Red Lobster Abruptly Closes 48 Restaurants, As Revealed By Equipment Liquidation Company 

In a surprising twist of events, 48 Red Lobster restaurants have closed — some reportedly without notice to their employees.

Red Lobster’s financial woes have been well documented over the recent months. But this week a facility and equipment liquidation company called TAGeX shocked everyone when it revealed that select Red Lobster locations have closed and that they are auctioning off the entire contents of these restaurants. 

TAGeX has a total of 48 Red Lobster locations listed on their website, but text on the page also states they are “auctioning off 50+ locations across the country.”

First Temporary Grid Closures Announced in Gulf of St. Lawrence Following Sighting of Entangled NARW

Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) released its first temporary prohibited grid closures on Monday, days after an entangled North Atlantic right whale (NARW) was spotted in the Gulf of St. Lawrence.

The entangled NARW, identified as an adult female named Shelagh, was spotted via routine aerial surveillance on Friday. The DFO said at the time that its marine mammal response program was monitoring the situation in an effort to “determine response options with our partners.”

“If the whale is located again, and weather and...

Legislative Task Force Created to Evaluate Alaska's Seafood Industry

On Sunday the Alaska Legislature signed off on a resolution to create a task force for the next 9 months that will, in partnership with the industry, find solutions to the problems faced by the state’s commercial fishing industry.

Only one state legislator voted against the legislation in the House; the Senate approved it unanimously. 

The resolution will be sent to Governor Mike Dunleavy for his signature this week. Unless Dunleavy calls a special session, the Alaska Legislature will adjourn the session this Wednesday, May 15. 

“The depth of the crisis ...

Trader Joe’s Introduces 3 New Seafood Products, Including RTE Salmon Item

Trader Joe’s is constantly introducing new items to their shelves. And this month, three of their new products just so happen to be seafood-related.

The grocer’s refrigerated section has plenty of ready-to-eat (RTE) options, and the latest addition to that lineup involves salmon. Trader Joe’s is encouraging customers to “shake up” a classic with their new Caesar Salad with Salmon. This RTE offering features romaine lettuce and kale blend with grilled salmon, parmesan crisps and romano Caesar dressing...

PODCAST: USDA's Open Purchase Request for Alaska Pollock; Red Lobster's Fate and More

Seafoodnews Podcast hosts Amanda Buckle and Lorin Castiglione are reunited and it feels so good! Listen in as Amanda and Lorin talk about some of the biggest stories of the week, from USDA open purchase requests for pollock and more, to an update on the fate of Red Lobster.

Plus, Amanda reveals that she's returning to the stage as MC for the annual Genuine Alaska Pollock Producers meeting... and Lorin volunteers to wear the Dutch mascot costume!

Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife Gets New Director After Curt Melcher's Retirement

The Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission on Friday selected an agency veteran to lead the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife into the future.

The Commission voted unanimously to select Dr. Debbie Colbert as the new ODFW Director.

Colbert is the first woman to ever be appointed to the permanent ODFW Director position in the agency’s long history. The first state Fish Commission was legally recognized in 1887 and a combined fish and game agency has existed in Oregon since 1893.

Colbert will now lead ...

NOAA Fisheries Selects 14 Sea Scallop Applications Through 2024 RSA Program

NOAA Fisheries announced earlier this month that it has selected 14 sea scallop applications through the 2024 Research Set-Aside (RSA) programs.

Scallop RSA programs support research into industry-based surveys of access areas; sea scallop biology; loggerhead turtle population information and bycatch avoidance; and general research on sea scallop recruitment, bycatch and commercial dredge gear. These types of RSA programs are unique to federal fisheries in the Greater Atlantic Region, and are not only in place for scallops, but also monkfish and Atlantic herring...

Nordic Aqua Partners Reaches Total Harvest Volume of 92 Tonnes At China Farm

Nordic Aqua Partners confirmed last week that it has reached a total harvest volume of 92 tonnes at its fish farm in Gaotang, China.

The salmon farming company began production of fresh salmon in March 2022. Since then the company has welcomed former Mowi executive Ragnar Joensen as their new Chief Executive Officer, as well as new directors to their board and a new CFO. Earlier this year the company provided a 2024 outlook, revealing that they planned to have their first harvest in...

DOL Proposes Removal of Thailand Shrimp From List of Products Produced by Forced Child Labor

A notice published in the Federal Register Friday by the Department of Labor (DOL) proposes a revisement to the Executive Order on Prohibition of Acquisition of Products Produced by Forced or Indentured Child Labor. The Executive Order identifies a list of products, by their country of origin, that the DOL has “reasonable basis to believe might have been mined, produced, or manufactured by forced or indentured child labor.” According to this new notice, the DOL is proposing to remove shrimp from Thailand from...

Norway Food Safety Authority Confirms ISA At Sjøtroll Havbruk 

The Norwegian Food Safety Authority confirmed earlier this week that Sjøtroll Havbruk AS is facing an infectious salmon anemia (ISA) outbreak at its facility in Sveio municipality in Vestland county.

Sjøtroll Havbruk first notified the Norwegian Food Safety Authority of a possible finding compatible with ISA on April 25. Samples were conducted by the agency a few days later, and by May 8 the Food Safety Authority was able to confirm that the disease was indeed present at the fish farm.

Sjøtroll Havbruk, which is...

Japan’s Consumer Food Price Index: Seafood Prices Soar By 25.7% in 2023

Sony Assurance Inc. has recently conducted a comprehensive review of the price increases across various sectors and items, with a particular focus on the Consumer Price Index published by Japan's Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications. Notably, the food sector experienced a substantial price surge, with seafood prices in 2023 soaring by 25.7% compared to 2020. This increase surpassed even the 25.3% hike in fire insurance prices, as reported by Minato Shimbun.

According to the "2020  Base Consumer Price Index Nationwide 2023 Average" released...

The Winding Glass: What the Decline of Red Lobster Means for the U.S. Seafood Industry

The possible bankruptcy of Red Lobster is a watershed moment for the seafood industry.

Last month Bloomberg reported that Red Lobster may file for bankruptcy. This follows the announcement in January that Thai Union was ending its losing investment in Red Lobster and taking a $530 million write down.

A Red Lobster bankruptcy and restructuring would be a watershed event. Red Lobster used to be a colossus. During its heyday of rapid expansion and increasing sales in...

ANALYSIS: Strong Demand and Sporadic Landings Lead to High Prices to Start the Spring King Season

Spring troll season for king (Chinook) salmon is in full swing, with landings reported from various regions. However, the market is facing challenges in maintaining steady pricing and supply. Product is coming in from Neah Bay, the Columbia River, as well as the Coast of Oregon. Additionally Southeast Alaska and Yakutat recently commenced with landings for weeks 18 and 19 hovering around 400 fish each, according to Alaska Department of Fish and Game, as of...

USDA Grants Emergency Assistance To Louisiana’s Crawfish Aquaculture Industry

Louisiana’s crawfish aquaculture industry received a win this month when the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) granted emergency assistance to the industry though the Emergency Livestock Assistance Program (ELAP).

Last year crawfish farmers suffered as a result of excessive heat, with Louisiana State University’s Agriculture Center estimating potential losses of nearly $140 million. Multiple state politicians have used their platforms to call on the USDA to help. And now, that help is coming through ELAP.

For those unfamiliar with ELAP, the program provides financial assistance to...

Russia Plans to Increase its Pollock and Crab Supplies to South Korea in Years to Come

Russia plans to increase its pollock supplies to South Korea in years to come and to make this country one of the largest consumers of Russian pollock.

So far, most of South Korea's pollock needs have been met by the supplies from Japan. However, due to discharge of water contaminated with radioactive substances from the Fukushima-1 nuclear power plant, the volume of such supplies have significantly declined. As an alternative, imports of chilled pollock from the Russian Federation to the...

NTSB Determines Cause Behind $56.6 Million Total Loss of Trident’s F/V Kodiak Enterprise 

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) revealed its findings after investigating an April 2023 fire that occurred on board the F/V Kodiak Enterprise, a 276 ft. vessel that is a part of Trident’s catcher/ processor fleet. According to the government agency, investigators were unable to “definitively” determine the cause of the fire due to the extensive damage. However, they were able to determine why the fire resulted in a total loss of the vessel, worth an estimated...

2024 Snow Crab Landings Update For NL, Gulf and Maritimes Region As of May 10

Snow crab harvesters in the Gulf of St. Lawrence are close to landing the full quota for 2024. According to the latest landings data from the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO), 82.78% of the total allowable catch (TAC) in Area 12 has been landed as of May 10.

The 2024 quota for Area 12 — including traditional fleet (01), First Nations (02) and New Access (03) — was set at 22,236.416 t and revised to 21,756.074 t. The season opened April 1 and...