Trader Joe’s Introduces 3 New Seafood Products, Including RTE Salmon Item

Trader Joe’s is constantly introducing new items to their shelves. And this month, three of their new products just so happen to be seafood-related.

The grocer’s refrigerated section has plenty of ready-to-eat (RTE) options, and the latest addition to that lineup involves salmon. Trader Joe’s is encouraging customers to “shake up” a classic with their new Caesar Salad with Salmon. This RTE offering features romaine lettuce and kale blend with grilled salmon, parmesan crisps and romano Caesar dressing...

DOL Proposes Removal of Thailand Shrimp From List of Products Produced by Forced Child Labor

A notice published in the Federal Register Friday by the Department of Labor (DOL) proposes a revisement to the Executive Order on Prohibition of Acquisition of Products Produced by Forced or Indentured Child Labor. The Executive Order identifies a list of products, by their country of origin, that the DOL has “reasonable basis to believe might have been mined, produced, or manufactured by forced or indentured child labor.” According to this new notice, the DOL is proposing to remove shrimp from Thailand from...

Annual Shrimp Closure In Gulf of Mexico For Texas and Federal Waters Set For May 15

NOAA Fisheries has confirmed that the annual closing of the Gulf of Mexico commercial shrimp season off the Texas coast will take place on May 15. A closure is necessary in order for brown shrimp to reach a larger — and therefore more valuable — size.

“The goal of this closure is twofold,” commented Robin Riechers, the Coastal Fisheries Division Director for Texas Parks and Wildlife. “Allowing shrimp to migrate into Gulf waters gives them time to mature and grow before the...

Choice Canning Refutes FDA Refusal For Antibiotic-Tainted Shrimp

Over the weekend the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) released its seafood entry line refusals for the month of April. One of the companies flagged by the government agency for shrimp contaminated with veterinary drug residues was India’s Choice Canning. However, the company is refuting those claims, revealing in documentation shared with Seafoodnews that the three shrimp lines in question that were refused entry into the U.S. were by a different company that was using Choice Canning’s name.

As Seafoodnews reported on Tuesday, Choice Canning, which has...

ANALYSIS: March U.S. Shrimp Imports Move Higher

In data released today, U.S. shrimp imports continued to move higher year-over-year behind a significant surge from the top two trade partners. Total March imports were 139.489 million pounds, compared to 129.469 million pounds in 2023. India (+24.6%), Ecuador (+24.6%), and Vietnam (+39.0%) all gained. These positive numbers shifted year-to-date figures to the upside for those three countries as well. Indonesia (-30.0%) and Thailand (-25.7%) shipped less rounding out the top five.  Mexico (-31.8%) and Argentina (-28.8%), while shipping less, were...

ANALYSIS: Countervailing Duties Reduction Would Have Significant Impact on Payments

As reported by SeafoodNews Managing Editor, Amanda Buckle, Jose Antonio Camposano, Executive President of Industry Association Camara Nacional de Acuacultura confirmed the yet unpublished report that Santa Priscila’s subsidy rate has been lowered.

To put this in perspective, here is a preliminary analysis of money that would be posted based upon data from 2023 imports. The red lines in the graph are estimated payments against last year’s total imports by company based upon the average price paid. The total paid would...

Ecuador’s Shrimp Industry Impacted By Power Crisis

Ecuador is in the middle of a national shutdown as the country deals with a power crisis.

Severe drought has resulted in President Daniel Noboa ordering businesses and government offices to shut down. This decision comes after energy companies scheduled power cuts earlier this week in an effort to save energy. For those unfamiliar with Ecuador’s energy source, the country primarily uses hydropower to generate its electricity. 

The National Chamber of Aquaculture (CNA) has been working with officials to keep the industry up to date on the power...

Everything You Need To Know About The Save Our Shrimpers Act of 2024

On Wednesday Congressman Troy E. Nehls of Texas introduced the bipartisan Save Our Shrimpers Act of 2024. This bill aims to “prohibit federal funds from being made available to international financial institutions for the purposes of financing foreign shrimp farms, and for other purposes.”

Congressman Nehls has the support of Louisiana Congressman Clay Higgins, Texas Congressman Vicente Gonzalez, Louisiana Congressman Garret Graves, Mississippi Congressman Mike Ezell, South Carolina Congresswoman Nancy Mace, and Alabama Congressman Barry Moore.

“Due to the global excess capacity and production of...

Japan: February Shrimp Imports Up 11% to 15,300 Tons, Two Month Consecutive Increase

Japan's Ministry of Finance has made a significant announcement: the volume of shrimp imported in February reached 15,330 tons, an 11.3% increase from last year. It is the second consecutive month that imports have surpassed the previous year's figures, a trend that began in January after 14 months of low imports. The total value of these imports rose by 12.7% to 20,614 million yen ($135.88 million), as the Suisan Keizai Shimbun reported.

The other frozen shrimp category, which includes farmed shrimp...

AQUA Cultured Foods’ New Partnership To Aid In Development, Advancement of Alternative Seafood 

Food technology company AQUA Cultured Foods has announced a new partnership with Ginkgo Bioworks. 

Chicago-based AQUA has developed the world’s first whole-cut seafood alternatives through microbial fermentation. This process produces sustainable, fish-free tuna, scallops and more using less resources than traditional aquaculture. And now, Boston-based cell program and biosecurity company Ginkgo will help AQUA optimize that technology in order to elevate the quality of its 100% fish-free seafood products. These products are made from microbes and fibers combined with...

VIDEO: Shrimp CVD Update; Forced Labor List Request; Call to Ban Indian Shrimp

Join Seafoodnews Weekly Video co-hosts Amanda Buckle and Lorin Castiglione as they take a look at some of the biggest stories to impact shrimp this week, including a CVD update; a request for Indian shrimp to be added to the forced labor list; and a call to ban Indian shrimp from being imported to the U.S.

This episode of the Seafoodnews Weekly Video is brought to you by Urner Barry’s Executive Conference. Join the UB team LIVE from the Palazzo Tower at...

DOC Reveals Subsidy Rates in CVD Investigation Into Shrimp From Ecuador, India, Vietnam, Indonesia

India’s shrimp industry is taking another hit this week. But they are not alone. It's been confirmed that India, as well as Ecuador and Vietnam, will be forced to pay preliminary countervailing duties (CVD) on shrimp.

The Department of Commerce (DOC) announced its preliminary affirmative determinations in the CVD investigations of frozen warmwater shrimp from Ecuador, India and the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. The DOC confirmed a negative determination in the CVD investigation of shrimp from Indonesia.

For the preliminary subsidy rates...

Southern Shrimp Alliance To Labor Department: Add Indian Shrimp to Forced/ Child Labor Lists

The Southern Shrimp Alliance is using the recent reports regarding labor abuses in India’s shrimp industry to call on the U.S. government to add Indian shrimp the 2024 List of Goods Produced by Child Labor or Forced Labor. They are also requesting that the Department of Labor add Indian shrimp to the List of Products Produced by Forced or Indentured Child Labor.

A 15-page letter crafted by John Williams, Executive Director of the Southern Shrimp Alliance, was submitted electronically to Matthew Fraterman...

PODCAST: Breaking Down The Indian Shrimp Human Rights And Environmental Abuse Allegations

The Indian shrimp industry was hit with accusations of human rights and environmental abuses last week from three different reports that were released by Outlaw Ocean Project, The Associated Press and Corporate Accountability Lab. Seafoodnews Podcast co-hosts Amanda Buckle and Lorin Castiglione break down some of the reporting — and backlash —in the latest episode.

The Seafoodnews Podcast is brought to you by Urner Barry’s Executive Conference. Join the UB team LIVE from the Palazzo Tower at The Venetian Resort in...

6 Takeaways From The Indian Shrimp Labor Abuse Allegations By CAL, AP and Outlaw Ocean Project

India is one of the largest producing countries of shrimp, exporting 653 million pounds to the U.S. alone in 2023, which represents 37.6% of imports. But now, the industry is facing some serious allegations. This week the Corporate Accountability Lab (CAL), the Associated Press (AP) and the Outlaw Ocean Project (OOP) have all accused India’s shrimp industry of human rights and environmental abuses.

On Wednesday CAL released their report titled “Hidden Harvest: Human Rights and Environmental Abuses in India’s Shrimp Industry...

Report Released On Human Rights And Environmental Abuses In India’s Shrimp Industry

The Corporate Accountability Lab (CAL) released a report this month revealing human rights and environmental abuses in India’s shrimp industry.

“Human rights and environmental abuses in global shrimp aquaculture have been documented for over a decade,” a press release from CAL reads. “Yet, India— despite its huge market share—has remained under the radar. Indian shrimp have been considered a “low-risk” source, even with telltale signs of abuse. CAL’s multi-year field investigations and interviews provide some of the first documentation of the widespread abusive and dangerous labor...

FFAW Says Northern Shrimp Fishery Is “Delayed Without Cause”

Members of the Fish, Food and Allied Workers (FFAW) met with the DFO regional office this week to discuss issues surrounding the delayed opening of Shrimp Fishing Area (SFA) 6. While the DFO could not provide the union with a hard deadline, FFAW says that they “alluded to an end of May target.”

In March the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans announced an extension to complete the rebuilding plan for the stock in SFA 6. “The rebuilding plan development timeline for northern shrimp in SFA 6 was...

Japan: March Shrimp Imports Up 1% to 13,100 Tons, Increasing for the Third Consecutive Month

Japan’s Ministry of Finance recently announced that the amount of shrimp imported in March was 13,127 tons, an increase of 1.1% from last year. This is the third consecutive month of positive growth since January. The amount decreased by 2.5% to 17,983 million yen. Although there are signs of recovery in imports due to low inventories as a result of a decline in imports in 2023, a cautious stance continues as the yen weakens, reported Suisan Keizai Shimbun.

The "other frozen shrimp category," which...

FDA Flags Choice Canning, 3 Other BAP-Certified Shrimp Exporters For Antibiotic-Contaminated Shrimp

India’s Choice Canning has been flagged by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for antibiotic-positive shrimp just weeks after a whistleblower accused the company of shipping antibiotic-tainted shrimp to the U.S.

The FDA recently published its seafood entry line refusals for the month of April. The government agency documented 89 entry line refusals, 15 of which (16.9%) were for shrimp related to banned antibiotics. Those 15 entry lines were split amongst four companies — one of which was the embroiled...

Department of Commerce Publishes Amended CVD Determination on Shrimp From Ecuador 

The U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC) has officially published the amended preliminary affirmative countervailing duty (CVD) determination on shrimp from Ecuador. 

In late March the DOC announced its preliminary affirmative determinations in the CVD investigations of frozen warmwater shrimp from Ecuador, as well as India and Vietnam. (At the same time the DOC also confirmed a negative determination in the CVD investigation of shrimp from Indonesia.) Ecuador exporter/ producer Industrial Pesquera Santa Priscila was slapped with a 13.41% preliminary subsidy rate...

CNA’s José Antonio Camposano Confirms Subsidy Rate Adjustment For Ecuador Shrimp

Last month, the U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC) announced its preliminary affirmative determinations in the countervailing duties (CVD) investigation of frozen warmwater shrimp from Ecuador. As Seafoodnews reported at the time, producer/exporter Industrial Pesquera Santa Priscila was hit with the largest subsidy rate at 13.41%.

Jose Antonio Camposano, Executive President of industry association Camara Nacional de Acuacultura, said at the time that they believed it to be an error in calculation. And while the preliminary determination has yet to be updated by the DOC, Camposano confirmed...

American Shrimp Processors Association Calls For Ban on Indian Shrimp Made With Forced Labor

The American Shrimp Processors Association (ASPA) has taken two actions in the last week in its continued fight against shrimp from India made with forced labor. 

“The brutal working conditions documented in India’s shrimp industry are appalling,” said ASPA President Trey Pearson. “These producers exploit the most vulnerable workers imaginable, and then export their artificially low-priced product to the United States, harming our own domestic shrimp harvesters and processors. ASPA will do everything we can to fight back against these abhorrent practices and...

ANALYSIS: Shrimp Imports Surprise With Gains in February

In data released Thursday, and maybe somewhat of a surprise given the recent cautiousness surrounding shrimp imports with CVD/AD hanging over the industry (preliminary countervailing duties since released), U.S. shrimp imports in February were 12.5 percent higher. Imports for the month totaled 131.198 million pounds, nearly on par with last month, but above 116.596 million pounds in 2023.

There were gains from four of the top five trade partners. India (+21.5%), Ecuador (+9.9%), Vietnam (+50.3%), and...

Japan: Record Low In 40 Years For 2023 Shrimp Imports

According to an announcement by the Ministry of Finance, the cumulative total of shrimp imports in 2023 fell below 210,000 tons for the first time in about 40 years since 1985, dropping 10.6% from the previous year to 202,842 tons. The Suisan Keizai Shimbun reported that the value of imports decreased by 12.1% to 282,507 million yen ($1,868.37 million) amid the continued depreciation of the yen.

In 2023, trading companies continued to make steady purchases despite struggling to secure profits...

NASEM Committee Announces Findings Between Seafood Consumption and Child Growth 

A committee with the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) hosted a webinar this week, examining the connection between seafood consumption — particularly in women of a child bearing age, pregnant and breastfeeding women — and child growth and development. 

The Committee on the Role of Seafood Consumption in Child Growth and Development looked at finfish, shellfish, mollusks, crustaceans, and marine and freshwater fish. The aim of this research was to better understand the nutritional benefits of seafood consumption weighed against the health risks. The group found that...

Graves and Peltola Call on President Biden To Halt Shrimp Imports From India Following Allegations 

Following the reports alleging human rights and environmental abuses in India’s shrimp industry, Louisiana Congressman Garret Graves and Alaska Congresswoman Mary Sattler Peltola are calling on President Joe Biden to “immediately halt shrimp imports into the U.S. from India.”

“Stop the Great Indian Shrimp Invasion,” said Graves. “We have a bill outstanding right now — the Laws Ensuring Safe Shrimp Act — that addresses this exact issue. We are fighting to protect free and fair trade by ensuring that foreign farmed imports aren’t given an unfair advantage...

NFI Shares Seafood Industry Labor Principles Following India Shrimp Labor Abuse Reports

Late last week, following the multiple reports on human rights and environmental abuse within India’s shrimp industry, the National Fisheries Institute (NFI) Executive Committee of the Board of Directors adopted and shared the “Seafood Industry Labor Principles, A Commitment By NFI Members.”

“There is no place for labor abuse in the seafood supply chain,” the document reads. “Every worker should have freedom of movement and no worker should be coerced to work.”

The Associated Press, Outlaw Ocean Project, and Corporate Accountability Lab...

India Shrimp Update: Committee on Natural Resources Calls For Documents From Whistleblower

The Outlaw Ocean Project released a report last week exposing human rights abuses at a shrimp processing facility operated by Choice Canning, one of the largest shrimp exporters in India. The report was backed up by a whistleblower named Joshua Farinella, a 45-year-old American who accepted a position as a general manager at Choice Canning’s facility in 2023. 

Farinella’s account of events during his time at Choice Canning are pretty concerning, with claims of overcrowding and that workers are being held against their will...

GSA Confirms Investigation Into BAP Violations From Indian Shrimp Producers Is Underway

The Global Seafood Alliance (GSA) confirmed on Thursday that they are aware of the recent allegations made against Indian shrimp producers and are “actively” investigating those holding Best Aquaculture Practices (BAP) certificates. 

“We are committed to our mission of promoting responsible practices in the seafood supply chain and take these matters seriously,” Wally Stevens, CEO of GSA, said in a statement. “BAP requires all certified seafood production facilities — aquaculture farms, hatcheries, feed mills and processing plants — to strictly adhere to robust social...

Seafood Exporters Association of India Says AP Report on Abuses In Shrimp Industry “Flawed”

The Seafood Exporters Association of India (SEAI) is firing back at the Associated Press following a report the news organization released on Wednesday claiming “dangerous and abusive” conditions in the Indian shrimp industry.

“This report contains a number of errors and omissions, and leaves readers with a willfully distorted view of Indian shrimp exporters that could cause harm to the very workers AP claims to be concerned with, setting back economic development in the region by years,” the statement from Pawan Kumar, President of SEAI reads...