ANALYSIS: Squid Market Faces New Crosscurrents Amid Recently Imposed Tariffs

Squid continues its volatile trajectory into 2025, with many of the same challenges persisting and one significant new development poised to reshape the broader market landscape.

Supply across most squid species and origins entering the U.S. remains difficult to navigate, a trend that has persisted for some time. Meanwhile, the market continues to show signs of disruption...

“I’m Starting to Get Real Upset,” Sullivan’s Frustrated Call for Fisheries Surveys in Alaska

Last week, Senator Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), a member of the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee, pressed Mr. Paul Dabbar, the nominee who will likely be the new Deputy Secretary of the Department of Commerce, on fisheries stock surveys in Alaska. 

Sullivan pointed out that if staffing and approved funding from the Department are not prioritized, there will be no fishing. Sullivan also demanded that Dabbar and Commerce officials work promptly with Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick to sign the pending maintenance contract for the Kodiak...

West Coast Fisheries Infrastructure Waxes and Wanes: Part 1

Shoreside fisheries support decreases following limited fishing seasons 

Editor’s note: This is the first of a three-part series on the struggles facing shoreside infrastructure that supports West Coast fisheries, submitted by Pacific Fishery Management Council Executive Director Merrick Burden. Parts 2 and 3 will be published later this week. 

Stand on a dock in any West Coast fishing town and you will see similar things: worn wood, rusty fittings, and waterlogged docks. For the general public, these are just some of the more obvious signs of an underlying problem that is making fishing off the West Coast exceptionally difficult: The decay and loss of shoreside infrastructure. 

Infrastructure is everything that supports a healthy fishery, from start to finish. It means docks that need to be maintained in the harsh elements; harbors that need to be regularly dredged; fuel docks to keep vessels moving; bait suppliers; and support businesses to sell and store the gear that a fishing boat needs. It means ice to chill the fish; a dock and hoist to land them; a buyer to buy them; a processor to filet and package them; cold storage; and a distribution network and reliable markets, here and abroad, where the final product can be sold. Throughout it all, infrastructure includes reliable, knowledgeable crew, a boatyard for routine maintenance, and repair services for when things go wrong.   

The past few years have been rough for West Coast fisheries.  

Russian Financial Conglomerate AFK Sistema Sells Major Salmon Fishing Asset in Kamchatka

The Russian financial conglomerate AFK Sistema has decided to sell its major fishing asset, Voskhod Holding, one of Russia’s largest Pacific salmon fishing companies, with a business value of approximately RUB 15 billion (USD $183 million).  

The new owner became AO Insoft, which is owned by Russian businesswoman Milana Kerimova.   

At present, Voskhod Holding is considered one of Russia’s largest Pacific salmon producers. The company's main assets are located in Kamchatka, including 30 fishing grounds, six factories, and more than 35 ships. These capacities allow the company...

Sullivan-Whitehouse FISH Act 2025 is Unanimously Passed by Senate Commerce Committee

On May 1, 2025, the Senate Commerce, Science & Transportation Committee unanimously passed the Fighting Foreign Illegal Seafood Harvest (FISH) Act, which seeks to combat illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing within the U.S. seafood market.

The bipartisan bill, also known as the FISH Act (or the FISH Act of 2025), establishes federal infrastructure and processes to blacklist offending IUU vessels from U.S. ports and waters.

In addition, the act will increase the U.S. Coast Guard’s enforcement capabilities and partnerships and advance international and bilateral negotiations to achieve enforceable...

Japan’s Black Cod Imports Exceed 10,000 Tons 3 Years in a Row

Japan's 2024 imports of frozen cod from the United States amounted to 10,006 tons, down 16% from the previous year, though still exceeding the 10,000-ton mark for the third consecutive year.

Meanwhile, the import price rose 15% from 985 yen/kg ($6.83/kg) the previous year to 1,136 yen/kg ($7.88/kg). According to reporting from Minato Shimbun, the rebound in market price was due to producers suspending fishing due to fatigue from low prices.

In 2012, imports were over 8,000 tons, with an average...

Texas House of Reps. Advances Legislation Supporting State Shrimp Industry

Earlier this week, the Southern Shrimp Alliance (SSA) issued a news release detailing the Texas House of Representatives’ recent advancement of two bills that stand to support the state’s shrimp industry.

The first bill, HCR 76, was authored by Representatives A.J. Louderback and Terri Leo-Wilson and unanimously approved by the Trade, Workforce & Economic Development Committee on April 23. The bill urges the federal government to address the domestic surge in cheap, farm-raised imported shrimp and to take measures to combat the negative impact that such imports have on...

Alaska’s Silver Bay Joins GSSI as Funding Partner

The Global Sustainable Seafood Initiative (GSSI) recently announced that Alaska-based Silver Bay Seafoods joined GSSI as a Funding Partner. 

“Sustainable fishery management is critical to the success of our fishermen, and company, and the enduring strength of our partnerships with fishermen, communities, and industry across Alaska,” the company said in a statement yesterday. “Silver Bay Seafoods is enthusiastic about this new partnership with GSSI. The GSSI benchmark plays a critical role in seafood certification by extending formal recognition to robust, effective, and credible seafood certification programs...

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...

Tariff Talks 2025: Expana's Weekly Rundown #7

Expana’s global team of specialist reporters has been tracking every twist and turn in the fluid tariff situation.

Click to read "Tariff Talks 2025: Expana's Weekly Rundown #7."

This report allows the Expana community to see where key commodity markets stand as of this past week... Click the above PDF report, or keep scrolling to read in plain text...

GAPP Gets USDA Funds for 2025 Trade Missions, Seeks New Round of Partnership Proposals

The Genuine Alaska Pollock Producers (GAPP), a group focused on marketing and researching Alaska's pollock industry, has been rather active lately, between its receipt of federal funds for exploring emerging markets and the release of its most recent round of Partnership Program funding, for which proposals are now being accepted.

Exploring emerging markets in South America and Asia

Last week, GAPP announced its receipt of federal funding through the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Foreign Agriculture Service (USDA-FAS) Emerging Markets Program (EMP) to explore emerging markets...

Fortune Sues Former Executive and Salmon Company Vikenco for Stealing Trade Secrets

Boston Sword & Tuna, LLC (BST) and Fortune International, LLC, (Fortune) recently filed a lawsuit against former employee Christopher J. Marchese and Norwegian salmon company Vikenco North America, Inc. (Vikenco).

The legal complaint, filed on April 29, 2025, argues that the defendants stole confidential and proprietary information and trade secrets, set up a competing business, and engaged in direct competition with the plaintiffs despite contractual and common law obligations that prohibited such activity...

Louisiana's Inshore Shrimp Season to Open May 8 in Some Parts

On May 1, 2025, the Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Commission published the opening dates for the state’s inshore shrimp fishing season.

The following dates were decided upon for Louisiana’s inshore shrimping areas, using information provided by Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) biologists as well as public comments:

* State inside waters from the Mississippi/Louisiana state line westward to the eastern shore of South Pass of the Mississippi River will open at 6:00 a.m. on Monday, May 19, 2025...

Russia Hopes for Good Mackerel Catches This Year Despite Earlier Reports of Stock Decline

Russia is hoping for good mackerel catches this year despite some earlier reports about a significant decline of mackerel stock within domestic territorial waters as well as abroad.

According to recent statements from leading Russian fisheries scientists, the Atlantic mackerel stock continues to remain stable and is not at risk of decline due to overfishing.

Oleg Bulatov, Director of Research at the Russian State Research Center of Fisheries and Oceanography, explained how scientists monitor stocks and analyze mackerel catches every year. According to him, mackerel stocks in both...

ANALYSIS: Cod Retail Data Suggests Peak Promotional Efforts from New Year to End of Lenten Season 

The groundfish market has been under upward pressure for several months due to a shortage in raw materials and escalating tariffs on imports from China. This analysis examines the promotional activity of cod at retail level over the past four years and highlights seasonal trends in promotional efforts...

Sens. Booker and Sullivan Introduce Keep Finfish Free Act Banning Fish Farms in US EEZ

Yesterday, U.S. Senators Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Dan Sullivan (R-AK) introduced the Keep Finfish Free Act, bipartisan legislation that would prohibit federal agencies from issuing any permit or taking any other action to authorize or facilitate commercial finfish aquaculture operations in the U.S. EEZ, unless Congress passes future legislation explicitly authorizing such permits.

If the title sounds familiar, it’s because a near-identically titled House Resolution was introduced in early 2021 by Representative Don Young of Alaska, a Republican. It, too, was bipartisan...

FDA Finalizes “Healthy” Food Definition, Includes Nuts, Seeds, Eggs, Olive Oil, and Salmon Products

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently finalized its definition of ‘healthy’ for U.S. food products, thus allowing foods like nuts, seeds, higher-fat fish, and certain oils—which were previously not included in an earlier version of the rule—to bear the word “healthy” on their packaging and other food marketing materials.

As Expana reported in December 2024, varieties of these foods such as fresh, frozen, or canned options are also listed in the update, so long as they have no added ingredients...