Trump Signs Sweeping Executive Order Revamping US Tariff Rates; 15% Floor for Deficit Nations

President Donald Trump signed an executive order on July 31, unveiling a massive overhaul of US tariff policy, introducing a series of new import rates for US trading partners (find the full rate list below).

Under the new plan, countries with which the US has a trade deficit will face a minimum 15% tariff, affecting more than 30 nations. Meanwhile, the administration’s existing 10% “universal” tariff will remain in place for countries where US exports exceed imports...

Marine Stewardship Council Makes Key US Leadership Appointment

The Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) has appointed Laura McDearis as its new US Program Director.

MSC said the move comes at a pivotal time as consumer demand for sustainable seafood is rising. McDearis will be tasked with leading the MSC US operations, supporting fisheries, seafood businesses, and stakeholders as they work to meet the growing demand for certified sustainable seafood.

Currently, the US is the top supplier of MSC-certified sustainable seafood globally. Roughly 85% of US fisheries carry the MSC blue certification label. The label appears on over 1,380 products...

ALFA Gets NFWF Grant to Test Using AI to Read Electronic Monitoring Data for AK's Fixed Gear Fishers

Sitka-based Alaska Longline Fishermen’s Association will partner with the Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission (PSMFC) and Victoria, B.C.-based Archipelago Marine Research to see how well artificial intelligence (AI) will enhance electronic monitoring (EM) of fixed gear fisheries in the Gulf of Alaska. 

ALFA was awarded a $485,000 grant from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) to implement artificial Intelligence in electronic monitoring review for Alaska fixed gear fishermen. The project will partner with Archipelago’s FishVue AI tool...

North Shore Fishery Brand Shrimp Recalled Due to Undeclared Allergen

Watson Enterprise Inc. recalled North Shore Fishery brand Frozen Cumin Flavour Shrimp due to undeclared wheat, per a notice published on the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) on July 31.

The audience for the recall was retail and warehouse, with the products distributed in Alberta, British Columbia and Ontario.

Find the recall notice here...

Triple Typhoon Impact Disrupts Southeast Asian Agricultural and Aquaculture Supply Chains

A rare convergence of three powerful typhoons in July has battered key agricultural and aquaculture regions across China, Vietnam, Taiwan, and the Philippines. Typhoons Wipha, Danas, and Co-May have collectively caused hundreds of millions in damages.  

Typhoon Wipha Deals Blow to Vietnam’s Rice and Shrimp Exports 

Typhoon Wipha formed on July 18 near the northern Philippines and intensified to Category 1 before making landfall in Guangzhou, China, and later striking northern Vietnam. Wipha lashed southern China with winds up to 75 mph, triggering floods and landslides

Louisiana Lawmakers Push Bill to Expand Disaster Relief for Wild-Caught Crawfish Industry

Louisiana congressmen Clay Higgins (R) and Cleo Fields (D) introduced H.R. 4800, the Fisheries Modernization Act, which would expand fishery disaster relief programs to include wild-caught crawfish.

Currently, the wild-caught crawfish industry does not qualify for disaster relief programs through the US Department of Agriculture (USDA). Wild-caught crawfishermen are also not currently eligible for fishery disaster assistance under the Magnuson-Stevens Act.

According to a release from Higgins’ office, the bill would amend the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation...

18 Feed Mills Achieve ASC Certification So Far in 2025 

The Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC) Feed Certification program is gaining global momentum as key players within the seafood industry ramp up production of responsibly sourced aquafeed.  

Between January and mid-July 2025, 18 feed mills in 12 countries, including Norway, Costa Rica, and Ecuador, have achieved certification under the ASC Feed Standard.  

For the first time, feed mills (all operated by Skretting) in Australia, Japan, and Italy have earned ASC certification.

The ASC standard is made up of several aquafeed production factors, including the use of...

Inside the Mind of a Procurement Strategist: Former Kellanova CPO Looks at Key Trends

At Expana’s Agri-Food Americas event on September 23-24 in Chicago, procurement critical thinking and business solution finding will take center stage. Expert insights will be given and many networking opportunities will be enabled for attendees, who are all faced with disruptive trade shits and global agricultural commodity supply chain woes. 

The ambition is for agri-food leaders to unite, discuss, seek expert overviews, and gain some sense of direction and clarity they can ultimately take back home and apply to their procurement strategies.

Russia's Far East Fishing Operations Largely Unscathed by Tsunami

The earthquake and tsunami, which affected the Russian Kamchatka region and the Kurile Islands, have not had a major negative impact on the regional fisheries sector, as most local fisherman continue their operations.  

This is despite the fact that some are carrying on amid aftershocks in the region. According to recent statements of the Russian Unified Geophysical Service, the magnitude 8.7 earthquake was the strongest in the Kamchatka seismic focal zone since 1952.  

According to Dmitry Klokov, head of the press service of the Federal Agency for Fisheries (Rosrybolovstvo)...

Chilean Salmon Shipments Down Again as Council Calls for Strategic Support 

The Chilean Salmon Council (Consejo del Salmon) reported a 1.5% drop in exports of farmed salmon during the first half of 2025, compared to the same period last year.

The volume exported from January through June was 361,000 tons, down about 5,000 tons, confirming a two-year decline, according to statistics compiled from the National Customs Service.

Salmon remained a key export for the country, maintaining a 15% share of Chile’s total exports. Although export revenue is expected to increase by 3% compared to 2024, reaching US$3,086...

NOAA Says Gulf of America ‘Dead Zone’ 30% Smaller than 2024

NOAA Fisheries shared that the 2025 Gulf of America “dead zone,” an area of low to no oxygen that kills fish and marine life, is 21% smaller than estimates made in early June. The dead zone measured as the 15^th smallest on record at 4,402 square miles.

This equates to roughly 2.8 million acres of habitat potentially unavailable to fish and bottom-dwelling species, a reduction of 30% from the previous year, per a NOAA Fisheries news release.

"This year's significant reduction in the Gulf of America's...

PODCAST: Agri-Food for Thought Ep. 32 - M&A in the Global Agri-Food Industry, July 2025 Overview

Expana presents Agri-Food for Thought, the podcast series for agriculture and food professionals.Today, we bring you up to speed with merger & acquisition activity in the global agrifood landscape that occurred in July 2025 as part of the monthly M&A focus series.

July 2025 M&A activity somewhat slowed down compared to previous months. The ongoing tariffs situation, the global focus on trade deals, other trade disputes, and market uncertainty, have a role to play here

Farming at Risk After Two Storms Slam Northern Japan; No Expected Impact from Recent Tsunami

Two tropical storms struck northern Japan in quick succession this July, marking an unusually early and intense start to the region’s storm season and raising concerns about disruptions to agricultural production, aquaculture, and regional logistics.  

Tropical Storm Nari, which formed over the North Pacific Ocean on July 11, intensified to tropical storm status by July 13, with wind speeds reaching up to 60 mph. The storm made landfall near the southern tip of Hokkaido on July 14

BioMar More Than Doubles Vitamin D Levels in All Salmon Feeds 

Aquaculture feed company BioMar has sgnifantly increased vitamin D3 levels across all salmon diets. The move follows regulatory changes in the European Union (EU), which raised the maximum permissible level of vitamin D3 in fish feed from 2,500IU/kg to 60,000 IU/kg. 

In response, BioMar’s R&D team in Denmark conducted a study to evaluate the impact of enhanced vitamin D3 supplementation in salmon diets.  

The 61-day trial, held between July and September 2022, tested ten dietary treatments containing increased levels of...

White House Unveils 40% Additional Tariffs on Brazilian Imports; Orange Juice, Nuts Spared

On the afternoon of July 30, Brazil was assigned an additional 40% tariff rate, according to a White House statement. US President Trump invoked the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) which will add to the current baseline 10% tariff on foreign good imported to the US. However, Trump teased upping that rate for ~200 countries where a trade deal would not make sense to negotiate. For now, it’s clear that 40% is in addition to any currently applicable US tariff...

Tsunami Alerts Disrupt Chilean Salmon Operations as Companies Implement Safety Measures

The Chilean Salmon Council (Consejo del Salmón) announced that its member companies activated emergency safety protocols immediately after tsunami warnings were issued by Chile’s National Disaster Prevention and Response Service (Senapred) on July 30, according to local media sources.

Evacuation and emergency measures were swiftly implemented at all company cultivation sites, processing plants, and offices in line with Senapred instructions. The Council’s membership includes several of Chile’s largest salmon producers, such as AquaChile, Australis Seafoods, Cermaq, Mowi, and Salmones Aysén.

On July 30, Chile raised...

BOEM Rescinds Designated Wind Energy Areas on the Outer Continental Shelf

After a tumultuous few years of the Bureau of Offshore Energy Management and offshore wind production steamrolling the seafood industry, the new presidential administration is fast-tracking big changes.  

That is, changes meaning a near-grinding halt.  

President Trump, on Jan. 20, published a memorandum, Temporary Withdrawal of All Areas on the OCS from Offshore Wind Leasing and Review of the Federal Government’s Leasing and Permitting Practices for Wind Projects. On Wednesday, BOEM announced it is rescinding all designated Wind Energy Areas – or WEAs...