Biden Bans New Offshore Oil and Gas Development Along Most US Coasts

Today President Joe Biden announced a ban for new offshore oil and gas development across 625 million acres of U.S. coastal waters.

Areas encompassed by the ban

Per the ban, oil and gas drilling rights along the following coasts will be prohibited: the entire U.S. Atlantic coast, the eastern Gulf of Mexico, the Pacific coast along California, Oregon, and Washington, and the remaining portion of the Northern Bering Sea Climate Resilience Area in Alaska.

The ban does not involve the central and western areas of the Gulf of...

China Announces 2025 Tariff Increases on Key Seafood Imports

China’s State Council announced adjustments for tariff rates in 2025, with some of the adjustments leading to rate increases for key imported seafood items like shrimp, whitefish and abalone.

Some key seafood items will see increased tariff rates from 2% to 5% in 2025. Specifically, the tax rate for frozen shrimp will see a 3% tariff jump, along with frozen Arctic shrimp, while fresh abalone will jump from 7% to 10%.

EU SME Centre highlighted the following species with increased tariffs (all impacted items are frozen product): Greenland halibut, flounder...

Top 10 Stories from 2024 on Expana

It was a big year for the food and agriculture industry. Below are some of the biggest headlines that sent shockwaves through the trade... 

ANALYSIS: US Egg Prices Soar as Production Hits Eight-Year Low Due to HPAI Outbreaks 

May 30, 2024: “Over the past two weeks, U.S. shell egg prices have soared by 45%, largely due to the ongoing spread of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI), more commonly known as bird flu. The bird flu has been spreading across the US since February 2022—though not consistently..."

New England Fishermen Get Partial Win In Court Decision on Council Un-Constitutionality

A federal court judge in Maine granted partial approval to a claim brought by New England Fishermen Stewardship Association (NEFSA) that certain authorities of regional management council members and the agency that implements their decisions into regulation, are unconstitutional. The authorities center on whether and how councils may override a decision made by the Secretary of Commerce in the process of putting council decisions into fisheries regulations.

Citing two other cases from last year — United Cook Inlet Drift Associaiton, et al v. National Marine Fisheries Service, et ...

FDA Issues Another Shellfish Advisory Amid Widening Norovirus Outbreak

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has released its fourth advisory in recent weeks, warning Oregon and Washington retailers, restaurants and consumers against selling or consuming certain shellfish due to norovirus concerns. 

The January 2 advisory focused on shellstock oysters harvested from 12/02/2024 to 12/17/2024 by Ruco’s Shellfish (WA-1995-SS) from a portion of Hammersley Inlet growing area in Washington State. The impacted oysters were distributed in Washington and Oregon and may have been sent to other states...

SalmonChile’s Marcela Bravo Wins InfoSALMON’s Award for Person of the Year 2024

Salmon media outlet InfoSALMON recently recognized Marcela Bravo, SalmonChile's Projects and Studies Manager, as its first-ever Person of the Year for 2024.

The newly established award highlights leadership and positive impact within the salmon farming industry, with more than 4,000 participants casting their votes.

For the 48-member Chilean salmon association, SalmonChile, the award reflects the organization’s 2024 strides in promoting gender equity, entrepreneurial connectivity, and product quality. SalmonChile members include seafood production companies Blumar, Cooke Aquaculture Chile, and Australis Seafoods. 

Bravo’s participation in SalmonChile’s new initiatives...

FDA Expands Recall of Canadian Oysters Amid Norovirus Outbreak

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) expanded its recall of certain oysters harvested in British Columbia, Canada, on December 27.

The FDA published an advisory stating that California restaurants and food retailers that recently bought Fanny Bay, Sunseeker, and Cloudy Bay oysters from growing area BC 14-8 Landfile (LF) # 0278741 on 11/27/2024 and 12/03/2024 and from growing area BC 14-8 LF # 0335309 on 12/03/2024 and 12/05/2024 should not serve or sell the products...

Russia Aims to Become One of the World’s Top Black Caviar Exporters Within the Next Several Years

Russia aims to become one of the world’s largest exporters of black caviar within the next several years. This will be done by increasing domestic output and expanding its overall supply geography.

In 2024, black caviar production in the Astrakhan Region—one of the centers of sturgeon fishing and farming in Russia—reached almost 25 tonnes. According to Ruslan Pashayev, Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries of Astrakhan Region, this is 5% more than a year earlier, and there is a possibility that the...

Peru Closes Ports and Beaches as Big Waves Hit Coast 

According to recent reporting by Reuters, Peruvian authorities have closed 80 ports and several beaches along Peru’s northern and central coasts due to unusually high waves on December 27 and 28.

No human losses have been reported.

The tide intensity began on December 25 and is now considered to be at a “strong intensity,” according to Captain Enrique Varea, Chief of Hydrography and Navigation with the Peruvian Navy...

The Year’s First Tuna Auction Topped at JPY 750,000 per Kilo at Toyosu Market

The annual first auctions of the new year took place on the morning of January 5 at wholesale markets in major Japanese cities. In particular, the bluefin tuna auction at Toyosu Market in Tokyo was highlighted on TV and online news media. According to Minato Shimbun, a fresh bluefin tuna from Oma, Aomori Prefecture, weighing 276 kilos, was sold for 207 million yen ($1.31 million), the second highest value following 333.6 million yen ($2.12 million) recorded in 2019...

Military Ordinance Discovered at Delaware Processing Facility

A military ordinance was found on a conveyor belt at a Sea Watch International facility in Milford, Delaware, on December 30, 2024.

According to Coast TV, the Delaware State Police confirmed that the ordinance was found on a conveyor belt where trucks offload clams.

The DSP told the publication that evidence points towards the ordinance coming from the ocean while picking up the clams as it was common practice during World War I to dispose of items in the sea.

DSP's Explosive Ordnance Disposal Team turned it over to the Dover Air Force...

Shrimp Alliance Urges US Crackdown on Chinese Firm Over Uyghur Labor Allegations 

The Southern Shrimp Alliance (SSA) renewed its request to add Rongcheng Sanyue Foodstuff Co., Ltd. to the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act’s (UFLPA) Entity List via a letter to the Department of Homeland Security’s Forced Labor Enforcement Task Force (FLETF). 

In July, the FLETF listed seafood as a high-priority sector for enforcement under the UFLPA, as Expana reported. That announcement came shortly after the addition of Shandong Meijia Group Co., Ltd. (a.k.a. Rizhao Meijia Group), a seafood processor based in Shandong province, to the UFLPA’s Entity List in... 

Petroperú and Local Officials Discuss Forward Path After Oil Spill in Lobitos, Peru

Peru’s state-owned petroleum enterprise Petróleos del Perú (commonly known as Petroperú) and the Lobitos District Municipality recently set up a negotiating committee to discuss the oil refining company’s December 20 oil spill at the Talara Refinery at Las Capullanas Beach in Lobitos, Peru.

The committee—which is comprised of local authorities, officials from Petroperú, representatives of fishermen's unions, and local representatives—is working to reach local and state agreements and comply with the compliance guidelines set forth by Peru’s environmental assessment agency, the Organismo...

Sodexo to Launch 100 ‘Food Hive’ Community-Oriented Campus Convenience Stores by 2026

Sodexo, a leader in foodservice for campuses across the U.S., announces the company’s goal of opening nearly 100 “Food Hive” markets at colleges nationwide by 2026. Sodexo’s current goal of opening approximately 30 locations during the 2024 – 2025 academic year is underway. Food Hive is Sodexo’s lightning-fast and cashless payment convenience experience with a community focus, supporting local partners and minority- and women-owned businesses by featuring their products and other healthy options for students.

“We know that Gen Z prefers shopping...

Maersk Advises Cargo Removal as Threat of US Port Strikes Persists

Major shipping firm Maersk has advised its customers to remove cargo from US East and Gulf Coast ports, in preparation for potential strike action by port workers in mid-January.

Negotiations between the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) union and the employers’ representative the United States Maritime Alliance (USMX) on a new contract for port workers appear to have stalled, with the deadline of January 15, 2025, looming.

In a customer advisory statement released on December 30, Maersk said, “If no agreement is reached by [January 15], a coast-wide...

ANALYSIS: Expectations for Anchovy Fisheries in Europe, Peru, and Argentina in 2025

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)reported that in 2019, 6 million tonnes of anchovy were caught globally. The primary anchovy producers are Peru and Chile, which account for approximately 74% of the world's anchovy catches, followed by Japan at 15.49% and Europe at 9.91%...

Japan’s November Seafood Exports up by 49% Y-O-Y; Scallops up 85% at 3,365 MT

According to trade statistics released by the Ministry of Finance, November's fishery product exports increased 49% in volume compared to the same month last year to 33,306 MT and increased 35% in value to 30,083 million yen ($191.01 million).

According to Minato Shimbun, the increases are a rebound from the embargo on Japanese seafood products imposed by China, the leading destination for frozen scallops, in late August last year, and since September, both volume and value have been significantly higher than the same...