ANALYSIS: Container Rates and Crude Oil Signal Freight Costs Have Not Yet Reached the Shelf

Container rates out of Asia have increased substantially in recent months. Through the most recent print in August, spot rates for 40ft dry containers stood at $9,421 from India's East Coast and $7,960 from India's West Coast, and $10,063 from Vietnam's East Coast — up from a range of roughly $2,500 to $3,000 as recently as this spring, a three-to-four-fold increase over several months...

US Senator Introduces Bill to Phase In 40% Tariff on Ecuadorian Shrimp

US Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.) introduced legislation Sept. 30 to phase in tariffs up to 40% on shrimp and prepared shrimp products imported from Ecuador, citing economic pressure on Gulf Coast shrimpers as Ecuador's share of the US market has grown.

The Ecuador Shrimp Tariff Act would raise duties in stages, reaching a general 40% rate by Jan. 1, 2029. It would also add a $0.10-per-kilogram duty on covered shrimp imports, use the proceeds to fund inspections of imported shrimp and catfish...

Norwegian Salmon's Haaland World Cup Push Delivers Strongest US Campaign Results in Five Years

Norwegian salmon strengthened its position among US consumers during this summer's World Cup marketing campaign, according to new research commissioned by the Norwegian Seafood Council (NSC) and reported by multiple outlets.

Ipsos, the independent research firm that conducted the post-campaign measurement, called it the strongest campaign for Norwegian salmon in the US since NSC began tracking campaign effectiveness five years ago. That assessment came from NSC seafood envoy to the US Karine Rød Haraldsson, cited by both SalmonBusiness and Norwegian outlet iLaks...

Mega Sardines Enters US Retail Market Through Kroger

Philippine food manufacturer Mega Prime Foods Inc. is bringing its Mega Sardines brand to the US market, with the canned sardines set to arrive at Kroger and affiliated retail banners nationwide beginning Oct. 1.

The launch comes as the company cites rising US demand for canned sardines, including volume growth of more than 50% at major retailers and frequent out-of-stock situations. Mega Prime said the rollout is intended to help stabilize supply while expanding the brand’s presence in the market...

Commercial Food Preparers Seek Distribution of $10.4M Tuna Settlement

Lead counsel for the Commercial Food Preparer Plaintiffs (CFPs) has filed a motion asking the court to authorize final distribution of settlement funds in In re Packaged Seafood Products Antitrust Litigation, the decade-long tuna price-fixing case that reshaped the US canned tuna industry. The September 22 filing, made before Judge Dana M. Sabraw in the Southern District of California, covers a distinct plaintiff class from the retail-consumer track that reached final distribution earlier this year...

California Cold Chain Laws Set to Add Costs for Industry

California Gov. Gavin Newsom has signed two bills into law that the Global Cold Chain Alliance (GCCA) says will add financial and regulatory burdens to the state’s food and pharmaceutical cold storage industry. Assembly Bill 817 (AB 817) and Senate Bill 716 (SB 716), signed Sept. 30, take effect Jan. 1, 2027. The measures were introduced following a June 17 industrial fire in Los Angeles that affected the Boyle Heights community and surrounding areas.

GCCA opposed both bills, saying they fall short of strengthening emergency preparedness...

Andfjord Salmon Reports Strong Growth Momentum In All Pools

Today, Kvalnes-based Andfjord Salmon announced strong growth and high survival rates during September in all three stocked pools at Kvalnes, Andøya. The company is currently preparing for the first harvest of this production cycle.

Key performance indicators (KPIs) for the company's three operational pools - K0 (grow-out), K1 (grow-out) and K3 (post-smolt) - were as follows.

- Total standing biomass: 2,580 tonnes, up 25% during September.
- Net production (September): 512 tonnes
- Aggregate survival rate in 2026: 97.98%
- Accumulated feed conversion ratio in 2026: 1.036...

Rep. Gluesenkamp Perez Tours Pacific Seafood's Woodland, Washington Processing Hub

Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (D-WA) toured Pacific Seafood's Woodland, Washington facility this month as part of a day of visits across Cowlitz and Clark counties, according to a post on her official House website.

The Woodland plant processes and distributes locally caught seafood for shipment nationwide, and the congresswoman used the stop to meet with employees and discuss permitting predictability, support for working waterfronts, and regional seafood supply chains, per the release...

Russia, India Discuss Special Processing Zones for Russian Fish Exports

Russia plans to significantly increase exports of fish and fish products to India and is exploring a joint project to process its catch in India.

India has proposed processing Russian fish supplied to its market and re-exporting the finished products back to Russia. To support this, India is prepared to offer Russian fishing companies a special customs regime.

Exports of Russian fish and fish products to India have so far been subject to high duties. However, that could change this year, with the possibility that some duties may be...

Nueva Pescanova Sells French Chilled Seafood Business to Ecuador's Omarsa

Nueva Pescanova Group has completed the sale of its chilled products business in France to Ecuadorian shrimp producer Grupo Omarsa, the Spanish seafood company announced on September 30. The deal covers Nueva Pescanova's chilled-products operations in the French market; the company is retaining its frozen products division there, which will continue operating through subsidiary Pescanova France.

The divestment is the latest move in a strategic asset review Nueva Pescanova launched at the start of the year, aimed at improving efficiency and driving value creation...

BSF Extends Partnership with Lineage Agreement through 2028

Seafood processor and distributor BSF has extended its commercial agreement with temperature-controlled warehousing company Lineage through June 30, 2028, continuing a relationship that spans nearly 25 years.

Under the two-year extension announced Sept. 23, Lineage will continue managing warehousing and distribution for BSF across two dedicated facilities built to serve the company’s operations. BSF stores more than 800 cooked and raw seafood SKUs at the facilities and ships to major food retailers and foodservice companies nationwide.

The agreement comes as BSF, formerly known as Beaver Street Fisheries, moves forward...

Japan’s August Marine Products Exports Plummeted by 22% in Volume; Value Increased 18%

According to statistics released by the Ministry of Finance on September 29th, exports of fishery products (including fish, shellfish, prepared seafood products, and fish meal) totaled 39,357 tons in August, down 22% year-on-year (YOY), and 31.67 billion yen ($201.30 million), up 18%. Minato Shimbun reported that scallop exports declined in both volume and value, falling 23% to 4,608 tons and 23% to 6.651 billion yen ($42.28 million). Conversely, yellowtail exports rose 62% to...

EU Lawmakers, Fishers and Rights Groups Confront 'Social Dimension' of Tuna Fishing

The European Parliament hosted a conference this week examining labor conditions aboard fishing vessels, with organizers arguing that sustainability in the seafood industry can't be measured by ocean health alone.

The event, "Advancing the Social Dimension of Sustainable Fisheries," was held Wednesday in Brussels and convened fishers, labor unions, academics and human rights experts to discuss the gap between working conditions on European-flagged vessels and those in distant-water fleets supplying the EU market, according to a press release...

The Kingfish Company Posts First-Ever Positive EBITDA Half-Year, Confirms Debt Restructuring

The Kingfish Company turned Operational EBITDA positive for the first time in a half-year period, reporting €0.3 million for H1 2026 against a loss of €2.5 million in H1 2025, as the Dutch land-based Yellowtail Kingfish producer published its unaudited interim financial statements for the six months ended June 30.

The figures confirm preliminary results the Kats, Netherlands-based company (OSE: KING) released on August 14, with Operational EBITDA landing slightly above the earlier €0.2 million estimate...

FDA Warns NY Seafood Importer Over HACCP Gaps, Cat Roaming Warehouse Pallets

FDA has issued a warning letter to South Asian Food Inc., a Maspeth, New York-based importer, citing seafood HACCP violations and insanitary warehouse conditions found during a March 2–9, 2026 inspection.

The letter, CMS #728657, dated Aug. 20, faults the firm for lacking written importer verification procedures with affirmative steps for three vacuum-packed, ready-to-eat dried seafood products: RTE Anchovy with Chilli (Stolephorus indicus), RTE Lotia Bombay Duck with Chilli (Harpadon nehereus), and RTE Golden Dried Shrimp with Chilli, Garlic & Onion (Metapenaeus ensis)...

Korea’s Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries Launches Global K-Seafood Campaign with ZEROBASEONE

Leveraging the phenomenal global rise of K-POP, South Korea’s Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries (MOF) is launching a worldwide K-Seafood campaign to raise awareness of Korean seafood and its diverse appeal. And who better to deliver this message than ZEROBASEONE, a K-POP group with a worldwide fandom.

The MOF expects the campaign to highlight the quality and appeal of Korean seafood worldwide amid rising global interest in K-culture and K-food...

Pappadeaux Seafood Celebrates 40 Years of Good Times, Great Food and the Spirit of New Orleans

Pappadeaux Seafood Kitchen, the iconic Pappas restaurant inspired by the lively spirit and bold flavors of New Orleans' French Quarter, is celebrating four decades of good times with special dishes, drinks, commemorative glassware and more throughout October.

Since opening its doors in 1986, Pappadeaux has built a reputation for pairing bold coastal flavors with the vibrant energy of New Orleans, creating a dining experience that guests keep coming back to year after year. Forty years later, that spirit...