NMFS Issues Temporary Rule to Ensure Uninterrupted Northeast Groundfish Season; Fishery Opens May 1

On April 29, NOAA Fisheries (NMFS) signed a temporary rule to facilitate uninterrupted fishing for the Northeast Multispecies fishery, otherwise known as the Northeast groundfish fishery. The rule is effective May 1, the same day the fishery’s 2025 season opens up.

Per the emergency action, NMFS established interim specifications for Georges Bank haddock and two stocks of cod, as well as affirmed specifications for other Northeast Multispecies stocks previously set in Frameworks 65 and 66. As a result, the measure will allow the fishery to...

World’s First Wind-Aquaculture Platform Passed Acceptance

The world’s first integrated floating platform for wind power and aquaculture, Guoneng Sharing, independently developed by China Longyuan Power Group Corporation Limited, has recently passed acceptance by a panel of authoritative experts in Beijing.

Located in the waters off Nanri Island, Putian, Fujian Province, the project marks a significant breakthrough in China’s three-dimensional development of marine resources.

The innovative Guoneng Sharing platform combines a 4-megawatt floating wind turbine with an intelligent deep-sea aquaculture cage system capable of rearing 50,000 deep-sea fish. The project overcame multiple technical challenges, including performance...

Save California Salmon: Another Lost Season is a ‘Total Crisis, Not a Closure’

Recent notice of another complete closure for commercial salmon fishing in California this year means more must be done to save fish – and the fisheries – says a California non-profit working with tribes and Northern California fishermen.​ 

The Pacific Fishery Management Council’s April decision marks the third year in a row of no commercial fishing season in California, as well as the state’s first recreational salmon season since 2022.  

Tribal subsistence fishing allocations will also be limited. This decision was made due to extremely low returns...

Russia Aims for 89,000-Ton Catch from Faroese Waters This Year

This year, Russia plans to catch about 89,000 tons of fish in the waters of the Faroe Islands, which aligns with earlier forecasts made by experts of the All-Russian Association of Fishery Enterprises, Entrepreneurs and Exporters (VARPE).

The current catch is being conducted in the 200-mile exclusive economic zone of the Faroe Islands as part of an existing agreement between the Faroe Islands and Russia. This mutual fishing agreement, initially established in 1977, has been extended, despite previous protests from some Western countries, and is revised...

Bipartisan Bill Would Ban Offshore Drilling Off New England Coast and Gulf of Maine

U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Angus King recently cosponsored a bipartisan bill that would prohibit offshore drilling off the coast of New England, including the Gulf of Maine.

The legislation, titled the New England Coastal Protection Act, specifically stands to ban oil and gas leasing off the coast of Maine as well as in protected coastal areas spanning New England.

Together, these areas represent ocean and coastal resources that account for more than $17.5 billion in annual revenue for New England's tourism, fishing, and recreation...

Tariff Talks 2025: Expana's Weekly Rundown #6

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 #6."

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...

New Agreement Ensures Water for Farmers, Fish in California

Water for salmon and farms in California? Is it really possible?

Years of drought and a long-standing tug-of-war for water between farmers and fishermen – with state and federal regulatory entities also in the mix – has led to hard feelings all the way around for decades.

But now, a joint project between NOAA, California, and the local Yuba Water Agency will fulfill the Presidential Memorandum calling for Putting People Over Fish, NOAA Fisheries said in a press release. The Yuba River Resilience Initiative agreement unlocks new, reliable irrigation water...

NOAA Fisheries Closes Federal Scallop Fishing in Northern Gulf of Maine Until April 2026

Today, NOAA Fisheries (NMFS) announced the closure of the Northern Gulf of Maine (NGOM) Scallop Management Area to all scallop vessels fishing under federal scallop regulations, effective April 28, 2025, at 0001 hour.

According to NMFS’ recent press release, the federal entity projects that 100% of the set-aside for the NGOM Scallop Management Area will be taken by April 28, henceforth the end of the 2025 fishing season.  

Per the announcement, no scallop vessels within the federally permitted limited access general category may fish...

CSI Launches Global Certification Program for Wild-Capture Seafood

When it comes to certifications, Certified Seafood International is making some changes. 

Or, more specifically, it’s going global and encompassing the successes gained by the Responsible Fisheries Management Program, a certification program for wild-capture fisheries.  

CSI was developed in partnership with credible regional certification. The certificates and standards of the GSSI-benchmarked RFM program will now be part of CSI, meaning that approximately 3 million metric tons of fishery landings are currently certified under the updated umbrella of CSI’s certification program.  

The Program’s new global governing board currently includes individuals...

ANALYSIS: Unsettled Start for 2025 Snow Crab Market as Supply and Sectoral Pressures Mount

The U.S. snow crab market, particularly for product sourced from Newfoundland, has experienced a notably unsettled start to the 2025 season. While such early-season volatility is not unusual, this year’s market is exhibiting an especially wide range of offers and sales from seller to seller. As is typical, the market is expected to stabilize as more product flows into the U.S. and trading patterns normalize...

Kawasaki Heavy Industries Lands First Trout Salmon Harvest, Aims for Future Sales of JPY 10 Billion

According to a recent press release from Kawasaki Heavy Industries (KHI), the company has developed a sustainable aquaculture system that aims to contribute to food security, promoting the system as part of the "MINATOMAE" project.

As a step toward commercializing this project, KHI conducted the test landing of a trout salmon cultivation in the waters of Kobe Port on April 24. The landing was successful, and approximately 850 fish were cultivated (with an average size of two kilograms per fish)...

International Coalition of Fisheries Associations Will Host Global Affairs Panel in Barcelona

The International Coalition of Fisheries Associations (ICFA), building on its interactive presentation at Seafood Expo North America in Boston, is hosting another panel on May 6 at Seafood Expo Global in Barcelona, Spain. 

ICFA was formed in 1988 to build consensus among global fisheries organizations on international issues that nations and companies address. The group has special consultative status at the United Nation’s Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO).

Recently, ICFA Chair Ivan López Van der Veen took the group public with a website launched about a year ago...

Chicken of the Sea Reveals New Ghost Pepper Tuna Packet

Chicken of the Sea just announced the newest addition to its shelf-stable tuna packet line: Wild Caught Light Tuna with Ghost Pepper.

The spicy 90-calorie tuna product is available for a limited time only at retail locations where Chicken of the Sea tuna packets are sold. The company recommends trying it on its own, scooped with a tortilla chip, over rice, or paired with your favorite recipe.

The debut marks Chicken of the Sea’s hottest flavor offering.

"At Chicken of the Sea, we keep a close eye on..."

Canadians Focused on Economy in Today’s Federal Election; Stakes High in Seafood Industry

The federal election in Canada will end tonight with final ballots cast no later than 7 p.m. local time in British Columbia. This comes after a month-long campaign marked by a rare flip in the polls, as voters reacted to U.S. President Donald Trump’s ‘retaliatory’ tariff policy against Canadian goods and a threat to annex the nation as the 51st state.

In early January, former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced he would be stepping down in March. At that time, Pierre Poilievre’s Conservative party had a...

Watch Out for Hairy Crab Claws: Invasive Chinese Mitten Crab Found in Columbia River

A Columbia River commercial fisherman pulled up quite a surprise last week.

A Chinese mitten crab, a prohibited species in Oregon, was caught on April 22 in the Lower Columbia River east of Tongue Point, according to the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW). Chinese mitten crabs have not been confirmed in the Pacific Northwest until now. A single Japanese mitten crab was found in the same area in 1997. 

While this is a rare event in Oregon, mitten crabs caused significant infrastructure and ecological...

Fishermen’s Interest and Renewed Testing Allows Partial Opening of California Rock Crab Fishery

It’s been a rocky crab fishery for fishermen in California. Now, after being closed for almost a decade, fishermen can now harvest rock crab in northern California, thanks to a recent announcement from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW).  

The announcement comes after a recommendation from state health agencies, which was released by the California Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment on April 23.

Per the recommendation and CDFW’s subsequent announcement on April 24, the commercial rock crab fishery in northern California...

Russia Reduces its Output of Fish Products This Year

This year, Russia has reduced its production of fish products, mainly due to unfavorable weather conditions, which have led to a decline in pollock catch, the most important fish in the country’s overall fish catch structure.

According to data from the Russian Fish Union’s Analytical Center, the production of Russian fish products in Q1 2025 amounted to 1.16 million tons, which is 3% lower on year-on-year basis. Of these products, frozen fish products decreased by 4%, amounting to 722,000 tons. At the same time, the production of frozen fish...