ANALYSIS: Frozen Whiting-Record Prices and Tight Whitefish Supplies Heighten Concerns Ahead of Lent

Frozen whiting prices have continued their upward trajectory, reaching record levels as constrained supplies and elevated replacement costs lend support to the market. Since May, imported whiting fillet prices have advanced from approximately $2.35/lb to $2.70/lb in October, an increase of nearly 15%. Current values are also 14.9% above year-ago levels and approximately 20% above the five-year October average, highlighting the extent of the market's strength despite a generally cautious buying...

Trump Announces $8 Billion for Farmers and Fishermen to Offset Soaring Diesel Costs

On a campaign swing through Kansas last Monday, President Donald Trump announced a new program to offset high diesel costs incurred by farmers across the country amidst competitive political races in areas like Kansas where voters have not sent a Democrat to Congress since 1932. Trump attributed the plan, called Harvest Fuel Relief program, to Kansas’s incumbent, Republican Sen. Roger Marshall, who won his seat by more than 11 percentage points in 2020 but now is locked in a close race with...

Expana's Weekly Top 10

From trade policy and supply chain disruption to shifting retail demand and commodity market pressure, this week’s top 10 stories offer a snapshot of the key developments influencing food, agriculture and commodity trade. Explore Expana’s latest coverage spanning regulation, logistics, proteins, seafood, crop weather and key input markets below.

Find archived Top 10's here. 

Trade, Tariffs and Regulation

10. Trump signed an executive order authorizing steep tariffs on Russian goods and major buyers of Russian oil, but a pause clause kept them from taking effect, leaving USTR to monitor conditions as trade talks...

Australis Aquaculture Expands Vietnam Barramundi Capacity With New Farm Leases and Processing Plant

Australis Aquaculture has secured 16 ocean‑farming leases in Vietnam’s An Giang Province, adding permitted production capacity of up to 30,000 metric tons annually as the company looks to expand barramundi supply for global whitefish markets. Stocking is underway at the first farm, with initial harvests expected to begin in mid‑2027.

The 30‑year leases, issued by the An Giang Provincial People’s Committee, more than double Australis’ total permitted capacity. The company also said Blue Loop, its new seafood processing...

New York Adds $6.5 Million to Islip Regional Shellfish Hatchery, Bringing State Total to $16.5M

Gov. Kathy Hochul has announced an additional $6.5 million in state capital funding for the Town of Islip Regional Shellfish Hatchery, bringing New York's total commitment to $16.5 million for construction of a new facility. The governor's office announced the funding on Oct. 20.

The state's earlier commitment was $10 million, announced in 2024. Construction costs have since risen, pushing the total project cost to $16.5 million, and the new money is meant to cover that gap and advance...

GSA Prepares Major Revision of Aquaculture Feed Mill Standard

The Global Seafood Alliance (GSA) is preparing a major revision of its Best Aquaculture Practices (BAP) Feed Mill Standard as it looks to strengthen responsible sourcing requirements for aquaculture feed ingredients.

GSA has convened a technical committee to develop Issue 4.0 of the standard, which will examine emerging best practices in aquafeeds, including the role of marine ingredients and how to ensure their responsible sourcing and inclusion. The revision follows changes GSA made to the existing standard in 2026 to more clearly address marine...

Walmart Faces Class Action Over Great Value Shrimp Weight Claims

Walmart faces a class action alleging its Great Value frozen shrimp contains less shrimp than its labels claim, with the shortfall reaching up to 11%, according to Top Class Actions.

Plaintiff Elijah Baptist filed the case, Baptist v. Walmart Inc. (Case No. 2026CH09745), in the Circuit Court of Cook County, Illinois, on Oct. 8. The suit alleges that Walmart includes the weight of ice glaze in the net weight listed on packages, so consumers pay for ice rather than shrimp. It argues the practice is unfair, deceptive and fraudulent...

Declining Baby Lobster Counts Point to Falling Adult Populations in Maine

A new University of Maine study published in Marine Ecology Progress Series found steep drops in lobster numbers at multiple life stages along the Maine coast, underscoring the value of early‑life monitoring for tracking the health of the Gulf of Maine lobster fishery.

Researchers reported an 80% decline in baby lobsters sampled from 2010 to 2022, a 70% decline in young lobsters since 2015, and a 50% decline in adults large enough to harvest. The fishery remains economically important...

FAO GLOBEFISH Engages Students in Exploring Career Opportunities in the Fisheries and Aquaculture

On 14 October, eighty students in the final two years of the Technical Institute for Transport and Logistics “Duca degli Abruzzi” in Naples (Italy) attended the event “Blue Careers: Inspiring the Next Generation for a Sustainable Blue Economy”, while a further 230 students joined remotely. The event was organized by the Italian National Research Council’s Institute for Research on Innovation, International Law and Sustainability (CNR-IRIDIS) as part of the European Commission’s European Maritime Day in My Country 2026 initiative.

The event brought together...

Russia and Norway Agree on a 14% Barents Sea Cod Quota Increase for 2027

Russia and Norway have agreed to raise the 2027 Barents Sea cod quota by 14%, Russia's fisheries agency Rosrybolovstvo said. Speaking to journalists in Istanbul on Oct. 22, Rosrybolovstvo head Ilya Shestakov said the joint Russian-Norwegian Fisheries Commission had decided on the increase for next year. The increase marks the first rise after five years of continuous cuts.

The 2026 total allowable catch was set at 285,000 tonnes, the lowest since 1991. A 14% increase would take the 2027 TAC to roughly...

NOAA Allocates $15.8 Million in Fishery Disaster Funding to Florida, California and Makah Tribe

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) of the US Department of Commerce (DOC) has announced $15.8 million in fishery disaster funds for Florida, California and Washington, for disasters previously declared.

In Florida, the funds cover Hurricane Ian in 2022, which was declared by Governor DeSantis. In Washington State, the allocation recognizes the Makah Tribe's ocean treaty troll fishery in 2020 and 2021, as well as the Fraser sockeye salmon fisheries in 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2023. California's red sea urchin fishery received...

Canadian Seafood Farmers Names 2026-2027 Executive Committee, Chaired by Cooke's Joel Richardson

Canadian Seafood Farmers has named its 2026-2027 Executive Committee, elected by the board on Oct. 16. Joel Richardson of family-owned Cooke Aquaculture in New Brunswick will chair the committee. The group, which announced the appointments on Oct. 22, brings together leaders from Canada's finfish, shellfish and aquaculture supply sectors.

Jennifer Woodland of Cermaq Canada is vice-chair, Cyr Couturier is treasurer, and Mia Parker of Mowi Canada is secretary. Executive members at large are Elizabeth Barlow of Cermaq Canada...

Russia Targets Processing 50% of Pollock Catch Into Fillets and Surimi by 2030, Buglak Says

Russia aims to process half of its pollock catch into fillets and surimi by 2030, supported by plans to commission new vessels and processing facilities, Alexey Buglak, President of the Russian Pollock Association, said at the International Groundfish Forum.

Buglak said the Russian pollock sector is showing positive dynamics: stocks remain stable, catches are high, and exports are growing. In 2025, Russia’s pollock catch totaled 2.175 million tonnes, and it is expected to remain around 2.2 million tonnes this year...

ANALYSIS: US Shrimp Replacement Costs Normalize as Import Costs Rise

Expana's peeled replacement cost model, which uses declared value on new entries, is depletion-weighted and includes applicable duties for India, Indonesia and Ecuador, and stands at $3.77. The UB Peeled index is at $4.57. The relationship between the two series is 7.0%, down from 9.1% in August and slightly above the historically typical 5% to 6% range.

The relationship had been negative through late 2025 and reached a low near -9.4% in March, when replacement cost peaked at $4.79 and wholesale prices had already begun...

Salmonella Outbreak Linked to Oysters Grows to 27 Illnesses in 12 States

The FDA, CDC and state health officials are investigating a multistate outbreak of Salmonella Telelkebir infections linked to raw oysters from the Little Wicomico River in Virginia. As of Oct. 19, 2026, the CDC reports 27 illnesses, 5 hospitalizations and no deaths across 12 states. The FDA's safety alert and the CDC's outbreak notice both advise consumers and businesses not to eat, sell or serve the recalled product...

Toyosu’s September Imported Fresh Tuna Arrivals Jump 56%; Boston Bluefin Hits JPY 15,000/kg

According to Minato Shimbun, data compiled by Jiji Press show Tokyo’s Toyosu Market received 2,030 imported fresh tuna in September, up 56% from 1,305 a year earlier. Arrivals of Pacific bluefin and wild southern bluefin increased, while bigeye declined.

Pacific bluefin totaled 713 fish, up more than 70% from 413. Wild-caught fish from Boston drove much of the gain, nearly doubling to 284 from 147. Canadian arrivals edged up to 214 from 208.

Import industry sources said the higher North American volume...

EU Fisheries Vision 2040 Draws Industry Fire for Lacking CFP Reform

The European Commission's Vision for Fisheries and Aquaculture 2040, published Oct. 20, 2026, sets a 15-year framework for the sector's structural challenges. Europêche, the EU fishing sector's leading trade association, says it makes no commitment to a targeted revision of the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP), and calls the document a dead end for the sector. The Europêche statement was issued jointly with ETF, EFFAT and Copa-Cogeca.

The CFP's last comprehensive reform was in 2013, which puts the next revision more than three years past its customary...