ANALYSIS: EU-UK Shrimp Imports Hit Record High in May 2025

The European Union has released its latest trade data for May 2025, showing that total shrimp imports in the EU-UK region reached 63,869 metric tons—a figure that remains well above the five-year average. This represents a 19.1% increase over April and a 9.7% year-on-year (y-o-y) growth. While the seasonal boost in demand ahead of summer and holiday-driven consumption explains part of the surge, this volume marks a 10-year record high, it stands 27.5% above the 5-year average for...

ANALYSIS: EPO Tuna Landings Rise for Yellowfin, Fall for Skipjack as Seasonal Closures Loom

The latest information from the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission (IATTC) indicates that the cumulative landing of yellowfin tuna (Thunnus albacares) from January to June 2025 is 47.0% higher year-on-year (y-o-y) compared with the same period in 2024. Within the Eastern Pacific Ocean (EPO), Mexico  accounts for the largest share of yellowfin tuna landings at 49%, followed by Ecuador with 21%  as of 2025 to date (Fig. 1)...

Senate Appropriations Committee Approves Funding to Boost Maine’s Lobster Industry  

The Senate Appropriations Committee has advanced funding to support Maine’s lobster industry, as part of the Fiscal Year 2026 Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies (CJS) Appropriations bill. Senator Susan Collins (R-Maine), who chairs the committee, announced the approval on Monday. 

The bill allocates funding across several areas, including 

- $30 million to the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission for research and monitoring related to North Atlantic right whales. 

- $80 million for the National Sea Grant Program, which in Maine supports sustainable fisheries, working waterfronts, and...

Albertsons Recalls Tuna Salad Products in Four States Over Listeria Concerns

Major US retailer Albertsons announced that it has recalled various tuna salad products sold in outlets in Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma and Texas.

According to local media outlets, including KPLC, the recall involves items supplied by Reser’s Fine Foods. The recall stems from possible listeria monocytogenes contaminations through breadcrumbs used as an ingredient in the tuna salad products.

The impacted products were sold at Albertsons, Randalls and Tom Thumb locations. As of July 18, no illnesses have been reported. Find the full list of impacted products...

Iceland Seafood International Subsidiary Acquires Two Argentine Freezer Trawlers for $5.8 Million

Iceland Seafood International hf. (ISI) recently announced that THORPESCA S.A.S., the newly established Argentinian subsidiary of ISI’s branch Iceland Seafood Ibérica, acquired two freezer fishing vessels from FOOD ARTS S.A., along with their respective fishing permits and historical fishing rights, for USD $5.8 million.  

The vessels, ENTRENA UNO and ENTRENA DOS, currently operate in Argentina, as does Iceland Seafood Ibérica through its subsidiary, seafood processing and trading company Achernar, which Iceland Seafood Ibérica acquired in 2017.

Once under ISI’s umbrella, Achernar underwent substantial investment and modernization...

Tariff Talks 2025: Expana's Weekly Rundown #18

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 #18."

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...

The big news this week also contains spillover from last week... It started on July 7, when US President Trump began sending letters to trading partners—assigning tariff rates...

Brazil Seafood Association Sounds Alarm Over Job Losses, Export Hit From US Tariffs

Brazil’s seafood industry is already feeling the fallout from President Donald Trump’s newly imposed 50% tariffs, warned Jairo Gund, executive director of the Brazilian fishing industry association (ABIPESCA), in a recent interview on local television.

The newly imposed 50% tariff created a massive headwind for Brazilian seafood exports to the US, as Expana reported earlier this month.

Abipesca highlighted that the tariffs would lead to significant losses for the aquaculture sector...

Zhanjiang Guolian Tilapia Export Unit Lands $13M Investment

Chinese seafood giant Zhanjiang Guolian Aquatic Products Development Co. has announced a RMB 95 million ($13 million) capital injection into its tilapia subsidiary, Guangdong Gourmet Aquatic Food Co., through the introduction of a new shareholder, Ocean Fund.

According to a notice published by Guolian, Guangdong Gourmet’s capital will jump from RMB 65.9 million to RMB 83 million. Ocean Fund will also hold a roughly 20% ownership stake in Guangdong Gourmet. The funds will be used to optimize and upgrade the company’s production capacity, as well as expand its marketing...

US and Russian Frozen Pollock Roe Production Exceeds 50,000 Tons for Three Consecutive Years

According to the Minato Shimbun report, the estimated production of frozen pollock roe in the first half of 2025, combined from the US and Russia, was approximately 56,000 to 57,000 tons, marking the third consecutive year that large supplies have exceeded 50,000 tons. US production increased by 7% to 21,000 tons, while Russian production remained flat or decreased slightly compared to the previous year, amounting to 35,000-36,000 tons.

Although the bidding prices for new crop in both the US and Russia were revised downwards...

Bristol Bay’s Sockeye Fishery Receives Federal Support in Pebble Mine Lawsuits While Decision Pends

In a July 17 press release from Alaskan eco-initiative SalmonState, fishermen, community leaders, and local businesses in the state’s Bristol Bay region applauded the Trump administration’s support for the wild sockeye fishery in its ongoing battle against the Pebble Mine project.

According to SalmonState, the Trump Administration has agreed to stand by a decision to stop the toxic Pebble Mine from being built in the headwaters of Bristol Bay's two most important rivers. 

The Vancouver-based company behind the proposed mine is Northern Dynasty, Canadian parent...

Canadian Trade Union Unifor Urges Action on US and China Seafood Tariffs

Canadian trade union Unifor highlighted its concerns regarding two critical tariff threats on Canadian seafood. Most notably, US President Donald Trump’s tariffs on Canada and China’s tariffs on Canadian fishery products.

The trade union stated that its members, including those from the Fish, Food and Allied Workers Union (FFAW) in Newfoundland and Labrador, the United Fishermen and Allied Workers' Union (UFAWU) in British Columbia, and the broader Canadian fishing industry, are facing genuine threats to their livelihoods.

The union noted that although the US tariffs...

Pacific States Disburses Funds for 2023 California Chinook Salmon Disaster

No salmon fishery in 2023 resulted in a huge loss to California fishermen and processors. Now, many should be receiving checks thanks to federal disaster relief.  

The 2023 California Sacramento River Fall Chinook, Klamath River Fall Chinook ocean and inland salmon fisheries were completely closed in 2023. The funds will provide partial compensation for revenues lost due to the total closure. 

California officials were already prepared to request disaster assistance when Acting Gov. Eleni Kounalakis received word of the Pacific Fishery Management Council’s recommended closure of the salmon seasons in...

Investigation Reveals 65% of Jackson, MS Restaurants are Mislabeling Imported Shrimp as Local 

A recent investigation by SeaD Consulting (SeaD) found that 65% of seafood restaurants in the Jackson, Mississippi area have falsely advertised imported shrimp as domestic wild-caught.  

The research is part of an ongoing eight-state investigation funded by the Southern Shrimp Alliance (SSA). The study uses SeaD’s genetic testing method, RIGHTTest™ (Rapid ID Genetic High-Accuracy Test), to verify shrimp origins. 

This latest round of testing in Jackson took place from June 23–26, 2025, shortly before Mississippi’s new seafood labeling law...

Federal Judge Upholds Rule Requiring Herring Fishermen to Pay for At-Sea Monitors

A federal judge in Rhode Island has upheld a rule requiring commercial Atlantic herring fishermen to pay for at-sea monitoring.

US District Judge William E. Smith ruled in his decision that the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) acted lawfully under the Magnuson-Stevens Act when it implemented an "industry-funded" monitoring program for the Atlantic herring fishery.

Smith’s decision comes on the heels of the Supreme Court’s decision to strike down the Chevron doctrine, which had forced courts to defer to federal agencies’ interpretations...

FMI 2025 Report Highlights Food Industry Shifts Amid Consumer, Economic and Supply Chain Pressures

The Food Industry Association (FMI) has released its 76th annual report, “The Food Retailing Industry Speaks 2025,” offering a look into how the industry is advancing as the modern grocery experience continues to evolve.  

The report highlights strategies adopted by food retailers and suppliers, as they adapt to the shifting expectations of consumers, supply chain challenges, and economic pressures.  

Bracing for continued disruptions  

According to the report, about 80% of food retailers and suppliers expect trade policies and tariffs to affect pricing and...

First Western Pacific Typhoon of Season Strains Regional Agriculture in China and Vietnam

Typhoon Wutip, the first storm of the Western Pacific typhoon season, formed on June 11 in the South China Sea, about 160 miles off the southern coast of Hainan Island, China. The storm made a brief landfall on Hainan before strengthening to a Category 1 typhoon on the Saffir-Simpson scale by June 14. It continued northward, making a second landfall in Guangdong Province as a tropical storm before dissipating. Along its path, Wutip brought storm conditions and heavy rainfall to central Vietnam...

Ecuador’s Shrimp Sector Calls for Private-Public Security Partnership Amid Crime Threats

Ecuador’s National Chamber of Aquaculture (CNA) highlighted the thousands of operations carried out to contain the threat of criminal activity targeting the nation’s shrimp farming sector on July 17.

CNA said that despite the efforts of the National Police and the General Directorate of Aquatic Spaces (DIRNEA) of the Ecuadorian Navy, there are limitations in resources, technology and equipment.

The group called on the participation of the private sector in strengthening security for the shrimp farming industry. CNA noted a regulation that allows private organizations to directly...