ANALYSIS: Pacific Halibut Market Update: Quota Cuts, Tight Supply, and Record Prices

The 2025 Pacific halibut fishery, which opened on March 20th, is off to a challenging start amid a mix of regulatory pressure and unfavorable early season weather. Disruptions to fishing efforts across key areas have led to a sharp decline in landings, with year-to-date totals through Week 18 (May 4th) down 28.55% from the same time last year and 25.63% below the five-year average. According to Alaska-based industry sources, the Southeast region is running ahead of schedule, while the Gulf of Alaska lags...

Legislation Paving the Way for Offshore Renewable Energy in Newfoundland and Labrador Takes Effect 

New legislation aimed at developing offshore renewable energy in Newfoundland and Labrador is now in effect. Bill C-49 includes several amendments to the Canada-Newfoundland and Labrador Atlantic Accord Implementation Act (Atlantic Accord Act), including a plan to modernize the land tenure regime for offshore wind development.  

"Newfoundland and Labrador has an abundance of energy, including lower-carbon oil, and significant potential for offshore wind development. Establishing joint management for offshore wind and modifying the land tenure system for offshore oil and...

USTR Extends China Section 301 Tariffs for Certain Seafood Products 

The US Trade Representative (USTR) has extended tariff exclusions on certain seafood products from China through the end of August.  

The exclusions were previously scheduled to expire on May 31 but have now been extended through August 31.  

Tariffs related to the Section 301 Investigation of China’s Acts, Policies, and Practices Related to Technology Transfer, Intellectual Property, and Innovation first began under the Trump Administration in 2018 and 2019 in an effort to stop the country’s unfair trade practices. A range of seafood items from China were hit with...

The Japanese Government Aims to Increase Oyster Exports to JPY 9.3 Billion by 2030 

The Japanese government held a meeting last week focused on expanding export targets for oysters and processed oysters. Minato Shimbun reported that the government aims to increase exports of oysters and processed oysters to 9.3 billion yen ($65.07 million) in 2030, which is 1.5 times the 2024 export result.  

The government aims to increase exports to Taiwan by 48% to 3.4 billion yen ($23.79 million), Hong Kong by 53% to 2.9 billion yen ($20.29 million), and Singapore by 43% to...

ICFA Launches Seafood Nutrition Toolkit  

The International Coalition of Fisheries Associations (ICFA) has launched a Seafood Nutritional Toolkit, which aims to educate people around the world about the benefits of seafood.  

ICFA worked with the Global Seafood Communicators (GSC) to make it happen -- focusing on 21 core topics, including cardiovascular health, mental health, cancer prevention, aging, and cognitive health.  

“The toolkit aims to bring the global seafood community together and use unified messaging to combat misinformation and promote seafood’s health benefits,” said GSC Chair Fiona MacMillan.  

At the start of 2025, Wendy Hunt of Murdoch University and...

ANALYSIS: Scottish Salmon Exports, Biological Performance and Price Movements

The Atlantic farm salmon market is showing a unique trend in 2025, as market participants report an abundant supply of fresh Atlantic salmon from Norway and Scotland. For example, the Norwegian Seafood Council reported that the export of fresh whole Atlantic salmon, head-on, increased by 51% year-on-year in April, with a month-on-month growth of 4.8%.

The Scottish Atlantic farm salmon industry has also experienced a production recovery in 2024, with a 59.4% increase in the export of fresh salmon, reaching a total of...

Japan: Uncertainty Over Frozen Scallop Exports to the U.S. Amid Trump Tariffs 

On May 27, Yasuhisa Kasai, a counselor at the Hokkaido Federation of Fisheries Cooperative Associations, gave a speech on scallop production trends at the National Scallop Major Auction Houses and Shippers Trading Conference. He emphasized that the future of frozen scallops, which have been exporting well to the United States, is "uncertain" as exporters are in a wait-and-see state due to the Trump tariff issue.  

The Hokkaido government's scallop landing plan for fiscal 2025 (April 2025-March 2026) is 336,498...

Two Univ. of Idaho Professors Earn Elite Researcher Status for Fishery & Global Health Contributions

The American Association for the Advancement of Science recently named two University of Idaho faculty members — Professor Emerita Christine Moffitt for fisheries and Professor Shirley Luckhart for global health work — to its 2024 class of fellows.  

The distinguished lifetime honor recognizes individuals whose efforts on behalf of the advancement of science or its applications are scientifically or socially distinguished. AAAS is more than 150 years old and is among the world’s largest general scientific societies, publishing the Science family of journals. 

“These two scientists represent...

Maruha Nichiro and UMAMI Bioworks Launch Project to Develop Cell-Cultivated Bluefin Tuna 

Japanese seafood company Maruha Nichiro Corporation (MNC) and Singapore-based Umami Bioworks have joined forces to develop cell-cultivated bluefin tuna.  

The latest venture advances their joint development agreement on cell cultivation technology — which has been in place since 2023. 

Cell-cultivated seafood is attracting attention as a way to supply next-generation fish protein. And Umami Bioworks is no stranger to these prototypes. Just last month, the Singapore-based company launched its cultivated seafood protein platform to tackle key challenges in...

ASMI Releases 2024 Annual Report Highlighting Global Impacts and Market Challenges 

The Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute (ASMI) has released its 2024 Annual Report, reflecting on partnerships, investments and challenges within the Alaska seafood industry. 

Throughout 2024, ASMI worked to promote Alaska seafood in 36,000 retail stores and 18,000 restaurants across the U.S. – but not without its challenges.  

A Difficult 2024 

According to the August 2024 NOAA Fisheries Alaska Seafood Snapshot Report, the Alaska seafood industry spent much of last year in recovery mode, after suffering a $1.8 billion economic loss from...

Tokyo Seafoods Purchases Increase by 40% in 2025 With a Focus on Spanish Set-net Tuna  

Food trading company Tokyo Seafoods will continue to promote wild bluefin tuna from Spain this year. Its buyer arrived in the country at the end of April and purchased approximately 500 tons — 40% more than 2024. While farmed Atlantic bluefin tuna is popular in the Mediterranean, Minato Shimbun reports that Tokyo Seafoods will market wild bluefins as a rare setnet-caught fish. And as sales destinations expand, purchases will be made from a total of three companies, with Crespo Family at the...

Navigating the Trump Tariff Turbulence: A Comprehensive Timeline

US President Donald Trump and his administration have paused reciprocal tariffs on most countries.

“Based on the lack of respect that China has shown... I am hereby raising the [tariff] charged to China by the [USA] to 125%, effective immediately,” wrote Trump on Truth Social at 1:18 pm ET. 

It’s not clear if this 125% is in addition to the 20% imposed on Chinese imports to the US. In early March, Trump noted that he would add another 10% tariff on Chinese goods...

No Second Opener on Copper River This Week, But Prince William Sound Opens for Seiners 

Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G) announced yesterday that the Copper River District will remain closed for the rest of this week to aid struggling Chinook salmon to move upriver to spawn.  

ADF&G has estimated that 21,000-31,000 Chinook must be allowed to reach the upper waters of the Copper for the population to remain sustainable.  

According to harvest data and in river abundance indicators, salmon managers say the return so far continues to be...

SSP and CNA Host 2025 SustainED Event in Ecuador, Focused on Efficient, Sustainable Shrimp Farming

The Sustainable Shrimp Partnership (SSP) and Ecuador's National Chamber of Aquaculture (CNA) recently hosted a new edition of the SustainED shrimp aquaculture program in Guayaquil, Ecuador.  

This edition of the program was focused on nutritional innovation and upholding aquaculture standards in order to strengthen efficiency and sustainability within the world’s largest shrimp-producing nation, Ecuador.  

This year’s program was titled “Nutritional Innovation: How to Maximize Feed Efficiency at Every Stage of Shrimp Farming,” and took place on May 22, 2025, at the Hilton Colón Hotel...

New Report Shows Upward Trajectory for European Union's Blue Economy

On May 22, 2025, the European Commission (EC) published its annual Blue Economy Report, detailing the current economic performance of the European Union’s (EU) blue economy sectors and providing estimates of the sectors’ future economic performance.

The EC defines “blue economy” as all economic activities based on or related to the ocean, seas and coasts, including economic sectors like fisheries and aquaculture, coastal tourism, shipping, ports, and marine renewable energy.

According to the recent report, the EU blue economy has been on an upward trajectory since the COVID-19 crisis...

ANALYSIS: EU-UK Q1 Shrimp Imports Rise 8.5% Y-O-Y, Rise 10% Since Q1 2023

In the first quarter of 2025, the EU-UK region imported 159,231 metric tons of shrimp, marking an increase of 8.5% compared to the same period in 2024 and 10.0% above Q1 2023. In value terms, imports reached €1,115.9 million, reflecting an 18.2% year-on-year rise. The composition of imports remains heavily weighted toward warm water shrimp, which accounted for the majority of the growth. Cold water shrimp imported from outside the EU-UK represented only 4% of the total value...

The Retail Rundown: Father’s Day Fires Up Demand for Premium Cuts

Meat sales over Memorial Day weekend appeared to underperform in some regions this year, as cool weather across the Midwest curbed outdoor grilling activity.

Retailers are now setting their sights on the next major grilling event, Father’s Day, paired with hopes for improved weather. Falling on June 15th this year, the event presents another opportunity to drive protein consumption. 

This week’s retail buying opportunities are led by seafood, which accounts for 28.2% of protein ads. Beef has 26.4%, trailed by pork at 23.2%, chicken at 18%, and turkey with...

ANALYSIS: Copper River Sockeye Opens with Typical Price Spike and Slower Start to Volume

The wild salmon season is officially underway with the opening of Copper River on Thursday, May 22. Initial sockeye landings were modest, with ADF&G reporting 27,368 fish on opening day. However, harvests accelerated by Memorial Day Monday, with an additional 52,728 sockeye landed, bringing the cumulative total to just over 80,000, as recently reported by Peggy Parker of SeafoodNews.

Over the holiday weekend, offers and sales for 4–6 lb. H&G sockeye were notably, yet typically, elevated, averaging approximately...

ANALYSIS: Market for Red Swimming Crab Meat Faces Uncertainty Amid Tariff Shifts and Supply Concerns

As of mid-2025, the U.S. market for red swimming crab meat remains in a state of flux. While recent tariff reductions on Chinese imports have offered a glimmer of relief, questions remain as to whether this will be enough to reverse a significant downward trend in imports. Buyers and suppliers alike are navigating a complex landscape shaped by trade policy, shifting price dynamics, and limited global sourcing options.

Tariff Rollback Brings Temporary Relief, But Questions Linger

The tariff on...

Japan Increases Fish and Seafood Imports from Russia 

Japan is increasing fish and seafood imports from Russia, despite Western sanctions. According to official data, the volume of supplies grew by about 10% in 2024 with a significant increase in exports of crab, and surimi and pollock fillets. 

Annual imports of Russian fish and seafood in Japan are between 120,000-140,000 tonnes. In value terms, these figures are equivalent to about $800-850 million, with the potential for further growth.  

Traditionally, the biggest demand in Japan is observed for Russian crab, snow crab, opilio and the iconic...

IFB Agro Plans to Acquire Cargill India’s Aqua Feed Business

India's IFB Agro Industries Ltd has said its board has approved a proposal to acquire the entire commercial shrimp and freshwater fish feed business of Cargill India.

The acquisition would include Cargill India’s manufacturing facilities in Vijayawada and Rajahmundry in Andhra Pradesh, along with feed formulations, assets, business contracts, liabilities, licenses, employees, and other associated resources, the company said in a regulatory filing.

The move is in line with IFB Agro’s strategy to grow its presence in the aqua feed segment, the company said.

Japan: FEED ONE to Invest in New Aqua Feed Mill

Japanese feed producer FEED ONE Co. Ltd. has unveiled plans to invest ¥13 billion (approximately $89.7 million) in a new aqua feed mill in Mito, Toyokawa, Aichi Prefecture. The facility, scheduled to begin construction in the latter half of 2025, is slated for completion by April 2028.

The new plant will take over aquaculture compound feed production currently handled by the Chita factory, which will subsequently focus solely on livestock feed.

"The environment surrounding aquaculture in Japan is expected to diversify...

Cousins Maine Lobster to Open Food Truck in Wisconsin  

Fast-casual lobster roll company Cousins Maine Lobster (CML) is bringing a new truck to Wisconsin this summer. Local entrepreneurs Chris Goeman and Kevin Smith are spearheading the effort — which is set to begin serving the Milwaukee market in June.  

The two got the idea for their latest venture after visiting the brand’s truck in Chicago.  

"When I saw the lines forming for Cousins Maine Lobster made up of customers from several neighborhoods away, we knew the demand was real," said Smith. "It's a clear sign that people are craving...

Russia: Fish Exports Could Exceed $6 Billion in 2025

According to Agroexport — the organization responsible for agricultural exports from Russia — fish exports in the country could exceed $6 billion in 2025, a $1.2 billion increase from last year.

Experts with the center predict the main supply destinations to be China, South Korea, the EU, Japan and Belarus. Agroexport also reported that in the first four months of 2025, Russia exported $1.9 billion in fish products — a 22% jump from the same period last year.

Frozen fish accounted for 47% of exports, totaling...

ANALYSIS: Overview of Ecuadorian Skipjack Tuna Landings, Exports, and Market Sentiment

Ecuador plays a vital role as a fishing nation in the Eastern Pacific Ocean (EPO), and as a key tuna canning processor, particularly for the European market.  This year, the Expana Benchmark Prices (EBP) for Ecuadorian skipjack tuna have shown a consistent upward trend, with prices rising from the beginning of the year to the latest assessment in April. The price of whole frozen Ecuadorian skipjack tuna reached $1,650 per metric ton (MT), reflecting an increase of 13.8% year-on-year (y-o-y). The Ecuadorian skipjack...

ANALYSIS: China’s April Imports of Homarus Americanus Fall by Over 45%, GACC Reports

According to customs data released last week by the General Administration of Customs of the People's Republic of China (GACC), imports of Homarus americanus (American lobster) into China declined by 45.2% year-over-year in volume for the month of April. A total of 766 metric tons of live and frozen lobsters were shipped to China during the month, representing a 44.4% decrease compared to March. In terms of value, imports totaled CNY 150.1 million (USD $20.8 million) in April, reflecting...

NEFMC’s Amendment 25 Nixed On Procedural Grounds, Cod Season Starts Using Old Rules 

On May 19, the New England Fisheries Management Council was told that their Amendment 25, which revises biological definitions for the Atlantic Cod stock and changes the stock united from two to four separate stocks, was disapproved by the Secretary of Commerce. 

The letter, written by NOAA Fisheries Regional Administrator Michael Pentony made a point that the problem was not the science, but the procedures taken by the Council. 

“While the biological stock unit definitions in Amendment 25 are based on the best scientific...

Fujisan Salmon Markets White Fujisan Salmon: White Meat Rainbow Trout Grown at the Foot of Mt. Fuji

Japanese newspaper Minato Shimbun recently highlighted the production and sale of "White Fujisan Salmon,” rainbow trout grown by aquaculture company Fujisan Salmon Co., Ltd. (Fujisan Salmon) at the foot of Mt. Fuji in Shizuoka Prefecture.

Unlike the image of salmon with red meat, this beautiful white meat is different from both regular salmon and white fish varieties, characterized by its moderate fat content. Utilizing the abundant spring water of Mt. Fuji, Fujisan Salmon strives for sustainability through farming practices aimed at coexisting with...

ANALYSIS: Q2 Trends in Norwegian Cod Landings and Price Dynamics

In the first quarter of 2025, the price of Norwegian cod has been significantly influenced by the potential tariff changes in the U.S. market, particularly for products that rely on the trade route from Norway to China before reaching the U.S.  

As tariffs on Chinese exports to the US are expected to rise, the demand for Norwegian cod has declined. In May, the price increased by 11.5 % year-on-year (see Figure 1), largely due to...

Andfjord Salmon’s Q1 Results Reflect Low Production and Zero Revenue Amid Kvalnes Build-Out

Norwegian salmon producer Andfjord Salmon Group AS recently released its financial results for Q1 2025, indicating stalled profits amid the company’s ongoing construction at its facility in Kvalnes, Norway.

The five-stage construction plan has been in progress since 2023, with Phase 1 reaching 90% completion as of November 27, 2024.

As a result, Andfjord Salmon did not produce any salmon in the first quarter of this year, resulting in zero revenue for the period, as was the case for the same period last year...