Mark Foods Acquires Bristol Seafood, Expanding Scallop and Value-Added Seafood Portfolio

US seafood importer, processor and marketer Mark Foods announced that it has acquired Maine-based Bristol Seafood on July 14.

Bristol Seafood boasts a strong presence in the scallop sector, but also offers other products, including groundfish and value-added seafood offerings such as salmon and shrimp. The move provides Mark Foods with a notably larger footprint in the scallop trade.

The financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed. The transaction is expected to close in August 2025...

ANALYSIS: Wild Salmon Week in Review for Week 27, July 6-12

The peak of the sockeye season is underway, driven by strong harvests out of Bristol Bay. Prices fell sharply again over the past week but remain above year-ago levels. After a slower start in week 25 compared to 2024, landings quickly accelerated and surpassed last year’s weekly totals for sockeye. The overall trajectory so far is tracking closely to 2024, though on a slightly delayed timeline...

Del Mar Seafoods Expands Operations with Advanced IQF Freezing and New Processing Facility

California-based Del Mar Seafoods showcased its new expanded operations through a new facility lease and the addition of state-of-the-art Individual Quick Freezing (IQF) and processing capabilities.

The vertically integrated seafood producer and processor said the new facility will allow for greater processing capacity and efficiency, expanding its footprint by 40%. Del Mar’s new facility is located on the same campus as its Watsonville headquarters.

“This was the logical next step in our company’s growth,” said Joe Roggio, Chief Financial Officer at Del Mar...

ANALYSIS: Early Start to Norwegian Cold-Water Shrimp Season Offsets May Export Decline

According to Norway Statistics, exports of cold-water shrimp in May fell by 45.7% year-on-year, totaling 2,265 metric tons compared to 4,171 MT in May 2024. Despite this sharp monthly decline, cumulative exports of Pandalus borealis from January to May remain relatively stable, down just 0.5% year-on-year at 7,870 MT...

Portugal and Spain Regain MSC Certification for Iberian Sardine Fishery

According to a press release from the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC), purse seine fishing fleets in Spain and Portugal recently regained their MSC certification for Iberian sardines, making it the first fishery to achieve this sustainability marker through such an alliance.

This joint accomplishment was made possible through coordinated efforts from the entire sector's value chain, including fishers, the processing industry and distributors.

The Iberian sardine is a key marine resource for the two European countries.

While the Portuguese sardine fleet had previously been certified as sustainable, it was suspended...

Kenyan Tilapia Farmer Victory Farms Joins ASC Improvement Program

Last week, the Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC) announced that Kenyan tilapia farmer Victory Farms became the first tilapia farm in Kenya and across Africa to participate in an Aquaculture Improvement Project (AIP) under the ASC’s Improver Programme.

The vertically integrated farm spans 50 hectares in western Kenya’s Homa Bay and produces 18,000 tonnes of tilapia annually, from hatchery to table.

ASC explained the milestone as “a major step forward for responsible seafood farming on the continent,” underscoring the tilapia farmer’s...

US Tariffs on Brazilian Imports Spark Cross-Commodity Concerns

On July 9, US President Donald Trump moved to raise tariffs on Brazilian imports to 50% starting August 1—up sharply from the 10% rate imposed in early April—sparking concerns in global markets, with potential ripple effects across commodities like orange juice, beef, coffee, sugar, and seafood.

These trade measures are raising alarms in export-dependent sectors and among US importers, with market participants saying the implications could be wide-ranging.

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva said the country would respond to the newly announced tariff...

Tariff Talks 2025: Expana's Weekly Rundown #17

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 #17."

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...

This week, reciprocal tariffs were re-announced in the form of letters from the US Trump administration to trading partners who could not reach a trade deal within the previously granted 90-day pause...

The Winding Glass: Seafood Trade Disruptions Reappear While Economic Headwinds Drive Prices Down

The economic collapse that many of us feared from the chaotic tariff policies of the Trump administration has not materialized—at least not yet. The seafood industry has shown a remarkable degree of resilience in the face of disruptive trade policy. But this should not be mistaken for invulnerability. The more pressing issue now is not tariffs but weakening consumer demand.

There are three reasons the anticipated tariff-induced disaster hasn’t occurred. First, there’s a deep political bias baked into how people perceive economic risks...

Trump Announces 30% Tariffs on EU and Mexico as Trade Tensions Persist

President Donald Trump has expanded his administration’s tariff policy, targeting the European Union and Mexico with newly announced 30% tariffs on all products imported into the United States.

On July 11, Trump formally notified the leaders of both trading partners about the new rates via letters.

In response, the European Union announced yesterday that it will extend its suspension of retaliatory measures against U.S. tariffs until early August, signaling a willingness to continue negotiations with the Trump administration in hopes of reaching a new trade agreement...

Canadian Seafood Escapes Trump’s 35% Tariff, According to Multiple Reports on USMCA Exemptions

Key Canadian seafood exports will be exempt from President Donald Trump’s newly imposed 35% tariff on Canadian goods, according to multiple reports from CBC, The Wall Street Journal and Yahoo Finance.

While Trump’s tariff announcement last week sparked uncertainty over whether critical species like salmon, crab and lobster would be affected, officials confirmed that products compliant with the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) will remain tariff-free.

The question of whether seafood would be faced with a 35% tariff rate followed the release of Trump’s tariff...

Oregon Dems to Trump Administration: The Salmon Fishery Needs the Promised Funding

Oregon Democratic lawmakers want the salmon industry to get the money it’s due in disaster funding. 

Members of the delegation, including Sens. Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden, and Reps. Suzanne Bonamici, Val Hoyle, Maxine Dexter, Andrea Salinas and Janelle Bynum, are pressing the Trump Administration to release the $7 million that was allocated to Oregon for the catastrophic regional fishery failure declared back in 2018, 2019, and 2020 for the state’s Chinook salmon commercial ocean fisheries.  

Then-Gov. Kate Brown had requested that the government determine the...

Trump Announces August 1 Tariffs — Here's the Complete List

Global leaders are receiving news on their countries' US tariff rates this week, as President Donald Trump dispatched approximately 20 letters by Wednesday afternoon.

The tariff rates, which range from 20% to 50%, are set to take effect on August 1, unless new negotiations or trade deals are reached in the coming weeks. Trump signed an executive order establishing an August 1 deadline for implementing his “reciprocal” tariffs. He remained firm on social media, emphasizing that it marked the final cutoff for any new trade agreements...

Russian Crab Company Group to Produce Air-Blast Frozen Crab in Barents Sea, With Focus on Japan

This year, the Russian Crab Company Group (RCCG), the largest crab fishing company in Russia’s Far East, will begin operations in the Barents Sea in northwestern Russia, according to recent reports from Minato Shimbun and multiple trading companies. RCCG will primarily produce air-blast frozen king crab products, similar to those from the Far East, with a focus on the Japanese market. RCCG's king crab quota in the Barents Sea is expected to be 4,788 tons, which will significantly change the production landscape...

Cowlitz Tribe and NOAA Improved Lower Columbia River Tributary for Salmon and Steelhead

In Southeast Washington, NOAA funding is supporting the Cowlitz Indian Tribe’s goal of restoring 30 percent or more of the salmon and steelhead habitat on its traditional lands in the lower Columbia River watershed.  

Last year the 55-foot-tall, 425-foot-long Kwoneesum Dam on Wildboy Creek was removed with the help of NOAA Fisheries’ Office of Habitat Conservation grant of $3.3 million. The dam had blocked upstream salmon and steelhead migration on the creek for almost 60 years...

Trump Places 35% Tariff on Canadian Imports, Sparking Uncertainty in Seafood Trade

US President Donald Trump announced a sweeping 35% tariff on all Canadian goods entering the US on July 10, a move that could send shockwaves through seafood industries on both sides of the border. The tariff will take effect on August 1.

The news arrived via a Trump tariff letter addressed to Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney. Trump’s letter criticized Canada for its efforts to stop fentanyl from entering the US. Trump said Canada had chosen to retaliate with its own retaliatory tariffs rather than cooperate, prompting...

Commercial Fishermen Sue NMFS Over Red Snapper Rules, Citing Harm from Recreational Dead Discards

A group of commercial red snapper fishing companies, fishermen, buyers and processors filed a lawsuit against the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick over new regulations for the fishery.

Specifically, the plaintiffs took issue with the recently implemented “Amendment 59 Final Rule” to the Fishery Management Plan for the Snapper-Grouper Fishery of the South Atlantic Region.

“The red snapper annual catch limits established in the Amendment 59 Final Rule only serve to limit landings; they do not function...