Fortune Fish & Gourmet Acquires Inland Foods' Houston and New Orleans Divisions

Fortune Fish & Gourmet has completed its acquisition of Inland Fresh Seafood Corporation of America's Houston and New Orleans operating divisions, effective June 27, expanding the Bensenville, Illinois-based distributor's footprint across Texas, Louisiana, and Southern Mississippi.

The deal adds to FF&G's existing regional operations, which already serve customers six days a week across a network spanning Dallas, San Antonio, Bryan, and Austin in Texas; Lafayette and Baton Rouge in Louisiana; and Jackson, Gulfport, and Biloxi in Mississippi. Inland's Houston and New Orleans operations will be integrated...

Nova Scotia Launches 3-Year Seafood Strategy with Innovation, Market Expansion Push

Nova Scotia unveiled its new Seafood Sector Strategy on June 24, aiming to help the province's seafood industry "adapt, compete and create more economic benefit" amid rising costs, labor shortages, and global trade uncertainty.

Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture Kent Smith released the three-year strategy at Sea Star Seafoods in Clark's Harbour, highlighting the sector's critical role as Nova Scotia's top export industry. The province's seafood exports were valued at CAD 2.2 billion in 2025, supporting approximately 19,000 jobs...

Federal Magistrate Recommends Voiding Permits for Nine Washington Shellfish Operations

A US federal magistrate judge has recommended that nine commercial shellfish aquaculture permits in Washington state be vacated, finding that the US Army Corps of Engineers improperly bypassed required environmental review when it authorized the operations — a ruling the Center for Food Safety is calling a "landmark victory."

The Report and Recommendation, issued June 23 by US Magistrate Judge David W. Christel of the Western District of Washington, is not yet a final order. Parties have 14 days to file objections, and the matter is scheduled for consideration by...

Ecuadorian Shrimp Sector Formalizes Mangrove Alliance with Conservation International

Ecuador's shrimp industry has partnered with Conservation International Ecuador (CI-Ecuador) to advance mangrove conservation, restoration, and sustainable aquaculture practices along the country's coast. The agreement, announced on June 24 in Guayaquil, brings together the National Chamber of Aquaculture (CNA) and the Sustainable Shrimp Partnership (SSP) under a joint framework aligned with the Mangroves for Climate initiative.

By 2030, the alliance aims to restore 250 hectares of mangroves within shrimp farming landscapes — a goal the partners estimate could reduce approximately 112,870 metric tons of CO₂ emissions...

P.F. Chang’s Rolls Out “Summer in Tokyo,” Spotlighting Shareable Sushi and Tableside Drama

P.F. Chang’s is leaning into experience-driven dining this summer with "Summer in Tokyo," a limited-time program running June 25 through Sept. 15 that combines shareable sushi, theatrical presentation and influencer marketing.

At the center of the promotion is the new Sushi Boat, a tableside presentation delivered under a cloud of dry ice to create a memorable, social-ready moment. Designed for sharing, each boat includes chilled edamame, a California Roll, a Shrimp Tempura Roll and a choice of two additional...

Aleutian Islands Golden King Crab Catch for 2026-2027 Season Up 13% From Last Year

Yesterday, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game announced the season dates and catch limits for Aleutian Islands golden king crab. The season opens August 1, 2026 and closes April 30, 2027. This year, the fleet is allowed to catch 4.742 million pounds of the delicacy, slightly more than 13 percent above the 2025/26 season.  

Alaska’s Aleutian Golden King crab is harvested and managed differently from all other types of crab landed in Alaska. The total allowable catch (TAC) is divided...

Supreme Crab & Seafood Debuts at Fancy Food Show With New Blue Swimming Crab Combo Stack

Supreme Crab & Seafood is stepping onto the Summer Fancy Food Show floor for the first time this year, using the New York event to introduce a product aimed squarely at one of seafood’s most persistent challenges: maximizing crab yield without sacrificing appearance.

The company, which has supplied Indonesian Blue Swimming Crab, Red Swimming Crab, tuna, and related seafood products since 2009, will exhibit June 28–30 at the Javits Center, Booth 4000. The focus of its debut is the Signature Catch Blue Swimming Crab Combo...

NEAFC Members Move to Cap Russian Mackerel Catches in North-East Atlantic

The North-East Atlantic Fisheries Commission has adopted new measures to restrict Russian mackerel fishing in international waters, with the European Commission calling the move an important but insufficient step toward addressing what it describes as years of unsustainable harvesting that have left the stock in critical condition.

Acting on a proposal tabled by the EU, NEAFC members — the EU, United Kingdom, Denmark (in respect of the Faroe Islands and Greenland), Norway, and Iceland — agreed to limit Russian catches of mackerel in international waters to 1,495...

Norwegian Salmon Mortality Falls 23% Year-on-Year as Positive Trend Intensifies

The number of salmon and trout dying in Norwegian aquaculture facilities has fallen sharply, with industry group Seafood Norway reporting a 23% decline in lost fish from January through May compared to the same period in 2025, and a 34% reduction since 2023, based on data published by the Norwegian Directorate of Fisheries.

The trend, now in its third consecutive year, has broadened significantly. Where previous improvements were concentrated in the farming-heavy counties of Trøndelag and Vestland, the decline is now evident across nearly all of Norway's...

Trump Decision to Reverse OOI Dismantling Came as Oregon Lifted the First Buoy Arrays

A bipartisan effort in the U.S. Senate last week led by Alaska’s Senator Lisa Murkowski and Oregon’s Senator Jeff Merkley proved sufficient to force the Trump administration to end its effort to scrap the Ocean Observation Initiative (OOI).  

Word that the National Science Foundation was suspending efforts to dismantle the system, as well as planning steps to replace several huge, expensive research buoys that have already been removed from the water, spread quickly through the seafood industry, lawmakers, and academics. Most applauded the announcement, but...

Private Labels, Health and Wellness Take Center Stage at UNFI’s 2026 Holiday and Winter Selling Show

UNFI hosted its 2026 Holiday and Winter Selling Show (East) at Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, Connecticut, on June 24–25. 

The convention brought together more than 1,400 grocery retail representatives and 715 suppliers to connect ahead of the holiday and winter selling season. 

"This show reflects our continued focus on strengthening capabilities to help our retail customers differentiate and compete, while also supporting suppliers as they grow their brands in diverse retail environments," said Sandy Douglas, CEO of UNFI... 

Russia, Japan Reach Agreement on 2026 Fishing Quotas After Protracted Negotiations

Russia and Japan have reached an agreement on mutual fishing quotas within each other's 200-mile exclusive economic zones for 2026, concluding talks that stretched across multiple rounds of negotiations.

Under the terms of the deal, fishermen from both countries are permitted to catch up to 19,000 tonnes of seafood each within the other's EEZ — down from 22,000 tonnes under the previous arrangement. Approximately 70 trawlers are expected to operate during the season...

ANALYSIS: Ecuador's Shrimp Export Declarations and US Arrivals Are Diverging

One of the inputs underpinning Expana's US shrimp import estimates is the relationship between Ecuador's declared exports to the US — as reported by Ecuadorian customs — and volumes recorded as arrivals by US customs. Historically, these two series have tracked closely, with an approximate one-month lag. That relationship forms a core component of the export-led seasonal...

Darden Sees Same-Store Sales Growth Across All Segments in Fiscal 2026

Darden Restaurants closed fiscal 2026 with sales and earnings growth that, according to President & CEO Rick Cardenas, outpaced the broader restaurant industry. Results were driven by positive same-restaurant sales across all segments, continued unit expansion and the benefit of a 53rd week of operations.

The company reported fiscal 2026 sales of $13.21 billion, up 9.4%, while blended same-restaurant sales increased 4.5%.

"Our performance throughout the fiscal year reflects the strength of our brands, the discipline of our strategy, and the quality of our...

Bairdi Snow Crab Landing Keeps Increasing, Exceeding 1800 MT in Hidaka, Hokkaido

The Hokkaido Research Organization's Mariculture Fisheries Research Institute recently compiled landing data for Bairdi snow crab in the Hidaka region—the primary production area—where catches have surged in recent years. Landings rose from 1 ton in 2022 to 817 tons in 2023, then more than doubled to 1,823 tons in 2024. The institute estimates that the figure increased further in 2025. 

According to reports from Minato Shimbun, one factor behind the surge is the higher market value resulting from larger catch sizes...

Death of Pregnant Fin Whale Caused by Cruise Ship Strike Before Docking in Seward

Federal and local scientists who conducted a necropsy on Saturday of an endangered and pregnant fin whale that arrived in port still draped over the bulbous bow of the Royal Caribbean Ovation of The Seas, said their preliminary findings are that the whale died of injuries consistent with a ship strike.

NOAA Fisheries collaborated with the Alaska SeaLife Center and Alaska Veterinary Pathology Services to perform a necropsy on the whale over the weekend to determine the cause of death...

Iceland Land-Based Salmon Producer LAXEY Closes Oversubscribed EUR 47M Equity Raise

Icelandic land-based salmon producer LAXEY has completed a EUR 47 million equity raise — above its initial EUR 40 million target — after the offering was significantly oversubscribed, driven largely by existing shareholders increasing their positions. The raise brings the total equity secured by the company since inception to approximately EUR 200 million.

Alongside the equity close, LAXEY has signed a committed term sheet for an international syndicated loan coordinated by DNB Carnegie, with DNB, Rabobank, and Arion Bank as mandated lead arrangers...