ANALYSIS: Wild Salmon Week in Review: Week 28, July 7-13

Sockeye pricing fell slightly this past week due to supply outpacing demand. Bristol Bay started slowly, but landings increased to levels similar to 2023 in week 27. However, week 28 experienced another decline, with 9.9 million fish landed, down 20.5 percent from last year's total of 12.5 million for the same week.

Copper River sockeye prices also retreated due to strong landings. In Week 22 of 2023, Copper River saw a catch of 265,000 fish. Week 27 the catch surpassed...

Cordova’s Expanded Small Boat Harbor Benefits South-Central Alaska Fisheries, Tourism, Commerce

The two-year, nearly $40 million project to expand and renovate Cordova’s small boat harbor has created one of Alaska’s largest single-basin harbors with a capacity to accommodate 727 vessels.

The city of 2,500 people is home port for fleets fishing Prince William Sound to the west, and the Copper River Flats to the east. Historically, salmon, halibut, crab, herring, shrimp, Pacific cod, scallops, and clams were harvested from these two uniquely productive fishing grounds and the Gulf of Alaska beyond. Prior to the 1964...

Ocean Wise Pulls Eco-Label for All SE Alaska Salmon Fisheries

Vancouver, BC-based Ocean Wise, Canada’s largest sustainable seafood label, has pulled its recommendation for Southeast Alaskan salmon due to claims that a large share of the annual catch are actually B.C.-bound fish, some of which would be food for the endangered southern resident killer whales.

Ocean Wise delisted the Alaskan fisheries last week and sent hundreds of emails to restaurants and grocery chains that sell the fish. Ocean Wise seafood certification logo and branding are largely focused on Canada. The organization relies on MSC certification standards to ...

Ocean Beauty Seafoods Adds New Yellowfin Tuna Product To Echo Falls Smoked Seafood Line

Ocean Beauty Seafoods’ Echo Falls Smoked Seafood line is full of mouthwatering salmon products, and even some sablefish. But new to the brand this fall is a Smoked Yellowfin Tuna product. 

“Smoked seafood has always been a core part of our business and what we do best,” said Ron Christianson, Vice President of Sales and Marketing. “It was a natural decision to provide customers with a distinctive but approachable smoked tuna product, prepared using Echo Falls' traditional methods." 

The tuna is wild-caught and...

Iceland’s LAXEY Raises €6 Million to Continue Construction On New Facility

LAXEY, an aquaculture company looking to raise 32,000 tonnes of Atlantic salmon a year in the Westman Islands, has completed a €6 Million equity private placement. The company said in a news release out late last week that the funding will allow them to continue construction on its new facility.

While LAXEY’s hatchery has been operational since November 2023, the grow-out site has been under construction. The site will feature eight tanks, the first of which was installed in late June over a...

ANALYSIS: Farmed Salmon Import Update

Imports for May were released the week of the Fourth of July and there are several observations.

Farmed frozen salmon continues to month-to-month declines as May 2024 trails April 2024 by 6.9 percent. Overall, year-to-date, total frozen farmed salmon imports are 21.4 percent behind 2023. Through the first 5 months out of the year, 2024 is the lowest volume seen in the last three years. These lower frozen imports come after back-to-back record setting years for frozen farmed salmon...

AquaBounty Enters Into Agreement With Superior Fresh To Sell Indiana Aquaculture Facility

AquaBounty Technologies has found a buyer for its Indiana farm. The aquaculture company filed an 8-K form on Tuesday, revealing in the 31-page document that it has entered into an asset purchase agreement with Superior Fresh, "pursuant to which Superior Fresh will acquire AquaBounty Indiana’s land-based aquaculture facility in Albany, Indiana."

AquaBounty announced its plans to sell off its Indiana farm in February. The Indiana facility, which is 12,000 square feet, can raise 1,200 metric tons of salmon each year. The company said...

It's Early: Alaska Wild Salmon Landings on Par With ADF&G Forecasts So Far

With 10.6 million wild salmon caught in Alaska this year so far, landings are on par with ADF&G forecasts of 135.7 million salmon rather than last year’s actual landings of 232.4 million salmon, a 41.6% drop that is due to lower projected catches of pink salmon in Southeast and sockeyes in Bristol Bay. It is still too early in the season to make statements on timing: the latest numbers are as of July 1 when the peak of the Bristol Bay Run is still at ...

ANALYSIS: Farmed Salmon Complex Looks Weak Heading into July

Heading into the week of Fourth of July, the farmed salmon complex in the U.S. market looks to be feeling more of the “heat” of the summer doldrums. All origins — Canada, Chile, Norway, and Scotland — saw readily available supply this week, coupled with a fair to at times report of lackluster demand.

From a historical perspective, the farmed salmon complex in 2024 was ahead of the curve for most of the month of June. The farmed salmon index was above the 5-year average for most of the month, ranging...

Foppen Seafood Issues Recall For Smoked Salmon Slices Sold At Kroger, Payless Supermarket

This week the FDA posted a company announcement from Foppen Seafood about a recall of the company’s Smoked Norwegian Salmon Slices sold at Kroger and Payless Supermarket stores. Routine testing conducted by the company revealed the presence of Listeria monocytogenes.

“At Foppen Seafood, we operate to the highest standards of health, safety and quality control,” the company acknowledged. “We have taken immediate steps to address this isolated incident and we are collaborating closely with Kroger and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to...

New Brunswick Expresses Its Support For Aquaculture After B.C. Fish Farm Ban

Open net-pen salmon farming may be banned in British Columbia, but New Brunswick Agriculture, Aquaculture and Fisheries Minister Margaret Johnson wants the industry to know that New Brunswick “has always been” and will continue to be a “strong supporter” of the salmon aquaculture industry. 

“We have witnessed the growth of this industry, which is a responsible and sustainable sector within our province built upon science, technology advancements and innovation,” said Minister Johnson. “Our finfish growth strategy, recently revised Aquaculture Act and aquaculture-related regulations across the...

ANALYSIS: Wild Salmon Week in Review: Week 25, June 16-22

Sockeye prices continued to decline last week as landings increased in several regions, including Prince William Sound, Alaska Peninsula, Bristol Bay, and Barclay Sound in Canada. With more product landing, supplies are becoming more available, leading to downward pricing pressure. Some industry observers note that prices have dipped somewhat earlier than usual. Typically, prices drop when Bristol Bay's harvest peaks, but despite fishing having commenced, substantial landings have not truly begun. There are some indications of a weakening sales volume demand; for instance, market participants report...

Commerce Approves More Than $12M for Alaska, Washington Salmon Disasters in 2021-2022

Last Friday U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina M. Raimondo announced that $12.2 million will be allocated to Alaska’s 2022 Kuskokwim River salmon fishery, 2021 and 2022 Upper Cook Inlet East Side Setnet salmon fishery, and the Port Gamble S’Klallam Tribe’s 2021 Puget Sound fall chum and coho salmon fisheries.

In the past twelve months, Commerce has approved as many fisheries disaster just in the west coast states of Alaska, Washington, Oregon, and California. The fishery disasters, most of them salmon and of those many...

5 Things To Know About The Canadian Government’s Transition From Open Net-Pen Salmon Farming in B.C.

Reports started circulating early this week that the Canadian government was set to announce that the aquaculture industry in British Columbia had five years to transition from open-net salmon farms. And on Wednesday Diane Lebouthillier, Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard, confirmed it. Open net-pen salmon aquaculture will officially be banned in B.C. coastal waters by June 30, 2029.

“The government is firmly committed to taking concrete steps to protect wild Pacific salmon,” said Minister Lebouthillier...

CDFW, Cal Maritime Release Samon in Hopes of Rebuilding Populations

As the sun set over the San Pablo Bay recently, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, joined by faculty, staff and students from the California State University Maritime Academy, released approximately 1 million fall-run Chinook salmon smolts from the Cal Maritime campus in Vallejo.

It was the first release of Chinook salmon from this location in almost four decades, and among the final releases of hatchery fall-run Chinook salmon taking place in San Francisco and San Pablo bays this spring and summer.

“Expanding our partnerships with...

Russia Expects Catch of 320,000 Tons of Salmon This Year

Russia expects that its salmon catch during the current salmon fishing season could reach 320,000 tons, according to recent statements made by representatives of the Russian Federal Agency of Fisheries (Rosrybolovstvo).

The salmon fishing season in Russia begins at the end of May. The biggest catch volumes are expected to be in the Kamchatka Territory, where these figures are estimated at 170,000 tonnes.

Among the other centers of salmon catch in Russia are also the Sakhalin region, the Chukotka Autonomous Okrug, and the Khabarovsk Territory...

Acme Smoked Fish Acquires Fellow Brooklyn-Based Business Banner Smoked Fish

Acme Smoked Fish, a fourth-generation, family-owned and operated smoked fish company based in Brooklyn, confirmed on Monday that it has acquired their competitor, fellow Brooklyn-based and family-owned business Banner Smoked Fish.

“We’re thrilled to bring two family business together on a shared mission to make exceptional smoked fish,” said Adam Caslow, managing partner at Acme Smoked Fish and a member of the fourth generation of the business. “It’s an exciting time to work together with the Attias family -- our shared...

U.S. Authorities Lobbying For MSC to Ban Russia

According to some Russian media reports,, U.S. authorities are lobbying for the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) to ban Russia from using the international environmental certificate for fishing.

As the Russian RBC business paper has recently reported,a group of American senators appealed to the MSC to ban the use of the international environmental fisheries certificate by Russian fishermen. Senators Dan Sullivan and Lisa Merkausky (from Alaska), as well as senators Susan Collins and Angus Stanley King Jr. (from Maine), reportedly sent a letter with such demands to the...

Icelandic Japan Starts Importing Fresh Atlantic Salmon from Iceland

Icelandic Japan has begun selling fresh Atlantic salmon in Japan. According to the company, this is the first time fresh Atlantic salmon grown in Iceland has been sold in Japan. Minato Shimbun reported that the company expects to sell to mass retailers nationwide and aims to expand sales to 40 tons per week, 800 tons in the first year, and 3,500 tons per year after three years.

On July 2, a tasting event was held at the Icelandic Embassy in Tokyo for related parties. Ambassador to...

Russia May Face Sharp Rise In Salmon Prices This Year

Russia may face a sharp rise in prices for salmon and even a shortage in the domestic market in years to come, mainly due to the decrease in the catch of Pacific salmon this year and the ongoing dependence of Russian aquaculture on imported supplies of feed and fry.

According recent statements made by German Zverev, the President of the All-Russian Association of Fisheries (VARPE),  in an interview with Forbes Russia, Russia, together with the EU countries, the U.S. and Japan...

Minato Shimbun Counted 104 Branded Salmon Farms in Japan, up 26 from 2022

The number of local salmon brands nationwide in Japan has surpassed 100, a significant milestone. According to a survey by Minato Shimbun, as of early July, there are 104 local salmon brands nationwide, an increase of 26 from the previous survey in 2022. This growth trend indicates a promising future for the local salmon industry.

Each producer grows fish focusing on the breeding environment and feed, differentiating them as domestic salmon with a strong regional flavor. With imported products remaining at a...

Northline Seafoods’ New Freezer Barge At Reduced Capacity Following Electrical Fire

In late May Northline Seafoods’ new freezer barge, Hannah, departed Bellingham’s Fairhaven Shipyard for its maiden voyage to Bristol Bay. The one-of-a-kind, state-of-the-art vessel was entering the 2024 salmon season in Bristol Bay with the capacity to freeze up to 1 million pounds of salmon per day, with cold storage on board the vessel able to hold over 10 million pounds of frozen fish, and 2.3 million pounds of fresh.

“This is a dream come true,” Northline Seafoods CEO Ben Blakey...

Norwegian Food Safety Authority Confirms New Detection Of Infectious Salmon Anemia 

Norway’s Food Safety Authority has confirmed the positive detection of Infectious Salmon Anemia (ISA) at yet another sea location; this time in Bømlo municipality in Vestland county.  Varde Fiskeopdrett AS, Tombre Fiskeanlegg AS and Lingalaks AS are all engaged in farming salmon at the 11513 Andal site.

The Norwegian Food Safety Authority was first alerted to a suspicion of ISA at 11513 Andal on June 18. The diagnosis was confirmed on June 28 following histopathological findings that were compatible with ISA. With ISA...

High Numbers in Egegik But Overnight Ugashik Nearly Tripled Catch to 112,000 Sockeye

If you can’t wait to track the performance stats on display at the Paris Olympics in a month, turn your focus to Bristol Bay, Alaska for a worthwhile diversion before the Games begin.  

Seafood aficionados can track the daily run of what could be 45 million sockeye salmon returning to the Bay’s nine river systems, compare those rivers performances with two forecasts this year, and even get an early DNA peek at what’s to come. A little over a week out and 100 miles distant scientists at ...

This Year's Hokkaido Fall Chum Return Forecast To Reach 17.02 Million Fish

Local Independent Administrative Agency Hokkaido Research Organization announced on June 21 the characteristics of fall chum return in 2023 and this year's forecast of (total of coastal catch and river counts) 17.03 million fish, a 24.5% decrease from the 2023 forecast. The 2024 forecast is lower than the lowest figure of 17.37 million in 2017.

Fall chum salmon return to Hokkaido in 2023 was 22.57 million, a 33% decrease from the previous year's forecast of 34.83 million. The total harvest the Hokkaido Federation of...

UK Consumers File Class Action Lawsuit Against 6 Salmon Producers

Norwegian salmon producers are facing yet another lawsuit related to price-fixing allegations. In the latest lawsuit, filed by Waterside Class Action, six salmon producers —Mowi and its subsidiary Mowi Holdings, SalMar, Lerøy, Scottish Sea Farms and Grieg — are being accused of participating in “coordinated transactions” and “unlawfully exchanging information” in an effort to drive up the prices of farmed Atlantic salmon. 

According to the lawsuit, the price-fixing occurred up until May 31, 2019, “shortly after the European Commission raided the offices of various...

Escapements Reported In Norway At Sites Operated By Mowi and Cermaq

Norway’s Directorate of Fisheries has confirmed two recent escapements from salmon farms; one in the Alta municipality and the other in the Frøya municipality.

Cermaq Norway Salmon AS reported an escapement incident on Friday, June 21. The company informed the Directorate of Fisheries that “major damage” was discovered in the groove of one of its cages at its Kråkevik site, located at the far end of the Altafjord. The damage resulted in the escape of farmed salmon with an average weight of 1.2 kg. 

“The company has...

Industry Responds To Plan to Ban Open Net-Pen Salmon Farms In B.C. in 5 Years

Industry members are beginning to speak out regarding the Canadian government’s decision to transition from open net-pen salmon farms in British Columbia in five years. 

After days of speculation, Diane Lebouthillier, Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard, confirmed on Wednesday that open net-pen salmon aquaculture will officially be banned in B.C. coastal waters by June 30, 2029. B.C. aquaculture licenses will only be considered for marine or land-based closed-containment systems after...

Japan: Crab Sticks Processed with Sustainable Alaskan Surimi Go on Sale at 16,300 FamilyMart Stores

FamilyMart Co., Ltd. will release two crab-flavored surimi products, "Seafood Stick" and fish side dishes using wild seafood from Alaska. The sustainably fished products will be at approximately 16,300 FamilyMart stores nationwide from June 18, 2024, to coincide with "Sustainable Food Culture Day" on June 18, one of the international days designated by the United Nations, reported Kamaboko News.

In addition to the three products already on sale using wild seafood from Alaska, the target products will display the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute...

Japan: 2023 Sockeye Salmon Imports Surged by 41% to Over 10,000 Tons