ANALYSIS: China’s Appetite for Imported Shrimp Confirmed

The Chinese consumer market was boosted in January by the end of the COVID restrictions and the annual public holiday, celebrating the Lunar New Year on the 22nd. According to Chinese customs data, shrimp trade increased in volumes in November and December. A strong buying interest was further confirmed from Chinese importers, and had been confirmed this week by sources in Ecuador...

Gorton’s Seafood Launches Two New Air Fryer Products 

Convenience is king! And Gorton’s Seafood, a leader in frozen prepared seafood, is continuing to lean into that. On Wednesday the company announced the launch of two new products: Air Fried Fish Fillets and Air Fried Butterfly Shrimp. The big twist here is that you don’t need to own an air fryer to enjoy them.

“The most exciting part about these new products is that they’ve already been air fried before they get to the consumer,” said Gorton’s VP of Marketing, Jake Holbrook...

Seafood Shines on JD.com During Chinese New Year Holiday

This Chinese New Year celebration saw a boom in “3R” food, reports JD.com.

“3R” food stands for “ready-to-cook,” “ready-to-heat,” and “ready-to-eat.” The online retail giant revealed that the category saw six-fold growth in transaction volume year-over-year during the holiday period, which ran from January 21 through January 27. And seafood products hold a major stake in this category.

“Food is an essential element of Chinese Spring Festival celebrations,” says JD. “With the 3R industry thriving in China in recent years, more and...

Ecuador: 2,000 Pounds of Shrimp Stolen From Fishing Boat by Organized Crime Gangs

Baja Fresh Debuts ‘Sea of Cortez’ Seafood Dishes for Limited Time

Mexican fast-casual chain Baja Fresh unveiled its new seafood dishes, inspired by the Sea of Cortez, available until April 10.

The two new items, which the company said feature real ingredients and classic cooking techniques include:

- Sea of Cortez Bowl has rice topped with black or pinto beans, roasted veggies, roasted tomatillo salsa, grilled shrimp, grilled wahoo, guajillo sauce, green and purple cabbage, guacamole, mango salsa, pickled onions and cilantro

- Sea of Cortez Burrito has rice, black beans, roasted tomatillo salsa, grilled shrimp, grilled wahoo...

FDA: Total of 60 Entry Lines of Shrimp Refused Due to Banned Antibiotics in 2022

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration released seafood refusal data for December earlier this week, revealing that a total of 60 entry lines of shrimp were refused in 2022 due to banned antibiotics.

Shrimp entry line refusals due to veterinary drug residues have been on the decline since 2015 when the figure hit a high of 404. A low of 36 was reported in 2020 but that number spiked up to 75 in 2021. For 2022 that number dropped to 60, but it’s...

Georgia Commercial Shrimp Season to Close December 31

The Georgia Department of Natural Resources (DNR) confirmed on Wednesday that Georgia’s commercial and recreational shrimp season will close at 6 p.m. on Saturday, December 31.The closure is in part due to the “catch per unit effort” (CPUE) being significantly lower this month compared to the 20-year-average.

CPUE is used to measure the abundance in fisheries. The Coastal Resources Division (CRD) of the DNR conducted an Ecological Monitoring Trawl Survey to collect shrimp data. The latest survey off beaches in...

Louisiana: Shrimp Season Closes Monday in Portions of State Waters

The 2022 fall inshore shrimp season in Louisiana is set to close in state inside waters at sunset on Monday, December 19. The closure is due to a recent biological sampling conducted by the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF).

LDWF found that the average white shrimp size within large portions of state inside waters is smaller than the minimum possession count allowed by law. Closing the season in these areas will give the white shrimp an opportunity to...

Del Pacifico Seafoods Earns SEAL Sustainable Product Award For Wild-Caught MExican Blue Shrimp

Del Pacifico Seafoods is ending the year on a high note after being awarded a SEAL (Sustainability, Environmental Achievement and Leadership) Sustainable Product Award for their wild-caught Mexican blue shrimp. 

SEAL Awards is an environmental advocacy organization that honors leadership through its business sustainability awards and environmental journalism awards while funding research and pursuing environmental impact campaigns. The team judges award applicants on criteria such as impact metrics, innovation/uniqueness of the product, and its ability to inspire sustainable change...

Chicken of the Sea Frozen Foods Now Largest Importer of Fair Trade Certified Shrimp in the U.S.

Chicken of the Sea Frozen Foods (COSFF) can now say that they are the largest importer of Fair Trade Certified shrimp in the U.S. The news comes after the company launched an exclusive initiative with two of their global shrimp suppliers, Thai Union Frozen PCL and Avanti Frozen Foods. 

Nonprofit organization Fair Trade is the leading certifier of fair trade products in North America. If a product has the Fair Trade Certified label then shoppers can rest assured that they are...

Red Lobster Shares 'Greatest Gift' for the Holidays That Combines Iconic Menu Item with Shrimp

Red Lobster said it has provided its guests with “the greatest gift of all this holiday season” but you can be the judge.

However, fans of their iconic Cheddar Bay Biscuits will likely be happy with Red Lobster’s gift which is the introduction of its new Cheddar Bay Shrimp just in time for the holiday season.

"Everyone loves our Cheddar Bay Biscuits, and our shrimp is a close second favorite, so it just made sense to finally put the two together...

NOAA Preliminary Data For August Reveals 17.4 Million Pounds of Shrimp Landed in Gulf of Mexico

The Fishery Monitoring Branch of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has released preliminary shrimp landings data from the Gulf of Mexico for August 2022. While the data does not include shrimp landings in Georgia or South Carlina, the figures released reveal that at least 17.4 million pounds of shrimp were landed in the Gulf of Mexico. In addition, another 1.5 million pounds of shrimp were landed in the South Atlantic in August.

NOAA only began releasing landings data from the...

Shrimp the Star in Blue Apron’s Latest Partnership For Release of “Puss in Boots: The Last Wish”

Atarraya to Harvest First Shrimp from Indianapolis Farm on November 15

Atarraya, the company behind the Shrimpbox, announced that its first U.S. harvest will take place on November 15 at its farm in Indianapolis.

The company described its Shrimpbox as a “plug-and-play” shrimp farm housed in a traditional cargo container.

Guests were invited to the harvest and experience what Atarraya called, “the freshest shrimps they have ever tasted, harvested onsite.”

The first harvest is open to media representatives, government officials, international chefs and potential future shrimp farmers. An RSVP is required...

Cargill Enters Joint Venture to Provide More Shrimp Feed for Ecuadorian Farmers

Cargill and its partner, Naturisa S.A., will create a joint venture with Skyvest EC Holding S.A aimed at providing Ecuadorian shrimp farmers with high-quality feed.

The JV will see Cargill expand the capabilities of its shrimp-feed production to own and operate the shrimp-feed production facility currently owned by Skyvest subsidiary Empagran—located in Guayaquil, Ecuador. The plant has a production capacity of 156,000 metric tons and employs more than 200 people.

“Through this joint venture, Cargill will nearly...

Oregon Trawl Commission Recognized as Ocean Sustainability Champion

The Marine Stewardship Council last week awarded Oregon Trawl Commission a 2022 MSC U.S. Ocean Champion Award for its continued dedication to seafood sustainability and ocean health. Oregon Trawl Commission Executive Director Yelena Nowak accepted the award in a small ceremony at the Pacific Maritime Heritage Center in Newport, Ore., presented by MSC Fisheries Outreach Manager, Erin Murray.

The Oregon Trawl Commission coordinates the certification of three MSC-certified fisheries, including the state-managed U.S. West Coast pink (coldwater) shrimp, and two federally-managed fisheries, the U.S. West Coast groundfish ...

Citrus Lime Shrimp Back at QDOBA By Popular Demand

Fast-casual chain QDOBA has brought back its Citrus Lime Shrimp for a limited time after calls for its return were made by fans.

The addition also comes as consumers stick to fresh New Year’s resolution diets and a looming Lenten season where some consumers avoid red meat.

QDOBA also described itself as one of the fast-casual companies that is working to address the growing demand for seafood options in the segment.

"When we first introduced Citrus Lime Shrimp in June 2022, it was inspired by my trips... 

Russia Ready for Increase of Shrimp Catch in 2023  

Russia plans to significantly increase the volume of seafood production in 2023. A substantial part of it will be sent for exports.

As part of these plans, a particular attention will be paid for the increase of the production of shrimp. For this purpose, experts of Rosrybolovstvo plan to conduct the assessment of shrimp stock in the Sea of Okhotsk, after which the quotas for their catch could be approved.

In general, shrimp catch in Russia has been declining in the last several years. The last time of...

Registration Open For Second Annual Global Shrimp Forum

Save the date! The second annual Global Shrimp Forum is set to take place September 5-7 at the Van der Valk Hotel, Utrecht. And registration for the event is now open.

“We are delighted to share the news that the Global Shrimp Forum is returning for its second event in 2023 and that early-bird registration is now open,” said Willem van der Pijl, co-founder of the Global Shrimp Forum. “Preparations for this year’s event are well underway, and we are thrilled to announce that more than 35 companies have...

Netherlands Shrimp Importer Partners with Skretting to Provide More Sustainable Shrimp to Europe

Netherlands-based shrimp importer Klass Puul has teamed up with Nutreco-owned shrimp feed company Skretting, and feed ingredient suppliers Protix and Veramaris to supply supermarkets across Europe with sustainable shrimp from Latin America.

Top Netherlands retailer Albert Heijn, under the Ahold Delhaize umbrella, is the first to commit to the project as it works to meet GHG emissions targets and broader sustainability agenda.

Klass Puul said retailers in Europe are sourcing more and more shrimp from Latin America and are looking to provide products...

Ecuador, China Negotiate Free Trade Agreement

After negotiating over a period of 10 months, a Free Trade Agreement between Ecuador and China is finally in place. 

According to Ecuador’s Ministry of Production, Foreign Trade, Investment and Fisheries, the agreement between the two countries focuses on the reduction of tariffs “that allow access to markets and also includes various disciplines such as rules of origin, improvement of customs procedures and trade facilitation, trade defense, protocols for sanitary and phytosanitary measures, reduction of technical barriers to trade, cooperation for investment, promotion of electronic...

SeaPak Shares Holiday Hacks 

‘Tis the season for extravagant dishes. But what if you don’t have the time? SeaPak is here to help with a couple of holiday hacks.

SeaPak’s Jumbo Butterfly Shrimp are already a favorite as-is. But you can take this frozen offering to the next level by wrapping it with slices of prosciutto and red pepper. “Bake and you’ve got a simply stunning dish,” the company says.

SeaPak’s Tempura Shrimp can also be used to re-create a favorite party treat at home. Before baking the frozen shrimp, skewer each...

USDA Looking to Buy 207,000 Cases of Domestic Shrimp Products

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (UDSA) invited offers to sell domestic shrimp products to be used in the National School Lunch Program and other Federal Food and Nutrition Assistance Programs.

The December 13 solicitation from the USDA stated that acceptances would be announced by midnight, December 30, 2022. Deliveries are to be made between February 1, 2023, through March 31, 2023.

In total, the USDA is looking to buy a total of 207,000 cases of peeled and deveined shrimp.

Back in October...

NaturalShrimp Unveils Online Home Delivery Program Ahead of the Holidays

U.S. land-based shrimp farmer NaturalShrimp launched its online ordering home delivery program and e-commerce website at www.naturalshrimpharvest-select.com on December 9.

The store comes just ahead of the holiday season and was led by NaturalShrimp Chef and Director of e-commerce Douwe Iedema.

Products featured on the platform include harvested heads-on shrimp and Chef Douwe's long-awaited shrimp cocktail sauce. The company is expecting to add sauces and spices, recipe books and instructional videos for the home cook to become available soon...

Ecuador Shrimp Industry Responds to Government Ending Diesel Subsidy

On Thursday, December 1, Ecuador’s President, Guillermo Lasso, announced that they will be ending a diesel subsidy aimed at large shrimp farms. Farms with more than 30 productive hectares are being impacted. 

Over the summer indigenous groups were protesting the high fuel prices and pushing for better living conditions. The groups had requested that the government eliminate fuel subsidies for large shrimp farms. Now by cutting the diesel subsidy, the government said that they expect to save approximately $160 million a year. 

In a statement the government said that...

Singapore 7-Eleven Launches 7-Select Fish Burger, Shrimp Burger

Something fishy is going on at 7-Eleven Singapore locations. The convenience store chain is launching five brand-new 7-Select grab-and-go burgers … and two of them feature seafood!

“Variety is the spice of life so we’re adding not one but two all-new seafood options to our burger menu,” 7-Eleven Singapore teased. 

First up is the 7-Select Fish Burger, featuring a “delicious white fish patty in crispy breadcrumb with cheese, diced onions and mayonnaise in a soft bun...

What the FDA’s Final Rule on Traceability Records Means For the Seafood Industry

This week the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) released a final rule on Requirements for Additional Traceability Records for Certain Foods, which establishes “traceability recordkeeping requirements, beyond those in existing regulations, for persons who manufacture, process, pack or hold foods included on the Food Traceability List (FTL).

According to the FDA, persons subject to the rule manufacture, process, pack or hold foods on the FTL. They must maintain records that contain Key Data Elements (KDEs) that are associated with specific Critical Tracking Events (CTE). They must also...

Del Pacifico Launches Frozen Shrimp Products At Select Whole Foods Market Locations

Fair trade certified wild-caught Mexican shrimp producer Del Pacifico Seafoods is expanding their offerings at select Whole Foods Market locations. While the company’s shrimp can already be found at the fresh seafood counter, they announced this week that Whole Foods shoppers will now be able to find three new frozen shrimp products in the freezer section of the seafood department.

“Del Pacifico has been a valued supplier since 2019 and an integral part of our Sourced for Good program,” said Greg Hulme, Seafood Category Merchant...

Gulf of Mexico Shrimp Landings Jump from ’18-’20 in July

Last week, NOAA Fisheries’ Southeast Fisheries Science Center released preliminary shrimp landings for the Gulf of Mexico and the South Atlantic.

The Southern Shrimp Alliance (SSA) shared the news and noted that the data released for July include “substantial revisions to the agency’s initial preliminary reporting of shrimp landings in previous years.”

In the SSA’s breakdown of the preliminary data for July, it said it would present the data in a historical context.

“This means that in the summary charts prepared by the Southern Shrimp Alliance, the historical figures...

USDA to Purchase Up to $25 Million Worth of Gulf Shrimp; Southern Shrimp Alliance Applauds Move

On Thursday U.S. Congressman Garret Graves announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) would be purchasing up to $25 million of Gulf of Mexico and South Atlantic wild-caught shrimp to help provide relief to Louisiana’s shrimp industry. The move is being applauded by industry group the Southern Shrimp Alliance.

Louisiana’s shrimp industry has faced several setbacks in recent years, from Hurricane Idea and other natural disasters, to gas prices and supply chain issues, to the openings of the...