ANALYSIS: Squid Market Faces New Crosscurrents Amid Recently Imposed Tariffs

Squid continues its volatile trajectory into 2025, with many of the same challenges persisting and one significant new development poised to reshape the broader market landscape.

Supply across most squid species and origins entering the U.S. remains difficult to navigate, a trend that has persisted for some time. Meanwhile, the market continues to show signs of disruption...

SSA Calls for Commerce Dept. to Investigate Ecuador Shrimp Industry’s Alleged Illegal Practices

As the tectonic shifts in U.S. trade policy are being felt by countries that have provided the U.S. consumer with high-demand goods, U.S. producers of these goods see opportunities for relief from competition and growing markets for their product.

The U.S. demand for shrimp — imported and domestic — presents an opportunity for domestic shrimp producers to expand their market while building protections against future trade conflicts and exposing alleged violations of trade practices in foreign countries. 

Ecuador, the world’s second largest exporter of shrimp to the U.S...

“I’m Starting to Get Real Upset,” Sullivan’s Frustrated Call for Fisheries Surveys in Alaska

Last week, Senator Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), a member of the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee, pressed Mr. Paul Dabbar, the nominee who will likely be the new Deputy Secretary of the Department of Commerce, on fisheries stock surveys in Alaska. 

Sullivan pointed out that if staffing and approved funding from the Department are not prioritized, there will be no fishing. Sullivan also demanded that Dabbar and Commerce officials work promptly with Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick to sign the pending maintenance contract for the Kodiak...

International Coalition of Fisheries Associations to Launch New Seafood Nutrition Toolkit in June

A new Seafood Nutrition Toolkit will be available to the seafood world in early June that will raise awareness of the nutritional benefits of seafood to global audiences, backed by the most recent scientific research. 

The International Coalition of Fisheries Associations (ICFA), based in Reston, VA, is working with Global Seafood Communicators, based in Portsmouth, NH, to construct a resource that will assist ICFA and its members in communicating unified messaging on seafood’s health benefits to a wealth of audiences...

Tariff Talks 2025: Expana's Weekly Rundown #7

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 #7."

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...

GAPP Gets USDA Funds for 2025 Trade Missions, Seeks New Round of Partnership Proposals

The Genuine Alaska Pollock Producers (GAPP), a group focused on marketing and researching Alaska's pollock industry, has been rather active lately, between its receipt of federal funds for exploring emerging markets and the release of its most recent round of Partnership Program funding, for which proposals are now being accepted.

Exploring emerging markets in South America and Asia

Last week, GAPP announced its receipt of federal funding through the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Foreign Agriculture Service (USDA-FAS) Emerging Markets Program (EMP) to explore emerging markets...

Fortune Sues Former Executive and Salmon Company Vikenco for Stealing Trade Secrets

Boston Sword & Tuna, LLC (BST) and Fortune International, LLC, (Fortune) recently filed a lawsuit against former employee Christopher J. Marchese and Norwegian salmon company Vikenco North America, Inc. (Vikenco).

The legal complaint, filed on April 29, 2025, argues that the defendants stole confidential and proprietary information and trade secrets, set up a competing business, and engaged in direct competition with the plaintiffs despite contractual and common law obligations that prohibited such activity...

Louisiana's Inshore Shrimp Season to Open May 8 in Some Parts

On May 1, 2025, the Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Commission published the opening dates for the state’s inshore shrimp fishing season.

The following dates were decided upon for Louisiana’s inshore shrimping areas, using information provided by Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) biologists as well as public comments:

* State inside waters from the Mississippi/Louisiana state line westward to the eastern shore of South Pass of the Mississippi River will open at 6:00 a.m. on Monday, May 19, 2025...

Russia Hopes for Good Mackerel Catches This Year Despite Earlier Reports of Stock Decline

Russia is hoping for good mackerel catches this year despite some earlier reports about a significant decline of mackerel stock within domestic territorial waters as well as abroad.

According to recent statements from leading Russian fisheries scientists, the Atlantic mackerel stock continues to remain stable and is not at risk of decline due to overfishing.

Oleg Bulatov, Director of Research at the Russian State Research Center of Fisheries and Oceanography, explained how scientists monitor stocks and analyze mackerel catches every year. According to him, mackerel stocks in both...

West Coast Fisheries Infrastructure Waxes and Wanes: Part 2

Loss of infrastructure and spreading repercussion

Editor’s note: This is the second of a three-part series on the struggles facing shoreside infrastructure that supports West Coast fisheries, submitted by Pacific Fishery Management Council Executive Director Merrick Burden. Part 1 discussed the decline in fisheries and infrastructure in the past 20 years.  

Infrastructure problems are particularly acute in California due to depleted salmon populations, closures in the nearshore rockfish fishery, delayed Dungeness crab seasons, changing regulations, and shifting markets. In the early 1980s, between 2,400 and 3,300 commercial boats...

BioMar Reports Volume Increase of 12% in Q1 2025

Aquaculture feed company BioMar recently released its first quarter results for 2025, showing record high volumes for the quarter, combined with solid earnings. 

According to the report, BioMar increased its volumes across all segments by 12% year-on-year. Regarding feed volumes, salmon increased by 7%, selected species went up by 13%, and shrimp increased by 24%, mainly driven by its business in Ecuador.

“I am pleased to conclude that every segment experienced growth in both volume and revenue. In 2024, we intensified our efforts on product mix and commercial excellence..."

Russia Unhappy with Zero Quota for Atlantic Capelin Fishing

Russia is displeased with its zero quota for Atlantic capelin fishing this year, according to earlier statements by German Zverev, head of the All-Russian Association of Fish Producers (VARPE).  

As Zverev said in an interview with Russian newswire Ria Novosti, while Norway has a significant 2025 quota for capelin fishing, which it uses as salmon feed, Russia received a zero quota for the same year, despite how important of a fish capelin is for Russians. Zverev also recalled that Russia only caught part of its approved quota for... 

West Coast Fisheries Infrastructure Waxes and Wanes: Part 1

Shoreside fisheries support decreases following limited fishing seasons 

Editor’s note: This is the first of a three-part series on the struggles facing shoreside infrastructure that supports West Coast fisheries, submitted by Pacific Fishery Management Council Executive Director Merrick Burden. Parts 2 and 3 will be published later this week. 

Stand on a dock in any West Coast fishing town and you will see similar things: worn wood, rusty fittings, and waterlogged docks. For the general public, these are just some of the more obvious signs of an underlying problem that is making fishing off the West Coast exceptionally difficult: The decay and loss of shoreside infrastructure. 

Infrastructure is everything that supports a healthy fishery, from start to finish. It means docks that need to be maintained in the harsh elements; harbors that need to be regularly dredged; fuel docks to keep vessels moving; bait suppliers; and support businesses to sell and store the gear that a fishing boat needs. It means ice to chill the fish; a dock and hoist to land them; a buyer to buy them; a processor to filet and package them; cold storage; and a distribution network and reliable markets, here and abroad, where the final product can be sold. Throughout it all, infrastructure includes reliable, knowledgeable crew, a boatyard for routine maintenance, and repair services for when things go wrong.   

The past few years have been rough for West Coast fisheries.  

Russian Financial Conglomerate AFK Sistema Sells Major Salmon Fishing Asset in Kamchatka

The Russian financial conglomerate AFK Sistema has decided to sell its major fishing asset, Voskhod Holding, one of Russia’s largest Pacific salmon fishing companies, with a business value of approximately RUB 15 billion (USD $183 million).  

The new owner became AO Insoft, which is owned by Russian businesswoman Milana Kerimova.   

At present, Voskhod Holding is considered one of Russia’s largest Pacific salmon producers. The company's main assets are located in Kamchatka, including 30 fishing grounds, six factories, and more than 35 ships. These capacities allow the company...

Sullivan-Whitehouse FISH Act 2025 is Unanimously Passed by Senate Commerce Committee

On May 1, 2025, the Senate Commerce, Science & Transportation Committee unanimously passed the Fighting Foreign Illegal Seafood Harvest (FISH) Act, which seeks to combat illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing within the U.S. seafood market.

The bipartisan bill, also known as the FISH Act (or the FISH Act of 2025), establishes federal infrastructure and processes to blacklist offending IUU vessels from U.S. ports and waters.

In addition, the act will increase the U.S. Coast Guard’s enforcement capabilities and partnerships and advance international and bilateral negotiations to achieve enforceable...

Japan’s Black Cod Imports Exceed 10,000 Tons 3 Years in a Row

Japan's 2024 imports of frozen cod from the United States amounted to 10,006 tons, down 16% from the previous year, though still exceeding the 10,000-ton mark for the third consecutive year.

Meanwhile, the import price rose 15% from 985 yen/kg ($6.83/kg) the previous year to 1,136 yen/kg ($7.88/kg). According to reporting from Minato Shimbun, the rebound in market price was due to producers suspending fishing due to fatigue from low prices.

In 2012, imports were over 8,000 tons, with an average...

Texas House of Reps. Advances Legislation Supporting State Shrimp Industry

Earlier this week, the Southern Shrimp Alliance (SSA) issued a news release detailing the Texas House of Representatives’ recent advancement of two bills that stand to support the state’s shrimp industry.

The first bill, HCR 76, was authored by Representatives A.J. Louderback and Terri Leo-Wilson and unanimously approved by the Trade, Workforce & Economic Development Committee on April 23. The bill urges the federal government to address the domestic surge in cheap, farm-raised imported shrimp and to take measures to combat the negative impact that such imports have on...