Mitsubishi-Owned Salmon Farmer Cermaq Buys Key Grieg Seafood Assets for $900 Million

Salmon farmer Cermaq announced it has acquired Grieg Seafood’s operations in Finnmark, Norway and British Columbia and Newfoundland, Canada, in a $987 million (NOK 10.2 billion) deal.

Cermaq CEO Steven Rafferty stated that the move will enhance the company’s competitiveness and contribute to its growth.

Mitsubishi Corporation (MC)-owned Cermaq will acquire the businesses on a cash and debt-free basis. Grieg Seafood Finnmark, Grieg Seafood Newfoundland, Grieg Seafood British Columbia and Grieg’s North American sales organization will now fall under Cermaq’s umbrella...

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...

West Coast Sees Third Directed Halibut Fishery Opener Later in July

Poor weather over much of the West Coast and sub-par landings for the first two halibut openers this year means fishermen will get another chance next week to clean up the Area 2A non-Tribal directed commercial quota.  

Of the 118 metric tons available for the directed fishery, 39 mt remain.  

NOAA Fisheries said a third fishing period will open at 8 a.m. on Tuesday, July 22, and close at 6 p.m. on Thursday, July 24. NOAA Fisheries said a third fishing period...

FDA Deems 52 Food Standards Obsolete, Proposes Their Repeal

On July 16, 2025, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) proposed a direct final rule revoking 52 food standards that the agency deemed obsolete and unnecessary. The food standards relate to canned fruits and vegetables, dairy products, baked goods, macaroni products, fish and shellfish, and dressings and flavorings.

If approved, the rule will repeal standards for 11 types of canned fruits and vegetables that are no longer sold in U.S. grocery stores, including seven standards for fruits that are artificially sweetened with saccharin or sodium saccharin...

Innovasea Hires Andreas Mintsios to Oversee Mediterranean Operations

Aquaculture and fish tracking tech company Innovasea announced the hiring of Andreas Mintsios as the new Managing Director for the Mediterranean.

Mintsios will work out of Innovasea’s Greece office and play a role in developing its aquaculture operations across the Mediterranean region. He will be tasked with working closely with farms in the region to better understand challenges and see how Innovsea can help solve their issues.

“Mintsios’s vast background and wealth of leadership experience made him the ideal candidate for this role...

Swedish Start-up KOASTAL Launches Franchise Model for Seaweed Farming  

Swedish start-up company KOASTAL is experimenting with large scale, sustainable cultivation of sugar kelp.  

The company has developed a franchise-style model to empower small-scale coastal farmers to enter the seaweed farming sector, while also helping them overcome industry hurdles.  

KOASTAL specializes in sourcing, standardizing, and certifying high-quality seaweed. By partnering with local fishers, the company aims to build a reliable supply chain for bulk seaweed production.  

How the Model Works 

KOASTAL currently operates six seaweed farms and holds permits for 10 aquaculture...

The Retail Rundown: Summer Travel Drives Foodservice Gains as Retailers Compete for Shoppers

Foodservice is in full swing this summer, fueled by warm weather and vacation season as consumers hit the road and dine out. This Fourth of July, AAA estimated a record 72.2 million Americans traveled domestically—a 2.4% increase from last year and 7 million more than in 2019.

“This year, we're seeing strong demand for road trips, flights, and cruises, especially with the holiday falling on a Friday,” said Debbie Haas, Vice President of AAA Travel.

With so much consumer attention on travel and dining out, food...

Hong Kong’s Ocean One Targets Aggressive China Growth After Import Ban Eases on Japanese Seafood

Hong Kong-based frozen seafood importer and wholesaler Ocean One announced that it will increase its cooperation with Chinese customers following China's resumption of seafood imports from Japan. The company stated that the move will involve “more aggressive market strategies to expand mainland business sales.”

The company views the reopening of many areas of Japan for seafood imports into China as a “significant opportunity” to both expand and enhance sales performance.

Ocean One’s China business accounted for 11.6% of its revenue, the second-largest share...

Cormorant Relief Act Passes House Panel, Aims to Shield Mississippi Aquaculture from Bird Predation

Mississippi Congressman Mike Ezell announced that his bill aimed at protecting the state’s aquaculture and fishing industries from the impact of cormorant overpopulation passed through the House Natural Resources Committee with bipartisan support this week.

The Cormorant Relief Act of 2025 streamlines management of cormorant populations and provides flexibility to state and tribal wildlife agencies. The large fish-eating birds have become a significant threat to fish farms and other wild species across the Gulf Coast...

Japan’s Shrimp Imports Increased 4% to 80,000 Tons During January-May

Japan's shrimp imports (total of frozen and processed products, excluding lobsters) from January to May increased by 4% year-on-year, reaching 80,158 tons. According to trade statistics from the Ministry of Finance, processed shrimp saw an 11% increase to 25,517 tons, while frozen coldwater shrimp rose by 29% to 2,896 tons. Imports of frozen non-coldwater shrimp, including Vannamei and Black Tiger, remained flat at 51,746 tons. By country, imports from India and Ecuador, major producers of farmed Vannamei, increased...

Bakkafrost's Preliminary Q2 Report Reflects Poor Results in Scottish Segments

Bakkafrost recently released preliminary financial results from its second quarter performance, reflecting poor outcomes for its Scottish freshwater and farming segments, which saw negative earnings of DKK 199 million during Q2 2025.

Per the company’s unaudited consolidated second quarter accounts, the Faroese salmon farmer pulled a total of DKK 65 million (USD $ 10.14 million) in earnings before interest and taxes (EBIT), which was lower-than-expected for the quarter.

A significant contributing factor was the Scottish segments, which took a hit in Q2, earning a negative EBIT of...

Skretting Leads Project to Boost New Zealand’s King Salmon Exports 

Global aquafeed company Skretting is partnering with the New Zealand government on a new initiative to boost King salmon exports.  

Trade Minister Todd McClay has announced a $455,000 investment to support the development of specialized feed tailored specifically for New Zealand’s King salmon. 

“This funding comes from the Primary Sector Growth Fund, announced in Budget 2025 to support forward-leaning, high-impact projects that will drive productivity, innovation and export growth across the sector,” said McClay. 

The $1.2 million project, led by Skretting, will focus on...

UNFI Posts Solid Quarterly Results and Revises 2025 Outlook Following Cyber Incident

American grocery wholesaler United Natural Foods Inc. (UNFI) released its quarterly results and updated its full-year outlook for fiscal 2025 on Wednesday, following consistent success across three consecutive quarters.

“With a proven multi-year strategy and consistent execution through the third quarter of fiscal 2025, we are confident in our underlying momentum and our ability to achieve our multi-year financial targets at an accelerated pace compared to the initial targets we communicated in October 2024,” said Sandy Douglas, CEO of UNFI...

Trump Announces US-Indonesia Trade Agreement, Offers Few Details

President Donald Trump announced on Tuesday that the United States has reached a new trade agreement with Indonesia, a key agricultural partner. However, he provided few details about the scope or substance of the deal.

“Great deal, for everybody, just made with Indonesia. I dealt directly with their highly respected President,” Trump said.

On July 7, Trump sent a letter to Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto stating that Indonesia would face a 32% tariff rate on all Indonesian goods imported into the US, as part of the initial wave of Trump tariff...

US Seafood Groups Push for Federal Investigation Into Imported Seafood With Banned Antibiotics

The Oregon Trawl Commission (OTC), along with the Southern Shrimp Alliance (SSA) and the crawfish industry, sent a letter to the Office of the US Trade Representative (USTR) requesting a Section 301 Investigation on the use of antibiotics in farm-raised foreign seafood.

The OTC letter, addressed to USTR Jamieson Greer, requested that the USTR examine how the use of unapproved antibiotics and veterinary drugs constitutes an unfair trade practice that leads to downward pricing pressure on US seafood producers, who face stricter safety standards...

Chilean Truck Carrying 22 Tons of Salmon Hijacked

Chilean police are investigating the robbery of a truck that was carrying 22 metric tons of salmon destined for export in the Los Lagos region, a key production hub, according to Radio Bio Bio.

The publication noted that a truck driver was also kidnapped. He was approached by two individuals at a gas station in the town of Osorno, where he was later tied up and abandoned on a rural road.

The driver reportedly was transporting the salmon to Santiago International Airport.  The truck's owner estimated the loss at 280...

US Senate Passes Bill Targeting Illegal Red Snapper and Tuna Imports 

The United States Senate has passed the Illegal Red Snapper and Tuna Enforcement Act, a bipartisan bill aimed at preventing illegally caught red snapper and tuna from being imported into the US.  

Introduced by Senators Ted Cruz (R-TX), Brian Schatz (D-HI), Katie Britt (R-AL), and Tommy Tuberville (R-AL), the bill instructs the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to create a standardized method for identifying the country of origin of imported red snapper and certain...