High Liner Q3 Adjusted EBITDA Falls 29% as Tariffs, Foodservice Softness Squeeze Margins

Value-added frozen seafood company High Liner Foods reported an Adjusted EBITDA decline in the third quarter of 2025, when compared to last year.

High Liner’s President and CEO Paul Jewer said the company faced “a combination of macroeconomic factors” which included tariffs, soft consumer sentiment and reduced foodservice traffic that led to “greater pressure on margins and volumes than anticipated.”

"We are taking targeted actions - including pricing adjustments, continuous improvement initiatives, and disciplined cost management - to help offset short-term pressures on the business,” Jewer added...

Nova Scotia Fisher Fined CAD 76,000, Gets One-Year Ban for Illegal Atlantic Halibut Catch

A Nova Scotia resident was sentenced in Provincial Court to a total fine of CAD 76,561.35 ($54,315) for illegal Atlantic halibut fishing.

An announcement from Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) stated that Grant William Cameron pleaded guilty in a previous court appearance, where he was fined $40,000 for setting fishing gear during a closed period and failing to provide the correct position of a vessel at the request of a DFO-designated at-sea observer...

FFAW‑Unifor Urges Federal Aid for Sea Cucumber Harvesters Hit by China’s 25% Tariff

The Fish, Food and Allied Workers Union (FFAW-Unifor) urged fisheries minister Joanne Thompson and Sean Fraser, the minister responsible for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA), to provide support for sea cucumber harvesters impacted by China’s 25% tariffs on Canadian seafood.

The union said that the ACOA needs to adjust its parameters for support eligibility for harvesters that lost “the bulk” of their 2025 fishing season due to the tariffs.

“Current tariff relief programs for businesses inexplicably exclude owner-operator fish harvesters...

Les Hodges: New Season Alaska King and Snow Crab Quotas Announced!

The Alaska Department of Fish and Game released advisory announcements this past week showing gains across three major species of crab. Red king crab increased by 16%, Tanner (bairdi) jumped by 113%, and opilio snow crab increased by 97%! There was even a hybrid snow crab that will be harvested during the Opilio harvest. With fishing opening on October 15, buyers can expect Alaska red king and Tanner snow crab just in time for the holiday market.

Meanwhile, Norwegian frozen red king crab shipments through September reached 1.7 million...

Quebec Lobster Storage Facility Destroyed in Fire; 350,000-Pound Capacity Lost

A fire destroyed a lobster storage facility in Cap-d'Espoir, Quebec, owned by seafood company E. Gagnon & Fils on September 23, according to Canadian radio station Radio Gaspésie.

The broadcaster said Bill Sheehan, an owner of the firm, stated that the CAD 4.5 million ($3.2 million) building was constructed in 2021, and the damage represented a “significant loss” for the company from a lobster storage standpoint. The fire dropped the firm’s lobster holding capacity by 350,000 pounds, roughly 40% of its storage...

Canada Expands Tariff Support to Atlantic Canada, Backing Seafood, Manufacturing and Steel

As Canada continues to navigate a new trade environment thanks to United States President Donald Trump’s tariff policy, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney announced major investments for Atlantic Canada.

On September 8, Carney announced that CAD 80 million ($58 million) from the larger Regional Tariff Response Initiative (RTRI) would be allocated to businesses in Atlantic Canada. Carney’s office stated that RTRI support will help industries most affected by the tariffs, including the seafood, manufacturing and steel sectors. The support will aim to modernize their operations, protect...

Royal Greenland Integrates Quin-Sea Fisheries; Managing Director Simon Jarding Exits Immediately

Royal Greenland has shaken up leadership at its Canadian seafood subsidiary, Quin-Sea Fisheries Ltd., as Simon Jarding will leave his position as managing director, effective immediately.

The company said on September 7 that Quin-Sea Fisheries would become fully integrated within the Royal Greenland Group.

“This integration will ensure closer alignment across the value chain and create synergies that strengthen profitability, benefit employees, and support the communities in which we operate,” the company said in a news update...

High Liner Foods Names New Chief Financial Officer

Canada-based High Liner Foods announced Kimberly Stephens as the company’s new Chief Financial Officer (CFO) on September 3.

The value-added frozen seafood firm stated that Stephens will follow Darryl Bergman, who will be leaving the Company to pursue new opportunities. Bergman will remain with the company as an advisor through October 3 to help the transition process.

"Kimberly is a proven leader who brings deep knowledge of our business and strong financial expertise to the role," said Paul Jewer, President and Chief Executive Officer of High Liner Foods...

Fraser River Salmon Return Now at 9.1 Million Sockeye, 27M Pink Salmon

No one yet knows why, but the predicted return of sockeye salmon in British Columbia’s Fraser River rose from 2.94 million in early July to 10.2 million sockeye on Tuesday, August 19, and is now down to 9.1 million as of last Friday, August 22. This is the largest return to the Fraser, which has historically been Canada’s most productive watershed, since 2018. 

Catches as of August 22 for the Fraser alone are 651,626 sockeye landed in Canada and 298,587 sockeye landed in the US. Of those, US...

Premium Brands Sets Q2 Sales Record, But Clearwater Seafoods Posts Loss

Canadian seafood firm Clearwater Seafoods reported a dip in revenue and earnings during the second quarter of 2025, while Clearwater’s parent company, Premium Brands Holdings, posted record revenues and an increase in EBITDA compared to the same quarter last year.

Clearwater Seafoods saw its revenue dip in Q2 2025 by CAD 8.2 million ($6.0 million). The company attributed the dip to the below-average harvesting conditions for Canadian scallops and clams due to “natural variability” of the species and a turbot catch landing after the quarter, compared...

Cooke Aquaculture’s Cold Ocean Salmon Reports Mortality Events in Newfoundland

Cold Ocean Salmon, which operates under the Cooke Aquaculture umbrella, reported a trio of notices related to mortality events at its Newfoundland, Canada, salmon farming sites.

The first notice, published on the Newfoundland Aquaculture Industry Association (NAIA) website, focused on a July 22 incident that impacted 52,000 salmon on a site that houses over 500,000 fish. The site was Cold Ocean Salmon’s Northwest Cove facility near Hermitage.

According to the notice, all of which were published in line with the Newfoundland and Labrador Department of Fisheries, Forestry and Agriculture (FFA)...

Canada Designates First Offshore Wind Areas Off Nova Scotia Coast 

Canada has officially designated its first four offshore wind energy areas off the coast of Nova Scotia, marking a major milestone in the country’s transition to clean energy. 

The selected zones deemed suitable for potential offshore wind projects include French Bank, Middle Bank, Sable Island Bank near the mainland, and Sydney Bight off Cape Breton.  

“The identification of wind energy areas off the coast of Nova Scotia is a significant step forward towards unlocking our renewable energy potential,” said Tim Hodgson, federal Minister of Energy and...

Nova Scotia Unveils Strategic Investments Fund for 'Big, Bold' Agriculture and Seafood Projects

Nova Scotia, Canada, announced a new fund that will support “big, bold projects” in the agriculture and seafood sectors.

“This fund is about supporting the people who bring new ideas to grow our economy and help businesses,” said Greg Morrow, Minister of Agriculture. “Agriculture and seafood are important traditional industries in our province. But we can’t keep doing things the same old way – we need to support fresh thinking and innovation.”

The Nova Scotia Seafood and Agriculture Strategic Investments Fund will support firms proposing large-scale projects...

Canadian Seafood Escapes Trump’s 35% Tariff, According to Multiple Reports on USMCA Exemptions

Key Canadian seafood exports will be exempt from President Donald Trump’s newly imposed 35% tariff on Canadian goods, according to multiple reports from CBC, The Wall Street Journal and Yahoo Finance.

While Trump’s tariff announcement last week sparked uncertainty over whether critical species like salmon, crab and lobster would be affected, officials confirmed that products compliant with the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) will remain tariff-free.

The question of whether seafood would be faced with a 35% tariff rate followed the release of Trump’s tariff...

Recall Issued for Vicente Marino's Anchovy Fillets in Olive Oil Due to Histamine 

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has issued a recall for Vicente Marino's anchovy fillets in olive oil due to histamine contamination.  

The anchovies were distributed in Alberta, British Columbia, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Quebec, Saskatchewan, and possibly other regions.  

The recall affects jars with a Lot # of 24171 and an expiration date of 12/2025.  

The CFIA says there have been reports of illnesses and is advising consumers not to eat, use, sell, serve, or distribute the product. The products...

Nova Scotia: 22 Seafood Companies Receive $1.75 Million in Climate Change Funding 

The Government of Canada has announced that 22 seafood companies and organizations in Nova Scotia will receive $1.73 million in climate change funding through the Fisheries and Aquaculture Energy Efficiency Innovation Fund.  

The three-year-fund, administered by Efficiency One Nova Scotia, is designed to help chart a path for the commercial fisheries and aquaculture sectors to reduce climate change impacts in the province to at least 53% below 2005 levels by 2030.  

Ranging from installing solar systems to implementing...

Rapid Biomass Drop Triggers Interim TAC Cut for Georges Bank Scallops

Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO)’s stock assessment for sea scallops in Scallop Fishing Area 27A (Georges Bank) paints a cautious picture for one of the region’s higher‑value shellfish resources.

The species has shown signs of decline due to natural predators (sea stars and crabs), with the species' fully-recruited biomass at 13,570 metric tons (mt) in 2024, down by over half of 2023’s 31,095mt.

The assessment, therefore, places the stock in the “healthy” zone on the reference point scale; however, the rapid single-year decline...

Five Charged by DFO for Fisheries Act Violations

Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) recently issued an update on its enforcement news page regarding five individuals charged under the Fisheries Act and related regulations. The individuals are known to authorities, having previously been arrested and charged for similar violations.

The most recent incident occurred on September 19 and 20, 2024, in St. Marys Bay, located in Lobster Fishing Area 34.

On October 9, all five individuals appeared in provincial court in Digby, Nova Scotia, and were each charged with one count of obstruction of a fishery officer, contrary to section 62 of the Fisheries Act.

New Brunswick’s Bolero Shellfish Hit with Record Fine; Barred a Decade from Temporary Worker Program

New Brunswick seafood company, Bolero Shellfish Processing, will pay a CAD 1 million ($716,000) fine for non-compliance with Canada’s Temporary Foreign Worker Program. The punishment also includes a 10-year ban from the program, making it the largest penalty ever issued by Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC).

ESDC said the fine was put in place in September. While the statement from the department didn’t specifically mention Bolero Shellfish Processing, a government registry cited the company along with the historic penalty...

Nova Scotia Approves 10-year Renewal for Cooke’s Kelly Cove Salmon License

Cooke Aquaculture’s Kelly Cove Salmon subsidiary has received approval from the Nova Scotia Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture (NSDFA) to renew its Aspotogan Harbour fish farming license for another 10 years.

The salmon farm located near Saddle Island offshore from Bayswater Beach has been in operation for 30 years for the cultivation of Atlantic salmon, Cooke shared in a news update.

Cooke said the NSDFA underwent an extensive performance review, based on technical and biological assessments of the salmon farm, in line with regulations...

Larry’s Catch Expands Across Canada, Pushing MSC-Certified, Flash-Frozen Canadian Seafood

Larry’s Catch, a Canada-based seafood delivery and subscription company, said its services are now available across Canada.

The brand stated that it works exclusively with certified sustainable family fisheries. The company boasts its ability to offer an alternative to grocery store seafood with its wild-caught, flash-frozen Canadian seafood.

“Operating with intentional sourcing at the heart of its business, Larry's Catch partners directly with Canadian fishing families who have been on the water for generations,” the company wrote...

Cermaq Canada Completes Full Salmon Cycle in Ahousaht Territory with Zero Mechanical Lice Treatments

Cermaq Canada said its operations in Ahousaht First Nation territory completed a full salmon production cycle without a mechanical sea lice treatment.

Cermaq Canada, the Canadian arm of major salmon farmer Cermaq, said it conducted 56 mechanical sea lice treatments in 2022 to keep a 1.93 annual lice level. In the past 12 months, the company has conducted zero treatments with a lice level of 0.30.

David Kiemele, Managing Director, Cermaq Canada said:

“This phenomenal result has been the culmination of joint efforts... 

High-Level Canadian Fisheries Ministers Meet in Nunavut to Discuss Co-Management, Global Trade

The Canadian Council of Fisheries and Aquaculture Ministers (CCFAM) met with the Government of Nunavut on August 28-29 in Iqaluit, Nunavut, to discuss issues that will strengthen trade and Canada’s competitiveness globally. The Minister of Fisheries, the Honourable Joanne Thompson, and the Minister of Community Services for Nunavut, the Honourable David Akeeagok, co-chaired the meeting, which was attended by their provincial and territorial counterparts.

"Fisheries and aquaculture provide good jobs in rural, northern and coastal communities right across Canada,” noted Joanne Thompson... 

Champlain Seafood Expands with Purchase of BA Richard, a Long-time New Brunswick Lobster Processor

Champlain Seafood, a major Canadian snow crab and lobster processor, announced its acquisition of BA Richard, a lobster processor based in Sainte-Anne-de-Kent, New Brunswick.

Champlain noted that BA Richard’s operations trace back to the late 1800s. The company said it has been operated by four generations of the Richard family and has become a local staple.

BA Richard has had a 30-plus-year partnership with Cape Bald Packers, a company under the Champlain umbrella...

FFAW-Unifor Secretary-Treasurer Jason Spingle Resigns After Two Decades with the Union

Last Friday the FFAW-Unifor trade union, representing 14,000 harvesters in Newfoundland and Labrador’s small-boat, in-shore fisheries, announced that their Secretary-Treasurer Jason Spingle will resign from his role as FFAW Secretary-Treasurer, effective immediately. 

Spingle has been a representative for Areas 4R, 2J and 3Pn for over 20 years and has served as Secretary-Treasurer since 2022. 

According to the trade union’s press release, Spingle decided to resign to spend more time with his family and pursue other endeavours...

North Shore Fishery Brand Shrimp Recalled Due to Undeclared Allergen

Watson Enterprise Inc. recalled North Shore Fishery brand Frozen Cumin Flavour Shrimp due to undeclared wheat, per a notice published on the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) on July 31.

The audience for the recall was retail and warehouse, with the products distributed in Alberta, British Columbia and Ontario.

Find the recall notice here...

Canada Aquaculture Industry Alliance Joins Effort to Elevate Agriculture as a Federal Priority 

The Canadian Aquaculture Industry Alliance has joined 31 national agricultural organizations in co-signing a letter to Prime Minister Mark Carney, urging the federal government to prioritize the agriculture industry.  

The letter, titled “Let’s Grow Canada: Staking a Claim for Agriculture in the Government Mandate,” argues that the sector is often overlooked in national policy and investment decisions, despite its contributions to the economy.  

Citing a decline in Canada’s global agricultural market share since 2000 and a projected drop in productivity to...

Canadian Trade Union Unifor Urges Action on US and China Seafood Tariffs

Canadian trade union Unifor highlighted its concerns regarding two critical tariff threats on Canadian seafood. Most notably, US President Donald Trump’s tariffs on Canada and China’s tariffs on Canadian fishery products.

The trade union stated that its members, including those from the Fish, Food and Allied Workers Union (FFAW) in Newfoundland and Labrador, the United Fishermen and Allied Workers' Union (UFAWU) in British Columbia, and the broader Canadian fishing industry, are facing genuine threats to their livelihoods.

The union noted that although the US tariffs...

New Study Finds Minimal Impact of BC Net Pen Salmon Farms on Wild Populations

A new peer-reviewed study suggests net pen salmon farms in British Columbia have minimal impact on the region’s wild salmon populations.

The study, published earlier this week, was authored by six health experts from UC Davis, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, Washington State University, and Oregon State University.

Findings from the study indicate that several articles written over the past two decades, linking the substantial impacts of pathogens transmitted from farmed salmon to wild salmon...

Canadian Officials Detect Dermo in PEI Oysters: Province's First Confirmed Dermo Case

On July 4, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) confirmed the presence of Dermo in oyster samples collected in Egmont Bay, Prince Edward Island (PEI), marking the province’s first confirmed case of Dermo.

This comes after the CFIA previously confirmed the presence of Dermo in oyster samples collected in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia in November 2024. Also, just last month, Newfoundland and Labrador announced its first confirmed case of Dermo in oysters.

An aquatic parasite also known as Perkinsosis, Dermo can be transmitted from oyster to...