The Winding Glass: Crab to Put a Damper on Holiday Retail Sales

Every aspect of the snow crab market this year has been impacted by the tariff turmoil of last April, just when the season was getting underway. 

The primary impact was to front-load exports from Canada to the US as much as possible, so most of the crab pack was imported by the end of July.  Crab followed its seasonal pattern of increasing prices after July as supplies tightened, but retail contracts were mostly made near the lowest price points of the year...

140 Signatories Call on Lawmakers to Advance US Offshore Aquaculture Bill

US offshore aquaculture advocacy groups and 140 supporters, including some notable seafood companies, penned a letter to the US Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation and the US House Committee on Natural Resources, urging Congress to pass the Marine Aquaculture Research for America (MARA) Act of 2025.

The letter was led by The Stronger America Through Seafood (SATS) coalition and the Coalition for Sustainable Aquaculture (CSA). The groups said the letter highlighted the bipartisan support for expanding aquaculture in US federal waters...

Japan's Seafood Exports Surged by 65% in Volume to 52,174 MT in October

According to trade statistics released by the Ministry of Finance, October's fishery products exports (fish and shellfish preparations, and fishmeal) increased 65% in quantity to 52,174 tons compared to the same month last year, and increased 18% in value to 30.869 billion yen ($197.8 million).

Scallop decreased 23% to 4,243 tons, and value increased 8% to 11.228 billion yen ($71.95 million). Frozen exports, both in shell and without, decreased in quantity but increased in value. Yellowtail increased 2% to 3,455 tons...

Seafood Nutrition Partnership Taps High Liner’s Sustainability Chief for Board Role

The Seafood Nutrition Partnership (SNP) has appointed Bill DiMento, Corporate Vice President of Sustainability and Government Affairs at High Liner Foods, to its Board of Directors.

DiMento adds over 35 years of leadership in various areas, including sustainability, regulatory affairs, and seafood industry advancement, to SNP’s board.

Currently, he oversees corporate sustainability initiatives and government affairs. DiMentio ensures High Liner meets high standards in manufacturing, seafood procurement, and social compliance throughout its global supply chain.

“We’re excited to welcome Bill DiMento to the SNP Board of Directors...

Atlantic Sea Cucumber Ltd. Assets Up for Bids Following Court Order

Following an order by the Supreme Court of Nova Scotia on October 2,2025 , MSI Spergel Inc., as Trustee in Bankruptcy of Atlantic Sea Cucumber Ltd, has been authorized to undertake marketing and solicitation of bids for the assets, property, and undertakings of the company.

Among these assets are the parcel and improvements comprising ASC's seafood processing facilities located in Hackett's Cove, Nova Scotia, and, for the purposes of this Sales and Investment Solicitation Process (SISP), the company's fish processing and resale licenses issued by the Canada Food Inspection Agency and the Department of Fisheries and Oceans.

Taprobane Seafoods Becomes Sri Lanka’s First Company Certified Under GAP

Taprobane Seafoods has been certified by DNV under the GlobalG.A.P. Aqua standard, becoming the first company in Sri Lanka to achieve this recognition.

The certification strengthens Taprobane’s environmental management practices and aligns its feed systems with global standards. It also enhances the company’s credibility with buyers, consumers, and partners seeking ethically sourced, low-carbon seafood.

This milestone reinforces Taprobane’s leadership as a responsible aquaculture producer and positions the company to access premium export markets that require verified sustainability credentials...

ANALYSIS: Blue Swimming Crab Imports Down 9% Year-to-Date Amid Tariff and Regulatory Pressures

A federal court has stayed NOAA Fisheries' Jan. 1, 2026, import ban on several blue swimming crab fisheries, offering temporary breathing room to an industry that had been bracing for significant supply disruptions. The stay pauses enforcement while the National Marine Fisheries Service reconsiders its comparability findings under the Marine Mammal Protection Act.

NMFS now has up to...

ANALYSIS: European Frozen Squid Imports Rise, Driven by Peru and Argentina 

Frozen squid imports into the European (EU+UK) market increased by 14.25% year-to-date (YTD) for January–October. This growth was led by Peru, with imports up 193.1% YTD, followed by Argentina at 32.62% YTD. China showed modest growth of 1.6% YTD...

ANALYSIS: Peruvian Fishmeal Prices Increase Despite 1.63M mt Second North-Central Anchovy Quota

The price of fishmeal has been on an upward trend in Peru since June 2025 (Figure 1). In October, a more active market was observed, with an increase of 6.9% month-on-month (m-o-m) and 35.0% year-on-year (y-o-y). This price movement may be related to the announcement that the provisional quota for the Second anchovy fishing season of 2025 in north-central Peru by the Ministry of Production (PRODUCE) was only 500,000 metric tons (mt)...

The Retail Rundown: Holiday Shopping Lifts Foodservice and Grocery Demand 

December is when most consumers fully embrace the holiday spirit—and start spending accordingly.

This year's holiday spending is off to a strong start, with record shopper turnout and a surge in online activity. Adobe Analytics reports that total online sales from Thanksgiving through Cyber Monday amounted to $44.2 billion, up nearly 8% from last year.

Meanwhile, the National Retail Federation reports that a record 202.9 million people shopped over the Thanksgiving weekend, up from 197 million last year. Supermarkets were the most popular destination at 47%, followed closely by online shopping at 45%...

J-HOTATE Association Survey Finds Strong Interest in Japanese Scallops Among International Visitors

The Japan Scallop Export Promotion Association (“J-HOTATE Association”), which aims to expand the export of Japanese scallops, conducted a survey to understand awareness, purchase intent, and taste preferences among overseas consumers. The survey was carried out in Osaka during the 2025 Japan International Expo (Osaka–Kansai Expo), targeting 113 international visitors from 34 countries.

The results showed that awareness of Japanese scallops was 45.1%, below the halfway mark. However, 74.4% of respondents said they would purchase Japanese scallops if available in their home countries, indicating strong...

NOAA Fisheries Reopens Comment Period on Trump’s Seafood Competitiveness EO Amid Shutdown

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Marine Fisheries Service (NOAA Fisheries) reopened the comment period on President Trump’s ‘Restoring American Seafood Competitiveness' Executive Order.

NOAA Fisheries sought public comment on the EO initially on August 27, as Expana covered. It said the call for public comment was a key step in its work to make the US a global seafood leader.

The initial 45-day comment period wrapped up on October 14, 2025. However, NOAA Fisheries said that, due to the government shutdown...

UNFI Reports Solid Start to Fiscal 2026

United Natural Foods (UNFI) has reported the results of its financial performance for the first quarter of its 2026 fiscal year.

"We started fiscal 2026 with another quarter of solid execution and continued progress in delivering more value to our customers and suppliers as we strengthen effectiveness and efficiency. Our network optimization is proceeding ahead of schedule, and the benefits of recent supply chain investments, coupled with process improvements, is enabling us to strengthen service levels and increase throughput. This helped us deliver Adjusted EBITDA growth of nearly 25%...

ANALYSIS: Retail Shrimp Sales and Promotions Hit Multi-Year Lows Ahead of Holiday Price Lift

Retail shrimp sales in the US have slowed sharply in recent weeks, with Circana data indicating the weakest seasonal performance in at least five years. For the seven-week period from week 40 through week 46, sales values in USD were approximately 6% lower year‑on‑year, while estimated volumes declined nearly 13% compared to the same period in 2024.

This seasonal window is typically a prelude to holiday‑driven price strength, yet current volume levels are tracking below any year since 2020. Despite isolated...

Hokkaido Ikura Price Doubled Amid Historical Poor Catch

Due to a historic decline in Hokkaido's fall chum salmon catch, the region's ikura salmon caviar is experiencing an unprecedented drop in production and skyrocketing prices, Minato Shimbun reported.

Based on estimates from the Hokkaido Federation of Fisheries Cooperative Associations and other sources, supply estimates show that last year's chum catch was approximately 44,000 tons (as of the end of November), equivalent to 2,600 tons of green salmon roe (down 30% from the previous year). Fresh consumption was approximately 500 tons (down 50% from the...

ANALYSIS: Groundfish Market Maintains Full Steady to Firm Undertone Amid Raw Material Pressures

The groundfish market has demonstrated consistent pricing stability over recent weeks, with select twice-frozen products posting upward adjustments while most single-frozen items held at established levels. Despite minimal day-to-day movement in certain segments, raw material cost pressures, evolving US-China trade policy, and shifting import patterns continue to shape market dynamics...

Senators Quiz USCG Acting Head Lunday on New Massive Budget Prior to His Confirmation 

Senators from both sides of the aisle expressed concerns and guidance to the Acting Commandant of the US Coast Guard at a hearing held last week prior to a likely Senate confirmation.

In last summer’s One Big Beautiful Big Act (OBBBA), the Coast Guard was given $24.6 billion infusion of cash, nearly twice the USCG’s annual budget, in addition to the $14.4 billion the Trump administration requested for the service for fiscal 2026, according to the a military.com report at the...