SalMar Acquires Norwegian Salmon Farmer Wilsgård for USD $168.27 Million

SalMar ASA (SalMar) published a statement yesterday indicating its purchase of Norwegian salmon farmer Wilsgård AS (Wilsgard) for NOK 1.8 billion (USD $168.3 million).

According to the statement, the boards of Wilsgård, SalMar Farming AS (a wholly-owned subsidiary of SalMar), and SalMar have officially approved a triangular merger plan pursuant to Chapter 13 of the Norwegian Public Limited Liability Companies Act, listing SalMar Farming as the acquiring company, Wilsgård as the transferring company, and SalMar as the issuer of the consideration shares in the merger...

The Retail Rundown: Post-Easter Pause Sets Stage for Protein Push

With Easter now in the rearview, retailers will largely tread water, positioning themselves for a seasonal surge in demand ahead of the start of summer.

Grilling demand is beginning to build toward a Memorial Day crescendo, prompting grocers to build inventory and plan aggressive promotions to jumpstart the season. 

But first up is Cinco de Mayo. While it's a smaller holiday, it can still drive foot traffic. Proteins like pork, steak, and chicken are expected to see solid movement as shoppers make tacos, burritos, enchiladas, and other festive fare...

Russia Increases 2025 Crab Exports by 26%

Russia has increased its 2025 crab exports by 26%, compared to the same period last year, according to data provided by Russian analysts and local media.

According to estimates from experts at the Federal Center for Development of Agricultural Exports of the Ministry of Agriculture of Russia (Agroexport), Russia exported about 17,000 tons of crab during Q1 2025, worth more than US$440 million. Compared to the same period last year, supplies increased by 23% in volume and 26% in terms of value.

The majority of crab was exported to China, which...

Southern Shrimp Alliance Celebrates Trump’s Executive Order to Strengthen American Seafood Industry

The Southern Shrimp Alliance (SSA) recently released a statement applauding President Trump’s executive order “Restoring American Seafood Competitiveness,” which he signed on April 17.

According to the SSA, the action directly confronts the existential threats currently facing the U.S. domestic shrimp industry including unfair trade practices, imported shrimp that is unsafe or linked to forced labor practices, and regulatory imbalances. The Alliance added that foreign competitors do not have to face the same regulations or economic and logistic barriers as U.S. shrimpers...

Presidential Proclamation Breathes New Life into Western Pacific Fisheries

Hammered by at least six presidential proclamations since President Bush in 2006 created the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument, Hawaiian and other Western Pacific fishermen have found themselves closed out of productive fishing grounds that account for more than half of the U.S. EEZ waters in the region.  

That changed last week.  

President Trump signed the “Unleashing American commercial fishing in the Pacific” proclamation on April 17, surrounded by Western Pacific dignitaries. 

“By doing this, we are giving you back your lives,” Trump said as he signed the document designed to restore...

NOAA Fisheries Reopens Scallop Fishing in Northern Gulf of Maine with Increased Quota

Effective April 21, NOAA Fisheries (NMFS) reopened scallop fishing in the Northern Gulf of Maine (NGOM) and increased the 2025 fishing quota, as indicated in the recently finalized Framework 39.

Framework 39 stands as a critical rule for the Atlantic Sea Scallop fishery, setting important boundaries such as fishery specifications and management measures for the current 2025 fishing season, which runs from April 1, 2025 – March 31, 2026. This season is expected to see projected landings of 18 million pounds...

Japan: Salmon and Trout Imports in February Fell by 25%, Reflecting a Decrease in Coho

According to trade statistics from the Ministry of Finance, Japan’s total salmon and trout imports in February (including salted, smoked, and prepared products) were 22,137 tons, down 25% from the same month last year, and the CIF import value was 30,039 million yen ($211.25 million), down 10%. The quantity of fillets (fresh, frozen, salted, and dried) was down 7% to 6,491 tons, and those other than fillets were down 31% to 15,645 tons.

Minato Shimbun reported that the main factor behind the decrease in...

Tariff Talks 2025: Expana's Weekly Rundown #5

Expana’s global team of specialist reporters has been tracking every twist and turn in the fluid tariff situation.

Click to read "Tariff Talks 2025: Expana's Weekly Rundown #5."

This report allows the Expana community to see where key commodity markets stand as of this past week... Click the above PDF report, or keep scrolling to read in plain text...

NOAA Fisheries and FWS Propose Rule Rescinding Endangered Species Act’s “Harm” Definition

On April 17, 2025, NOAA's National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) proposed a rule to rescind the regulatory definition of “harm” under the Endangered Species Act (ESA).

The law, which was established in 1973, currently prohibits the take of any fish or animal listed as an endangered species, with “take” defined as “to harass, harm, pursue, hunt, shoot, wound, kill, trap, capture, or collect or to attempt to engage in any such conduct.”

According to Justice Scalia’s 1995 position...

Kaldvik Issues New Shares After March Acquisition of Icelanding Fish Farming Operations

Icelandic salmon farmer Kaldvik AS (Kaldvik) recently announced the issuance of new shares related to its March 25 acquisition of two full salmon farming operations and one third of an additional salmon farming operation, all situated on Iceland’s east coast.

Per the determination made by its board on April 22, Kaldvik has resolved to increase its share capital to NOK 624,995.20 (USD $59,402.67) by issuing 6,249,952 new shares, with each share valued at NOK 27.60 (USD $2.62).

According to the company, its claim for capital contribution...

SimpliiGood's Microalgae-Based Smoked Salmon Product Enters Commercial Production Phase

In a press release published on April 22, food tech company SimpliiGood announced it is advancing to commercial production for its 100% plant-based smoked salmon analog.

The alternative protein, composed of spirulina microalgae, is funded with US$4 million and has fresh regulatory clearance from the European Union.

SimpliiGood, whose parent company is AlgaeCore, Ltd., specializes in sustainable, protein-based microalgae products, producing fish and meat analogs made from spirulina that is cultivated and produced by AlgaeCore. AlgaeCore’s product Simplii Texture is the base for SimpliiGood’s salmon analog...

Exclusive International Trade Centre Interview: Implications of Trump’s Tariff Regime

Julia Spies is the Chief of Trade and Market Intelligence for the International Trade Centre (ITC) in Switzerland. Spies and team analyze trade information and publish findings about market-specific trade intelligence on multiple online platforms, like Tradebriefs.intracen.org.

Recent shifts in the world of trade, including the latest round of United States tariffs and trade measures by other countries, has kept Spies and company busy, to say the least.

However, ITC members have watched trade measures, and in particular their impact on developing countries, long before these recent changes...

California Closes Crabbing in San Francisco Zone, Keeps Northern California Open

Returning whales to California waters is a sign that Dungeness crab season closures aren’t far behind.  

In prior action, California Department of Fish and Wildlife Director Charlton H. Bonham closed Fishing Zones 4-6, Pigeon Point to the U.S./Mexico border, on April 15, while the northern zones remained open.  

Now, though, the whales are moving north. Zone 3, in the Central Management Area from the Sonoma/Mendocino County line to Pigeon Point, is slated to close at 6 p.m. on May 1...

CDFW Fines Captain of Commercial Fishing Vessel for Polluting Ventura County Waters with Squid Ink

According to a recent news release from the Ventura County District Attorney’s Office, commercial fishing boat captain William Porter McHenry was ordered to pay fines for illegally dumping toxic waste into California waters.

McHenry is the owner and operator of McHenry Fisheries, Inc., including the company’s 67-foot commercial fishing vessel Sea Pearl, which was involved in the recent incident.

According to authorities, the Sea Pearl was seen heading out to sea on December 6, 2024, while releasing “stick water” waste into the ocean...

Tariff Talks 2025: Expana's Weekly Rundown #5

Expana’s global team of specialist reporters has been tracking every twist and turn in the fluid tariff situation.

Click to read "Tariff Talks 2025: Expana's Weekly Rundown #5."

This report allows the Expana community to see where key commodity markets stand as of this past week... Click the above PDF report, or keep scrolling to read in plain text...

ANALYSIS: The Quantifiable Impact of Tariffs; Evidence from the Seafood Market

With tariffs on Chinese tilapia now exceeding 200%, the seafood market faces unprecedented disruption that will fundamentally reshape pricing structures, consumption patterns, and global supply chains. Our empirical analysis quantifies these effects, showing the severity of market distortions that result from such extreme trade barriers...

Japan: Alternative Protein Market to Grow by 20% in 2030, Cultured Fish Meat Market Also in Sight

Market research company Fuji Keizai recently investigated the market size of sustainable foods and related equipment. According to its press release and reporting by Minato Shimbun, Fuji Keizai calculated the domestic market size for alternative protein foods—including cultured fish meat and microalgae—as 123.9 billion yen ($871.35 million) for 2024, predicting an increase of 18.9% by 2030, amounting to 147.3 billion yen ($1.035 billion).

Fuji Keizai also estimates that manufacturing equipment and systems, including land-based recirculating aquaculture systems (RAS)...