April, the price for 3–4-pound fresh Chilean fillets—considered the bellwether size—has fallen 19.2%. This marks a notable departure from the 3-year average, with current prices down 5.1% compared to historical trends.

Despite a nine-week slide, the market has...

US House Republicans Back Amendment to Expand H-2B Visa Access for Seasonal Workers 

US House Republicans have approved an amendment to the Homeland Security Appropriations bill that could significantly expand the number of seasonal migrant workers allowed into the country each year.  

The measure, which was introduced by Rep. Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) and Rep. Andy Harris, M.D. (R-Maryland), would benefit businesses reliant on the H-2B visa program. It allows employers that have hired migrant workers in the past five years — and have complied with all program requirements — to bring back the same number of...

Japan's Seafood Imports in May Decreased by 5% YOY in Volume and 3% YOY in Value

According to trade statistics released by the Ministry of Finance on June 27, Japan’s May seafood imports (with preliminary figures including fish and shellfish, their preparations, fish meal, and seaweed) decreased by 5% in volume from the same month last year, totaling 181,942 tons. In addition, the value of these imports decreased by 3% to 165.412 billion yen ($1.154 billion), as reported by Japanese news outlet Minato Shimbun.

Fresh and frozen tuna imports rose by 13% to 17,417 tons, including the following tuna...

Russia Expects Fish Catch to Surpass 5 Million Metric Tons in 2025 

Russia anticipates its total fish catch will exceed 5 million metric tons in 2025.  

This target has been confirmed by Ilya Shestakov, head of the Federal Agency for Fisheries (Rosrybolovstvo), who noted that much will depend on the results of this year’s salmon fishing season. 

As of June 11, Russian fishermen had caught approximately 466,500 metric tons of Pacific salmon, surpassing last year’s figures. Kamchatka Krai and Sakhalin Oblast are leading the season, with sockeye salmon being the primary catch. 

Achieving a target catch...

Cousins Maine Lobster Expands North Carolina Footprint

In a July 2 press release, Cousins Maine Lobster (CML) announced the launch of a new food truck in North Carolina’s Piedmont Triad metropolitan region, making it the fast-casual lobster roll company’s third food truck in the state.

The expansion is being rolled out by husband-and-wife duo Savas and Victoria Alkoc, who are veteran CML franchisees of nearly nine years. Having launched their first CML truck in 2017, they now operate food trucks across Ohio, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, New Jersey, and Delaware, as well as a brick-and-mortar location...

ANALYSIS: Canada's Declining Share in European Live Lobster Market Despite CETA

Between January and April, the EU and UK imported a total of 1,378 metric tons of live red lobster (Homarus americanus) from two main sources: 791 MT from Canada (57%) and 587 MT from the United States (43%). This marks the highest U.S. share since the implementation of the CETA free trade agreement between Canada and the EU, which came into force in September 2017...

Ecuador Establishes New Union Representing Nation’s Fishing and Aquaculture Sector

At this year’s South Pacific Expopesca—which was held in Guayaquil, Ecuador, from June 18-20—key stakeholders representing Ecuador’s fishing and aquaculture sector came together to sign a commitment act establishing the Unión de Pescadores y Acuicultores del Ecuador, a non-profit, nationwide civil corporation open to all formally operating stakeholders within Ecuador’s fish sector.

The result was Ecuador’s new fish union, which will focus on strengthening representation within the country’s fishing and aquaculture sector while advancing sustainability and staying grounded in principles of sustainability and legality...

Phillips Foods Opens Sales Office in Japan to Expand Crab Meat Sales 

Phillips Foods, a major crab and lobster processor based in Maryland, has opened a representative office in Tokyo. The company will promote products such as blue swimming crab meat and crab cakes to mass retailers and food services in Japan.  

Founded in 1914, Phillips Foods operates aquaculture and processing facilities in Southeast Asia and Canada. They handle various crab species, including snow crab, king crab, and blue swimming crab, along with lobster and barramundi. The company also produces processed items such...

New Report Shows 21% of Consumers Chose Delivery over Dine-in in 2024

According to a new report published by data analytics company Euromonitor International, delivery is occupying a larger share of the consumer foodservice market, overtaking eat-in dining and making up 21% of the total global market share in 2024, a 9% increase from 2019.

Euromonitor’s report, entitled “World Market for Consumer Foodservice 2025,” highlights the robust growth coming out of the Asia Pacific region, for which 40% of global foodservice sales are attributed and a 6% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) is forecast for 2029...

Turning Emissions into Nutrition: Norwegian Project Converts CO₂ into Salmon Feed    

A collaborative research project in Norway is testing out a new way to produce salmon feed.  

Nofima, SINTEF, and the Arctic University of Norway (UiT) have partnered with ferrosilicon producer Finnfjord on a project called AlgOpti. Together, they are converting carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions from the ferrosilicon industry into microalgae for use in salmon feed. 

At Finnfjord’s facility in Norway, cultivation tanks transform CO₂ into algae biomass, which serves as a nutrient-rich feed ingredient. This biomass is then processed into salmon feed with...

Alltech Increases Stake to Become Majority Owner of Alltech Fennoaqua

Alltech has acquired Finnforel’s share in Alltech Fennoaqua Oy, making Alltech the majority stakeholder.

Alltech Fennoaqua is Finland’s sole fish feed production facility. The company specializes in sustainable feed solutions, particularly designed for cold-water aquaculture operations.

"Aquaculture is one of the world’s fastest-growing sources of protein – and it is a focus area for us,” said Dr. Mark Lyons, president and CEO of Alltech. “As majority owner of Alltech Fennoaqua, we are deepening our commitment to delivering smarter, more sustainable solutions for aquaculture systems...

Expana and Gluna Shrimp Announce Exclusive Data Partnership Covering Ecuadorian Shrimp Markets

Expana, the world’s largest agrifood price and market intelligence provider, has entered into an exclusive partnership with Gluna Shrimp to expand its coverage of shrimp pricing data at Ecuadorian origin. 

Expana, the parent company of market information providers Urner Barry, Feedinfo and Mintec, will gain exclusive global rights to distribute and integrate Gluna Shrimp’s Ecuadorian farmgate and export price data into its platform. This collaboration brings over 40 new upstream price assessments and two monthly reports to the Expana platform, providing a comprehensive view...

Bristol Bay Salmon Run Timing And Size Currently Mimics That of Two Years Ago

The world’s largest wild salmon run, which began June 1 and will peak in the next week or two, has now landed 10 million sockeye salmon and is following closely in timing and landings with its near-record 2023 annual catch of 38 million sockeyes. That year, the state’s forecasted harvest was only 37 million sockeye.  

This year, the forecasted harvest total is 34.84 million sockeye from the five-river systems of Bristol Bay.  

As of June 29, landings in Egegik District have reached 1.8 million...

Rodger May, Former Peter Pan Seafoods Chief, Wins Final Court Battle For Assets 

After a highly contested receivers’ auction outcome earlier this year for the remaining assets of bankrupt Peter Pan Seafoods, a final courtroom decision was handed down last Friday confirming that all of the iconic processors’ intellectual property, including the names and logo, will go to former CEO Rodger May. 

May made headlines when he bought Peter Pan from long-time owner Maruha-Nichiro in December 2021. The new operation did well for a few years, but by 2024 was in receivership. Silver Bay Seafoods had...

Court Sets Date for NMFS to Decide if West Coast Chinook Salmon Should be on the Endangered List

The Center for Biological Diversity (CBD) and three co-plaintiffs recently won a three-year legal battle for NOAA Fisheries to set deadlines on whether spring-run Chinook salmon in Oregon, Washington, and Northern California warrant protection under the Endangered Species Act (ESA).

Oregon’s District Court Judge Jeff Armistead signed the court order on June 27 establishing November 3, 2025, as the deadline for the Oregon Coast and Southern Oregon-Northern California Coast Chinook salmon and January 2, 2026, as the deadline...

Expana Publication Schedule for The Fourth of July Holiday

Expana will be observing the Fourth of July holiday on Friday, July 4, which will impact the publication of some Expana Benchmark Prices.

The following weekly reports will be impacted:

• US Peanut assessment will be published on Thursday, July 3
• Asia-Pacific Beef Report will be published on Thursday, July 3
• EU Egg Products assessment will be published on Thursday, July 3
• UK Beef Market Complex assessment will be published on Thursday, July 3

The regular publishing schedule will resume on...

Scary Good: New LA Pop-up Dining Experience to Debut July 5

Experimental pop-up dining company Chain recently launched a new promotion for Dread Lobster, a themed pop-up food truck that will operate out of Los Angeles, California, on scattered dates from July 5-12.

As stated on Chain’s website, Eatchain.com, the limited-time-only event is promoted as “[a] terrifyingly delicious meal available for free for an extremely limited time if you can catch it…”

Paying homage to casual seafood joints

Comprised of three parts, the meal is inspired by casual seafood dining experiences like Red Lobster...

Cozy Harbor, a Maine Lobster Staple, Files for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy

Cozy Harbor Seafood, a staple processor in the Maine lobster industry, along with its companies Art’s Lobster Co. and Casco Bay Lobster, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on July 1.

The bankruptcy declaration filed by Cozy Harbor’s owner, John Norton, said the decision stems from “the price of seafood that it purchases for processing” coming out of the pandemic, along with tariff uncertainty.

“Premised on price instability arising first out of the COVID pandemic and then out of uncertainty due to tariff threats, the Debtors have had trouble operating within...

Federal Judge Dismisses UCIDA's Claim that NMFS Violated Laws While Managing Cook Inlet Salmon 

The United Cook Inlet Driftnetters Association lost its latest legal effort to correct management issues impacting sockeye salmon in the Cook Inlet Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) with a decision on Monday to dismiss all charges with prejudice.  

That decision does not mean that UCIDA cannot appeal Federal Judge Sharon Gleason’s 32-page ruling.  

The Cook Inlet salmon fishery is managed as a mixed stock fishery. In this case, sustainable stocks of returning sockeye, bound for their spawning grounds in the Kenai and Kasilov Rivers, are...

DOC Announces 2025 Appointments to the Regional Fishery Management Councils

The US Department of Commerce (DOC) announced the appointment of 20 new and returning members to the eight regional fishery management councils on June 30.

Council members represented stakeholders, including commercial and recreational fishing industries, environmental organizations, and academia, along with state and federal agencies. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) explained that councils are vital to “fulfilling the Magnuson-Stevens Act’s requirements to end overfishing, rebuild fish stocks, and manage them sustainably.”

The Secretary of Commerce appoints roughly one-third of the total 72 appointed members...

Rabobank Sees Pressure from Tariffs and Trade Shifts: Shrimp, Salmon Sectors Brace for Impact

A new report from Rabobank highlights how affordability challenges and shifting trade dynamics are transforming global seafood markets in 2025.

The price point of seafood is a key factor influencing demand. In the second half of the year, the Trump administration’s tariffs could pose a significant challenge to consumer affordability, as costs are passed on. Meanwhile, Rabobank expects demand to improve in China due to stimulus packages. Lastly, Europe is expected to be a strong market as exporters shift trade from the US and China amid...

Russia Struggles to Boost Domestic Deep-Sea Crab Catch 

Russia’s deep sea crab catch remains low, despite efforts by the Federal Agency for Fisheries (Rosrybolovstvo) to boost activity through quota auctions. 

After a failed attempt last month, Rosrybolovstvo tried once more to auction quotas for catching deep-sea crabs — specifically angulatus snow crab in the North-Okhotsk and East Sakhalin subzones, and red snow crab in the Primorye and West Sakhalin subzones. The starting price for the quotas exceeded 1.051 billion rubles.  

As part of the auction terms, investors were required to build fishing vessels at Russian shipyards...

Navigating the Trump Tariff Turbulence: A Comprehensive Timeline

US President Donald Trump and his administration have paused reciprocal tariffs on most countries.

“Based on the lack of respect that China has shown... I am hereby raising the [tariff] charged to China by the [USA] to 125%, effective immediately,” wrote Trump on Truth Social at 1:18 pm ET. 

It’s not clear if this 125% is in addition to the 20% imposed on Chinese imports to the US. In early March, Trump noted that he would add another 10% tariff on Chinese goods...

Conxemar and ABANCA Renew Collaboration Ahead of International Frozen Seafood Fair in Spain 

Conxemar, the Spanish Association of Seafood Wholesalers, Importers, Exporters, and Processors is once again collaborating with ABANCA to address challenges facing the frozen seafood sector.  

This is part of Conxemar’s 26th International Frozen Seafood Fair in Spain, aimed at promoting sustainability, improving energy efficiency, and boosting fleet modernization. 

The collaboration seeks to strengthen the future of the seafood sector for the Galician and Spanish economies.  

The International Frozen Seafood Show brings together seafood wholesalers, importers, exporters, processors, manufacturers, distributors, and machinery and...

ANALYSIS: Frozen Haddock Market Sees Unprecedented Price Growth

The conclusion of Q3 2024 signaled the onset of a new pricing trajectory within the frozen haddock market. Prior to this shift, wholesale prices for haddock had exhibited minimal volatility, remaining largely stable through the earlier part of the year. However, beginning in September 2024, prices strengthened significantly and have remained at elevated levels since then. This inflection point coincided with emerging reports of reduced haddock availability from the Barents Sea, contributing to a broader global supply contraction amid sustained demand. Compounding these supply-side pressures, the...

Pacific Seafood Going Big on Alaska

Pacific Seafood Group is expanding its reach beyond the West Coast to Alaska through acquisitions and memberships.  

In 2024, Pacific purchased Kodiak processing facilities from Trident Seafoods, including the Star of Kodiak, a converted war-time ship that processes a number of species like pollock, salmon, halibut, crab, groundfish and Pacific cod. The purchases contribute to the company’s Mission 31, a strategic initiative aimed at doubling the size of its business by 2031. 

Now, Pacific has joined the Pacific Seafood Processors Association, a seafood processing trade group founded in 1914...

Mowi Appoints Tomasz Trela as New Sales Director Central Europe

Effective today, Tomasz Trela has stepped into the role of Sales Director Central Europe at Mowi, overseeing business for the seafood giant in the central European region.

The appointment was announced by Trela four days ago in a LinkedIn post and follows Trela’s return to Mowi several months prior.

The update also comes after Mowi’s acquisition of a controlling stake of Nova Sea earlier this year, which increased Mowi’s ownership in Nova Sea from 49% to 95%.

The region for which Trela is now responsible spans Scandinavia, the DACH region...