Spotlight on Seafood Markets as Expana Adds Tuna and Lobster Forecasts

Expana has expanded its seafood market coverage with the addition of US lobster and skipjack tuna price forecasts. Building on over 15 years of expertise in seafood price forecasting, this expansion brings the total number of seafood price series to more than 60, including key species such as salmon, shrimp, cod, and crab. These new additions reinforce Expana’s position as the world’s leading provider of seafood price forecasts. 

This expansion was driven by customer feedback underscoring the critical role of seafood market coverage in the agrifood sector...

ANALYSIS: Ecuador Shatters Export Records as Tariff Uncertainty Drives Historic May Performance

Preliminary trade data shows that Ecuadorian shrimp exports achieved an unprecedented monthly milestone in May 2025, reaching 334 million pounds in commercial weight, obliterating the previous record of approximately 275 million pounds. This remarkable 21% surge above the prior peak underscores the profound impact of impending U.S. tariff decisions on global trade flows, which is occurring even as American consumer demand has returned to pre-pandemic levels following the temporary surge during the pandemic.

The May explosion propels Ecuador's year-to-date exports 16.5% above...

Japan's Seafood Imports in May Decreased by 5% YOY in Volume and 3% YOY in Value

According to trade statistics released by the Ministry of Finance on June 27, Japan’s May seafood imports (with preliminary figures including fish and shellfish, their preparations, fish meal, and seaweed) decreased by 5% in volume from the same month last year, totaling 181,942 tons. In addition, the value of these imports decreased by 3% to 165.412 billion yen ($1.154 billion), as reported by Japanese news outlet Minato Shimbun.

Fresh and frozen tuna imports rose by 13% to 17,417 tons, including the following tuna...

ANALYSIS: Canada's Declining Share in European Live Lobster Market Despite CETA

Between January and April, the EU and UK imported a total of 1,378 metric tons of live red lobster (Homarus americanus) from two main sources: 791 MT from Canada (57%) and 587 MT from the United States (43%). This marks the highest U.S. share since the implementation of the CETA free trade agreement between Canada and the EU, which came into force in September 2017...

Ecuador Establishes New Union Representing Nation’s Fishing and Aquaculture Sector

At this year’s South Pacific Expopesca—which was held in Guayaquil, Ecuador, from June 18-20—key stakeholders representing Ecuador’s fishing and aquaculture sector came together to sign a commitment act establishing the Unión de Pescadores y Acuicultores del Ecuador, a non-profit, nationwide civil corporation open to all formally operating stakeholders within Ecuador’s fish sector.

The result was Ecuador’s new fish union, which will focus on strengthening representation within the country’s fishing and aquaculture sector while advancing sustainability and staying grounded in principles of sustainability and legality...

Phillips Foods Opens Sales Office in Japan to Expand Crab Meat Sales 

Phillips Foods, a major crab and lobster processor based in Maryland, has opened a representative office in Tokyo. The company will promote products such as blue swimming crab meat and crab cakes to mass retailers and food services in Japan.  

Founded in 1914, Phillips Foods operates aquaculture and processing facilities in Southeast Asia and Canada. They handle various crab species, including snow crab, king crab, and blue swimming crab, along with lobster and barramundi. The company also produces processed items such...

New Report Shows 21% of Consumers Chose Delivery over Dine-in in 2024

According to a new report published by data analytics company Euromonitor International, delivery is occupying a larger share of the consumer foodservice market, overtaking eat-in dining and making up 21% of the total global market share in 2024, a 9% increase from 2019.

Euromonitor’s report, entitled “World Market for Consumer Foodservice 2025,” highlights the robust growth coming out of the Asia Pacific region, for which 40% of global foodservice sales are attributed and a 6% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) is forecast for 2029...

Turning Emissions into Nutrition: Norwegian Project Converts CO₂ into Salmon Feed    

A collaborative research project in Norway is testing out a new way to produce salmon feed.  

Nofima, SINTEF, and the Arctic University of Norway (UiT) have partnered with ferrosilicon producer Finnfjord on a project called AlgOpti. Together, they are converting carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions from the ferrosilicon industry into microalgae for use in salmon feed. 

At Finnfjord’s facility in Norway, cultivation tanks transform CO₂ into algae biomass, which serves as a nutrient-rich feed ingredient. This biomass is then processed into salmon feed with...

Alltech Increases Stake to Become Majority Owner of Alltech Fennoaqua

Alltech has acquired Finnforel’s share in Alltech Fennoaqua Oy, making Alltech the majority stakeholder.

Alltech Fennoaqua is Finland’s sole fish feed production facility. The company specializes in sustainable feed solutions, particularly designed for cold-water aquaculture operations.

"Aquaculture is one of the world’s fastest-growing sources of protein – and it is a focus area for us,” said Dr. Mark Lyons, president and CEO of Alltech. “As majority owner of Alltech Fennoaqua, we are deepening our commitment to delivering smarter, more sustainable solutions for aquaculture systems...

Trump Announces US Trade Deal With Vietnam, Including 20% Import Tariff

President Trump announced that the United States has agreed to a new trade deal with Vietnam on July 2.

Trump stated that Vietnam will pay the US a 20% tariff on all goods exported to the U.S. and a 40% tariff on transshipped goods. The higher 40% tariff targets products that are not originally made in Vietnam but are routed through the country to bypass higher tariffs. This move is significant, as many countries have used Vietnam as a transit point to avoid stricter trade penalties aimed at Chinese...

Cozy Harbor, a Maine Lobster Staple, Files for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy

Cozy Harbor Seafood, a staple processor in the Maine lobster industry, along with its companies Art’s Lobster Co. and Casco Bay Lobster, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on July 1.

The bankruptcy declaration filed by Cozy Harbor’s owner, John Norton, said the decision stems from “the price of seafood that it purchases for processing” coming out of the pandemic, along with tariff uncertainty.

“Premised on price instability arising first out of the COVID pandemic and then out of uncertainty due to tariff threats, the Debtors have had trouble operating within...

Federal Judge Dismisses UCIDA's Claim that NMFS Violated Laws While Managing Cook Inlet Salmon 

The United Cook Inlet Driftnetters Association lost its latest legal effort to correct management issues impacting sockeye salmon in the Cook Inlet Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) with a decision on Monday to dismiss all charges with prejudice.  

That decision does not mean that UCIDA cannot appeal Federal Judge Sharon Gleason’s 32-page ruling.  

The Cook Inlet salmon fishery is managed as a mixed stock fishery. In this case, sustainable stocks of returning sockeye, bound for their spawning grounds in the Kenai and Kasilov Rivers, are...

DOC Announces 2025 Appointments to the Regional Fishery Management Councils

The US Department of Commerce (DOC) announced the appointment of 20 new and returning members to the eight regional fishery management councils on June 30.

Council members represented stakeholders, including commercial and recreational fishing industries, environmental organizations, and academia, along with state and federal agencies. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) explained that councils are vital to “fulfilling the Magnuson-Stevens Act’s requirements to end overfishing, rebuild fish stocks, and manage them sustainably.”

The Secretary of Commerce appoints roughly one-third of the total 72 appointed members...

Rabobank Sees Pressure from Tariffs and Trade Shifts: Shrimp, Salmon Sectors Brace for Impact

A new report from Rabobank highlights how affordability challenges and shifting trade dynamics are transforming global seafood markets in 2025.

The price point of seafood is a key factor influencing demand. In the second half of the year, the Trump administration’s tariffs could pose a significant challenge to consumer affordability, as costs are passed on. Meanwhile, Rabobank expects demand to improve in China due to stimulus packages. Lastly, Europe is expected to be a strong market as exporters shift trade from the US and China amid...

Russia Struggles to Boost Domestic Deep-Sea Crab Catch 

Russia’s deep sea crab catch remains low, despite efforts by the Federal Agency for Fisheries (Rosrybolovstvo) to boost activity through quota auctions. 

After a failed attempt last month, Rosrybolovstvo tried once more to auction quotas for catching deep-sea crabs — specifically angulatus snow crab in the North-Okhotsk and East Sakhalin subzones, and red snow crab in the Primorye and West Sakhalin subzones. The starting price for the quotas exceeded 1.051 billion rubles.  

As part of the auction terms, investors were required to build fishing vessels at Russian shipyards...

Navigating the Trump Tariff Turbulence: A Comprehensive Timeline

US President Donald Trump and his administration have paused reciprocal tariffs on most countries.

“Based on the lack of respect that China has shown... I am hereby raising the [tariff] charged to China by the [USA] to 125%, effective immediately,” wrote Trump on Truth Social at 1:18 pm ET. 

It’s not clear if this 125% is in addition to the 20% imposed on Chinese imports to the US. In early March, Trump noted that he would add another 10% tariff on Chinese goods...

Conxemar and ABANCA Renew Collaboration Ahead of International Frozen Seafood Fair in Spain 

Conxemar, the Spanish Association of Seafood Wholesalers, Importers, Exporters, and Processors is once again collaborating with ABANCA to address challenges facing the frozen seafood sector.  

This is part of Conxemar’s 26th International Frozen Seafood Fair in Spain, aimed at promoting sustainability, improving energy efficiency, and boosting fleet modernization. 

The collaboration seeks to strengthen the future of the seafood sector for the Galician and Spanish economies.  

The International Frozen Seafood Show brings together seafood wholesalers, importers, exporters, processors, manufacturers, distributors, and machinery and...