ANALYSIS: How Ecuador's Volume Growth and Asian Tariffs Opened a $0.91 HLSO-EZ Peel Spread

One number in the current shrimp index data stands apart. White HLSO Latam sits at $3.80 per lb — down from $4.00 in March 2025, a decline of 5.0% over that period and 9.3% year over year versus $4.19 in July 2025. Every other segment in the index is up over both periods. White CTO Asia has gained 18.6% from its March 2025 level and 9.8% year over year. EZ Peel Asia is up 14.3% since March 2025...

Episode 43: What's the Catch? Tariff Impact on Global Seafood 

The global seafood trade is a complex web of species, product forms, production regions, and seasonality. Highly susceptible to geopolitical shifts among global trade partners, action in the seafood market impacts producers, importers, exporters, retailers, foodservice and, ultimately, consumers.

In this episode, Jamie and special guest, Ryan Doyle, dive into the deep waters of trade policy and the latest round of tariff news--and what it all could mean.  

Listen now.

NOAA Opens Public Comment on Potential MMPA Import Rule Overhaul, Seafood Industry Gets a Say

NOAA Fisheries has published an advance notice of proposed rulemaking seeking public input on potential changes to the Marine Mammal Protection Act's import provisions, the regulatory framework that determines which countries can sell fish and seafood products in the US market. Comments are open through September 28, 2026.

The notice does not propose specific rule changes. It is the earliest stage of the regulatory process, an open invitation for the seafood industry, foreign governments, trade groups, and conservation organizations to weigh in on how the...

Japan’s Fishmeal Imports Soar 36% to 84,000 Tons in January-May with Price up 30%

According to the Ministry of Finance's trade statistics, fishmeal imports from January to May totaled 84,017 tons—a 36% year-on-year (YOY) increase—with the unit price rising 30% to 270 yen/kg ($1.65/kg).

A Minato Shimbun newsletter reported imports by source included 18,239 tons from Oman, the top supplier, up 3.1-fold; 17,429 tons from Peru, the second place, up 2%; 10,819 tons from India, up 50%; 10,169 tons from the US, up 48%; 6,575 tons...

EU, Seychelles Sign Four-Year Tuna Access Deal Worth $26 Million

The European Union and Seychelles have signed a new Sustainable Fisheries Partnership Agreement that will grant EU vessels access to Seychelles waters for four years to fish up to 55,000 metric tons of tuna and other migratory species annually.

The deal, signed July 27 in Brussels, authorizes up to 30 EU purse seiners and eight longliners to obtain licenses and resume operations in Seychellois waters. Fishing had been halted since a previous agreement expired on February 23...

The Kingfish Company Reports $12 Million in Q2 Revenue, Up 15% Year-on-Year

The Kingfish Company (OSE: KING), the Netherlands-based pioneer in land-based yellowtail kingfish production, reported second-quarter revenue of €10.4 million ($12 million), a 15% increase on a like-for-like basis year-over-year, driven by strong foodservice demand for fresh large fish.

Like-for-like figures exclude fresh sales in the United States, which were discontinued in October 2025. Fresh large fish volumes grew 28% year-on-year on a like-for-like basis...

Philippines Issues New Crab Fishing Rules, Eyes Restoration of US Market Access Before Year-End

The Philippine government has moved to tighten its blue swimming crab fishery regulations and expressed confidence that exports to the United States can resume before the end of 2026 — more than six weeks after an import ban under the US Marine Mammal Protection Act took effect.

Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. said he is confident the country will restore access to the US market, its most critical destination for blue swimming crab, known locally as alimasag, according to the Philippine Daily Inquirer...

West Coast Fishing Communities Face Historic Threat From Super El Niño

The West Coast is bracing for what forecasters say could be one of the strongest El Niño events in recorded history, with Pacific Ocean temperatures off Washington and Oregon already running well above normal. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has reported soaring sea surface temperatures — already twice the 0.5-degree Celsius threshold that triggers an official El Niño declaration — and Ocean Conservancy experts warn the US is dangerously underprepared for what could follow.

Marine heatwaves that accompany Super El Niños suppress ocean nutrients, allow toxic algae to flourish...

Georgia Seafood Wholesaler Agrees to $265,000 Settlement in EEOC Sex Discrimination Case

Moon N Sea GA, LLC, formerly known as KGI Trading GA, has agreed to pay $265,000 to settle a US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) sex discrimination lawsuit alleging violations of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

Title VII prohibits employment discrimination based on sex, among other protected categories.

According to the EEOC, the settlement is also subject to a two-year consent decree requiring the company to provide specialized training to employees on Title VII’s prohibition...

Tuna Price-Fixing Saga Reaches Its Final Chapter as $152M in Consumer Funds Cleared for Distribution

More than a decade after a price-fixing conspiracy rocked the US canned tuna industry, the last major legal milestone has been reached. On July 27, US District Judge Dana M. Sabraw signed an order authorizing the final disbursement of $152.2 million in settlement funds to consumers who purchased packaged tuna at retail during the class period — bringing the In re Packaged Seafood Products Antitrust Litigation to a close.

The fund pools settlements from three defendant groups: StarKist and its parent...

Study Finds Low or Non-Detectable PFAS Levels in Wild Alaska Seafood

A peer-reviewed toxicology study, Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances in Commercially Important Marine Species of Fish and Shellfish from Alaska and Implications for Human Exposure, found that many of Alaska's most widely consumed wild seafood species contain low or non-detectable levels of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), commonly known as "forever chemicals." Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute (ASMI) highlighted the findings in a recent post. 

In the study, samples of commercially harvested Alaska seafood collected between 2022 and 2024 from the Bering Sea...

FAO Globefish Reports Firm European Seabass and Seabream Market Through 2025 as Trade Flows Shift

FAO Globefish’s latest report on trade flows in the European seabass and seabream markets indicates that the sector remained firm through 2025, supported by steady demand in the EU, constrained supply and higher production costs.

According to the report, stable demand across EU markets and shifting trade flows helped support higher export values, even as shipment volumes came under pressure. Supply constraints, along with higher feed and labor costs, kept prices elevated, lifting revenues for several exporting countries despite...

CFIA Posts Recall for Walmart Canada Private-Label Shrimp Rings

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency has posted a recall for Our Finest shrimp rings with mild cocktail sauce due to the presence of 3-amino-2-oxazolidinone.

The product is sold exclusively at Walmart Canada under the retailer’s private-label Our Finest brand. The affected shrimp rings come in 240 g packages with UPC 6 27735 26412 7 and code 2027JL31 printed on the label.

According to the CFIA notice, the recall was issued by Export Packers Company Limited on...

Les Hodges: How the World's Major Crab Producers Manage the Resource

For decades, the global crab industry has focused on quotas, markets, and prices. Yet one question is rarely examined: how do the world's major producing nations ensure that hundreds of millions of pounds of king and snow crab are actually harvested within their Total Allowable Catch (TAC)?

In 2026, global king and snow crab production will approach 225,000 metric tons, nearly 500 million pounds. Russia and Canada remain the largest producers, while Alaska, Norway, Greenland, and Japan supply important regional fisheries. China dominates the live crab market, and the...

Update of Statewide Salmon Landings Emphasize Concern for Pinks and Chums

Alaska salmon harvests are continuing to show a concerning pattern of very few pink salmon returning in any areas of the state and a severely depleted keta (chum) run to date.

As the McKinley Research weekly update of July 25, 2026 puts it “Keta harvests were down 66%, and pink salmon runs are either low or late to arrive.”

Landings are recorded daily but published at different times in each port. In some areas, like Southeast Alaska and Prince William Sound, pink and chum...

Maine Lobster Defamation Case Hits Turbulence at First Circuit

A defamation lawsuit brought by Maine lobster trade groups against the Monterey Bay Aquarium ran into serious skepticism at the First Circuit on Monday, with appellate judges questioning whether a libel claim can stand when it targets an entire industry rather than specific individuals — a ruling that could have broad implications for seafood sustainability ratings and press freedom alike, according to Courthouse News.

The case dates to 2022, when Seafood Watch gave American lobster a "red" environmental rating, citing the risk that lobster fishing gear poses to endangered...

Santa Priscila Wins Antitrust Approval for Ecuaprotein Asset Deal

Ecuador's antitrust regulator, the Superintendency of Economic Competition (SCE), has approved Industrial Pesquera Santa Priscila's proposed acquisition of assets and production resources from Proteínas del Ecuador Ecuaprotein SA.

The decision was announced Tuesday, 28 July, by the First Instance Resolution Commission (CRPI) of the SCE, which concluded the transaction would not generate adverse effects on competition in the relevant markets.

Under the deal, Industrial Pesquera Santa Priscila, Ecuador's largest shrimp producer and exporter, will acquire assets used in the production and marketing of shrimp...