The Winding Glass: Destruction of NMFS Cancels Trump’s Order Supporting American Fisheries

[The Winding Glass is the opinion and commentary column by John Sackton, Founder, SeafoodNews]

Staff firings and budget cuts are dismantling the fishery management regime established through the Magnuson Stevens Act.  In 2005 when NOAA implanted a system for monitoring the sustainability of fish stocks, only 38% of US commercial stocks were not overfished or within 80% of their biomass targets.  By 2023, this had increased to 78% of the monitored commercial stocks.   

This record was achieved despite climate factors decimating some important commercial fish species, such as pacific salmon, crab, and American lobster.  That means that while total commercial landings have...

ASC Launches New Farm Standard

The Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC) recently launched its new certification standard for farmed seafood, setting the benchmark for responsible seafood farming. The certification aligns ASC’s twelve species standards, rolling them into one global standard.

The formal launch was announced at last week’s Seafood Expo Global in Barcelona, Spain.

The new benchmark is built on four pillars: fish, farm, people, and planet. By focusing on these areas, the ASC Farm Standard “empowers producers to meet regulatory and market demands, enhance farming practices and fish health, prioritize worker and community wellbeing, and protects biodiversity,” said Michiel Fransen...

Russian Crabbers Increase Domestic Prices, Hope to Resume Exports to the US

Crab prices in Russia are steadily growing, mainly due to the country's ongoing export growth. According to analysts, in the first three months of 2025, Russia exported 17,000 tons of crab worth more than $440 million, which is almost by 25% more in both volume and value terms than the previous year.  

That contributes to the growth of crab prices in the domestic market.  

According to recent statements made by Valentin Balashov, Chairman of the Interregional Association of Coastal Fishery Industrialists of the Northern Basin, in an interview...

Chile's Joint Committee to Review Financing Formulas Amid Calls to Reopen Debate Over Hake Quota

A key session for the future of the fishing fractionation project will take place this Tuesday afternoon, when the mixed commission that deals with it will meet again to settle the pending points of the initiative.

The ten members of the instance are summoned from 15.00 to 16.00 hours in room 11 of the Senate, to discuss the lack of fiscal financing that meant the rejection of the commission to the bidding mechanism proposed by the Executive, which sought to generate an auction system...

Norway Announces Harmful Algal Bloom in Production Areas 9 and 10

Today, the Norwegian Food Safety Authority (NFSA) and the Directorate of Fisheries reported a new microalgal bloom related to the genus Phaeocystis and Chrysochromulina in Norwegian production areas 9 and 10.

According to the Norwegian government, the first mortalities caused by the algal bloom were reported from Øksfjorden at the end of April before spreading to Raftsundet and Kanstadfjorden in area 9 and moving north to Astafjorden in area 10.  

As evidenced by modeling data compiled by the Institute of Marine Research (IMR), many locations continue to show...

ANALYSIS: Q1 Frozen Tuna Imports Climb While Prices Defy Upward Trend

Total frozen yellowfin tuna imports in Q1 2025 climbed to 22.62 million pounds, a 33.6% increase over Q1 2024 and 12.96% above the five-year Q1 average. Importers accelerated shipments ahead of the April 2nd tariff announcement, continuing a pattern of precautionary buying shaped by President Trump’s tariff-focused trade policies since his first day in office. The move reflects persistent uncertainty surrounding future tariff actions and their potential to disrupt supply chains, driving buyers to secure inventory before costs or availability are further impacted...

California Closes Sardine Harvests Below Point Conception Due to Biotoxin

As summer approaches and ocean water temps start to rise, so do the risks of harmful algal blooms, such as domoic acid, a naturally occurring toxin produced by the Pseudo-nitzschia alga. 

This time, state officials found high levels of domoic acid in Pacific sardines in Southern California.   

State health agencies determined that Pacific sardines sampled off Southern California contained elevated levels of domoic acid and recommended a fishery restriction for Southern California for the commercial and recreational take of sardines for human consumption in the area...

Gulf Shrimp Season Closes May 15

AUSTIN -- Commercial shrimp season for both Texas and federal waters in the Gulf of America will close 30 minutes after sunset May 15, reopening on a still-to-be determined date in July.

While July 15 is the statutory opening date for the gulf season, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department’s (TPWD) Coastal Fisheries Division will sample shrimp populations this summer to determine the optimum opening date. The Texas shrimp fishery is closed annually to allow brown shrimp to reach a larger and more valuable size prior to harvest...

ANALYSIS: Illex Squid Market Update for Q1 2025

In the first quarter of 2025, both Argentine and international fishing fleets recorded adequate captures within Argentina's exclusive economic zone and international waters, leading to a decline in prices for Illex squid (Illex argentinus) through March. However, new catch conditions informed by market participants resulted in...

Dept. of State Releases Annual Determination and Certification of Shrimp-Harvesting Nations

The U.S. Department of State has determined that wild-caught shrimp or shrimp products harvested in the following fisheries/nations are eligible to enter the United States, effective May 12, 2025:

* Australia (Northern Prawn Fishery, the Queensland East Coast Trawl Fishery, the Spencer Gulf, and the Torres Strait Prawn Fishery)

* France (French Guiana)

* Italy (giant red shrimp)

* Japan (shrimp baskets in Hokkaido)

* Republic of Korea (mosquito nets); and

* Spain (Mediterranean red shrimp).

For any nations, economies, and fisheries not listed above, the U.S. is only accepting farmed shrimp...

The Retail Rundown: Pre-Grilling Season Retail Insights

With Memorial Day fast approaching, retailers are ramping up promotions to jumpstart the unofficial kickoff to the summer grilling season—a crucial window for driving foot traffic and boosting meat department sales.

The next two weeks are key, as market participants closely watch consumer demand ahead of what is typically one of the busiest periods for beef sales. Protein items are being prominently showcased alongside vibrant seasonal produce, enhancing the appeal of in-store displays.

Seafood leads the protein feature mix this week, accounting for nearly 30% of all advertised protein items...

Les Hodges: Canadian Snow Crab is Open for Business

As the first quarter of 2025 concludes, early indicators offer insights into market direction for the remainder of the year. Despite high crab prices in various segments, market conditions remain generally favorable. Norwegian red king crab is currently the only red king crab listed on the Urner Barry Price-Current, as inventories of Alaska red and golden king crab are limited and held by only a few hands. 

Total red king crab quotas for 2025 across the U.S. and Norway stand at 5.408 million pounds, while Alaska’s golden king crab adds...

ANALYSIS: Vannamei Shrimp Seasonal Price Decline Meets Strong Ecuadorian Exports in Early 2025

The price of 40-50 head-on shell-on vannamei prawns exported from Latin America to Europe has seen a moderate decline, falling 1.1% year-on-year (- USD $0.06/kg) and 9.9% quarter-on-quarter (- USD $0.53/kg). A notable 14.5% drop occurred over 16 weeks following mid-December, with prices decreasing from USD $5.67/kg on December 16, 2024, to USD $4.85/kg by April 7, 2025. This trend reflects a typical seasonal dip in demand after the Christmas holidays, observed not...

Maruha Nichiro Acquires VDL Group for €40 million

Japanese seafood company Maruha Nichiro Corporation (MNC) recently acquired Netherlands-based seafood company Van der Lee Seafish Beheer B.V. (VDL Group) for €40 million (USD $44.36 million).

The decision to acquire the VDL Group was announced at MNC’s Board of Directors meeting on May 12, where the Board resolved on a capital injection in the amount of €40 million for MNC’s consolidated subsidiary Maruha Nichiro Europe Holding B.V (MNEH) to acquire a majority stake in Van der Lee Seafish Beheer B.V. (VDL Group), and for MNEH’s subsidiary Seafood...

Russia Actively Increases Exports of Pollock Fillets and Minced Meat

Russia is actively increasing its exports of pollock fillets and minced pollock meat as the demand for such products remains high.

According to Russian newswire Fishnews, the Russian Federal Center stated that exports between January and March 2025 increased by 72% year-on-year, exceeding USD $140 million, with the bulk of supplies accounting for pollock fillets and minced meat. In terms of volume, exports increased by 61%, amounting to 50,000 tons.

Among the largest buyers of Russian fish fillets are the Republic of Korea and China, where the...

Tariff Talks 2025: Expana's Weekly Rundown #8

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 #8."

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...

Northline Seafoods Pays More Than $1.37M Bond to Release Seized Salmon Vessel

On May 6, Sayak Logistics (d.b.a. Northline Seafoods) paid more than $1.37 million for the release of its seized vessel, the Hannah, which had been confiscated by federal authorities due to outstanding welding bills owed to Leo’s Welding and Fabrication, LLC, in excess of $1.2 million.

This development comes after a federal judge in Washington state issued a warrant on April 30 for the arrest of the vessel, given its outstanding debt with Leo’s Welding. The Washington-based welding company performed work on the Hannah...