Indonesia’s New Export Policy Poses Challenges for Seafood Industry 

Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto has enacted a new policy requiring exporters to retain their earnings for a full year in a special account at a national bank. 

Previously, Indonesia mandated that all resource exporters—including those in fisheries, mining, plantations, and forestry—keep at least 30% of export proceeds in the local financial system for a minimum of 90 days, provided the transaction exceeded $250,000. The latest policy significantly extends this holding period, potentially reshaping exporters' financial liquidity. 

This shift could create substantial challenges for Indonesia’s seafood industry...

Senate Confirms Lutnick as Commerce Secretary

Howard Lutnick was confirmed as commerce secretary by the Senate on February 18. He will now oversee over 50,000 employees, including those at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

Lutnick is the CEO of financial services giant Cantor Fitzgerald and has worked as the co-chair of Trump’s transition team.

When he was first nominated, Trump said Lutnick would “lead our Tariff and Trade agenda, with additional direct responsibility for the Office of the United States Trade Representative.”

At the time, Lutnick’s stance on fisheries was largely unknown. While questions remain...

Maine Department of Marine Resources Commissioner Patrick Keliher to Retire

Maine Governor Janet Mills announced that Patrick Keliher, the long-time Commissioner of the Maine Department of Marine Resources (DMR), will retire on March 14.

Keliher was the longest-serving commissioner in DMR’s history. Mills reappointed him in 2019, but he had been in the role since 2012.

“Over his tenure, Keliher has earned a reputation as a strong and influential voice for the protection of Maine's marine resources and environment, and a powerful advocate for the Maine industries, communities, and people that depend on them...

The Retail Rundown: Cold Weather Influences Demand

As February winds down, grocers are looking ahead to the arrival of spring and warmer weather, which typically sparks renewed retail demand after a slower start to the year.

For now, wintry weather remains in full blast, with record-breaking cold temperatures and heavy snow impacting the Central and Eastern US this week. These conditions could support continued retail demand for items like eggs, which are seeing strong consumer interest despite rising shelf prices. However, the extreme cold may not be as favorable for meat consumption, especially in southern regions accustomed to year...

SeaPak Debuts New Cajun-Style Shrimp Product

Frozen seafood brand SeaPak debuted a new cajun style shrimp product that became available this month at retailers including Meijer, Food Lion, Hannaford, Schuncks and Giant Eagle. 

The new SeaPak Classic Cajun Style Shrimp features a New Orleans spice blend, including salt, black pepper, cayenne pepper, and garlic. Butter is also featured to melt the seasonings into a sauce that can be paired with rice, grits, or French bread.

"Our taste tests have shown that people love how fresh and well-seasoned SeaPak Classic Cajun Style Shrimp is...

FDA Expands Oyster Advisory for Louisiana Area 3

On February 18, 2025, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) expanded its oyster advisory to restaurants and retailers in six new states: Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Vermont, and Virginia.

The affected oysters, which were recalled by the Louisiana Department of Health (LDH) on February 4, were harvested from Louisiana Area 3 between January 10, 2025, and February 4, 2025, and have since been associated with norovirus contamination.

This comes after the FDA’s February 12 advisory, in which it determined that the recalled oysters were sent to the following states...

Russia's Shortage of Dockage Facilities May Lead to Decline of Fish Catch

The Russian fishing industry is facing an acute shortage of dockage facilities these days – a problem that may lead to the decline of fish catch in some of the country’s major basins already in the middle term.

The most complex situation is primarily observed in the Far East, where many Russian fishing vessels are registered. The region urgently needs new docks, especially for the large-tonnage fishing fleet.

According to Russian analysts and fishermen, the industry needs at least 9-10 new...

Science Center for Marine Fisheries Announces $277,857 in Research Funding for 2025

The Science Center for Marine Fisheries is continuing its mission funding critical shellfish and finfish research, approving $277,857 in funding for 2025. The five new projects funded by the Center will address research priorities that have been identified by members of the fishing industry, broadening our understanding of commercially important species and improving the efficiency and effectiveness of vital regional fisheries.

A project of the National Science Foundation’s Industry-University Cooperative Research Centers program, SCEMFIS brings together leading researchers in the marine science community with participants...

Sustainable Fisheries Partnership, Hilborn Lab Launch Latest FIP Database Update

The Sustainable Fisheries Partnership (SFP) and the Hilborn Lab at the University of Washington have launched the latest update of their Fishery Improvement Projects Database (FIP-DB). The database tracks the scope, attributes, and progress of FIPs worldwide and the fisheries they aim to improve.

The FIB-DB compiles and standardizes data from publicly available platforms, including SFP’s own Improvement Projects Tracker and FisheryProgress.org. The new update covers over 340 FIPs that have existed since then, monitoring over 400 fish stocks across 1,000 fisheries globally...

Over 21 Million Pounds of Alaska Pollock Among USDA’s Latest Seafood Purchase Requests

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is seeking bids on various seafood products, including catfish, shrimp, and Alaskan pollock, through Section 32.

The USDA stated that the products, announced in three separate solicitations, will be used in domestic food distribution programs. Bids are due by February 27, and acceptances will be announced on March 6. The largest purchase is focused on Alaskan pollock, with the USDA looking for bids on over 21 million pounds of product. The offerings range from frozen pollock fillets...

ANALYSIS: Fresh Atlantic Halibut Market Rises with Seasonal Demand and Trade Uncertainty

The fresh Atlantic halibut market remains highly volatile, though it follows seasonal patterns and pricing thresholds that are frequently observed. In 2024, recorded price fluctuations for fresh whole halibut showed a $9.25 range between the highest and lowest points of the season.

This market behavior is largely driven by the fishing practices of harvesters, who target multiple species and adjust their efforts based on price dynamics. When wholesale prices drop too low to justify fuel, labor, and operational costs, fishing effort typically declines...

Russia Plans to Accelerate 2025 Fish Catch in the African Region

This year, Russia aims to accelerate its fish catch in the African region by expanding its fleet of fish trawlers in the territorial waters of several African states.

As part of these plans, Ilya Shestakov, the head of the Russian Federal Agency for Fisheries (Rosrybolovstvo) has recently conducted a series of talks with representatives of fish authorities from certain African states, particularly those located within the Atlantic basin, including Mauritania, Morrocco, the Ivory Coast, among others.

In addition to fishing itself, particular attention will be paid to accelerating Russian...

SalMar Reports Satisfactory Q4 Results, Shares Acquisition Plans

It was a challenging year for SalMar, one of the largest farmed salmon producers in the world, with farming operations in Central Norway, Northern Norway and Iceland. Last year they were hit with string jellyfish during harvest along with weather delays.

"Throughout the quarter, we have seen good biological development in the sea,

especially in Northern Norway,” said Frode Arntsen, CEO of SalMar ASA. “Together with the solid structure we have in SalMar, and thanks to our employees who have handled a challenging year in an impressive way, we delivered...

Kibun Foods Enters the Fish Sausage Market; First Joint Development with Maruha Nichiro

Kibun Foods, the largest manufacturer of surimi seafood, will release "SURIMIBAR Fish Sausage with Red Sea Bream," jointly developed for the first time with Maruha Nichiro, on February 14. Kibun has a capital and business alliance. The company intends to enter the fish sausage market as a new Kibun Foods brand and to increase its product lineup, reported Minato Shimbun.

The two companies entered a capital and business alliance in March last year. The alliance aims to combine each company's knowledge and expertise to adjust its specialized...

US Foods Reports Strong Fourth-Quarter and Fiscal Year 2024 Results

US Foods has announced its fourth-quarter and fiscal year results, showcasing strong growth and solid profit performance.

Fourth Quarter Highlights

US Foods achieved a 3.5% increase in total case volume in Q4. Net sales rose by 6.2%, reaching $9.5 billion. The company also saw a noteable rise in net income, which climbed to $66 million. Gross profit for the quarter increased by 4.8%, totaling $1.7 billion.

Fiscal Year 2024 Overview

For the full fiscal year 2024, the company reported a 4.2%...

Mowi to Appeal Fine for Salmon Escape to Chile’s Supreme Court

Mowi will appeal to Chile’s Supreme Court after an environmental court confirmed sanctions imposed by Chile’s Environmental Superintendency (SMA) linked to a 2018 escapement.

On February 10, a ruling from the Third Environmental Court confirmed the 5.3 billion Chilean pesos (US $5.1 million) fine levied on Mowi Chile linked to a major salmon escapement at its CES Punta Redonda fattening center in the Los Lagos region.

“The court's response comes within the framework of the claim of illegality...

North Council Sets Options for Reducing Chum Salmon Bycatch in the Bering Sea

Interstate Warehousing Announces Expansion of Arizona Cold Storage Facility

Public refrigerated warehouse company Interstate Warehousing just announced expansion plans for its Kingman, Arizona cold storage facility.

The facility, which opened a little over one year ago, has fulfilled approximately 100,000 orders since its grand opening.

Interstate Warehousing (IH), a Tippmann Group company, initiated the expansion to meet additional customer needs for cold storage and distribution space.

The 92-acre Kingman site contains enough land to reach 1.2 million square footage in its aimed expansion. Expansion will result in a facility spanning 467,000 square feet and housing more than 54,000 pallet...

Alaska Salmon Fishery Meets MSC Requirements Following Hatchery Audit

On Friday, February 14, 2025, the Alaska salmon fishery met the full extent of Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) Standard requirements related to hatcheries.

This comes after a recent audit was performed by independent assessment body MRAG Americas, which determined that the fishery was in compliance with MSC requirements. Per the audit, wild salmon populations continue to thrive while also maintaining the genetic integrity needed for future fishery success.

Audits such as this are performed annually, and MSC recertifications are achieved every five years to meet MSC standards...

Okamura Foods to Triple Trout Farming by 2030 with JPY 19 Billion Investment

According to the Minato Shimbun report, Okamura Foods of Aomori City, Aomori Prefecture, has announced a plan to invest 19 billion yen ($12.52 million) in capital investments, mainly aquaculture, over the next six years, from this fiscal year to the fiscal year ending June 2030, when the company will have increased domestic trout farming production by 3.4 times the current fiscal year’s forecast, amounting to a total of 12,000 tons. This is according to the company’s medium-term management goals, which Okamura Foods announced on February...

New England Council Seeks Input on Scallop Strategic Plan Via Visioning Sessions

New England fishermen, processors, and other stakeholders in the iconic sea scallop fishery will get a rare opportunity to weigh in on how to best manage the fishery, beginning next Friday, February 27, 2025.

The year-long process, intended to result in approval of a final Strategic Plan in December 2025, was announced [https://d23h0vhsm26o6d.cloudfront.net/NEFMC-Seeks-Input-at-Scallop-Strategic-Plan-Visioning-Sessions_2025-02-18-220924_oxqw.pdf] yesterday.

The Atlantic sea scallop fishery is one of the most data-rich fisheries in the nation. In 2019, commercial landings of Atlantic sea scallops totaled more than 60.6 million pounds of sea scallop...

ANALYSIS: Diving into Tuna Landings, Price Trends in the Eastern Pacific Ocean for 2024-2025

The Eastern Pacific Ocean (EPO) total catches for tuna (Katsuwonus pelamis) in 2024 displayed a significant increase, accounting for a growth of 60.5% year on year (y-o-y). In contrast, the catches for yellowfin tuna (Thunnus albacares) declined by 0.3% y-o-y in the EPO.

In 2024, the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission (IATTC) estimated that the total landings of skipjack tuna were 623,650 metric tons (mt). Ecuador had the highest share of this species at 56%, followed by Panama with 16%...

Mowi Purchases Uninhabited Scottish Island to Establish New Salmon Farm and Kickstart Local Tourism

Salmon aquaculture giant Mowi recently announced the purchase of Sanda Island, which will be the base for its newest Scottish salmon farming operation.

Sanda Island is an uninhabited island located in Argyll and Bute, Scotland, off the southern tip of the Kintyre peninsula.

In addition to establishing a salmon farm of the island’s eastern coast, Mowi also intends to develop the island as a potential tourist destination.

The multimillion pound investment will create 14 new fishery jobs, utilizing seven people for two daily shifts, including apprenticeships...

ANALYSIS: Norway Brings Stability to the Cold-water Shrimp Market

The issue most mentioned among cold-water shrimp exporters last year was the level of catches, not always as high as expected compared with the demand. As the Pandalus Borealis shrimp is a wild species, external factors like warming water temperature and predation can damage the biomass and increase mortality. Historically, Greenland and Canada have been the main providers of raw material for cooked cold-water shrimp, however 2024 saw the arrival of Norway as a main player; they boosted supplies from the Norwegian Sea...

Nordic Aqua Resumes Sale of Atlantic Salmon at Facility in Ningbo, China

On February 13, 2025, salmon aquaculture company Nordic Aqua announced the resumption of Atlantic Salmon sales at its facility in Ningbo, China.

This marks a big step in the land-based salmon farmer’s Chinese market presence, as Nordic Aqua is once again capable of producing Atlantic salmon for China. With a population of more than 1.4 billion people, China remains a significant salmon customer with a robust growth potential, according to Nordic Aqua.

Nordic Aqua went on to explain that its Ningbo facility is situated within five hours...

Thai Union Reports $4.1 Billion in 2024 Sales, Net Profit Up 7.2%

Thai Union Group PCL released its 2024 financial report yesterday, showing full-year 2024 sales of ฿138.4 billion (US$4.11 billion) with solid organic growth across the core Ambient, PetCare, and Value-added categories. Net profit increased 7.2% year-on-year to ฿5.0 billion (nearly US$149 million), with earnings per share of ฿1.08, growing by 10.4%.  

EBITDA rose by 8.6% year over year to ฿13.4 billion, the second highest on record, reflecting the improvement in operations... 

Cousins Maine Lobster Opens New Location in Springfield-Peoria, IL

On February 11, 2025, Cousins Maine Lobster (CML) announced its expansion into Central Illinois with the grand opening of its first Springfield-Peoria food truck.

The food truck brand, which was made famous as a Shark Tank investment, will be serving up Maine food staples, including wild-caught lobster rolls, New England clam chowder, lobster tacos, lobster grilled cheese, loaded lobster tots, and more.

Yunus and Thameem Shahul—CML franchisees and brothers who opened their first truck in Chicago in February 2024—will operate six trucks in Illinois, including the expansion into Central...

Trump Signs Memo to Advance Reciprocal Tariffs, Aims to Balance Trade

President Trump signed a memorandum that could lead to the implementation of reciprocal tariffs on the trading partners of the United States.

“The ‘Fair and Reciprocal Plan’ will seek to correct longstanding imbalances in international trade and ensure fairness across the board,” per a fact sheet from the White House. “Gone are the days of America being taken advantage of: this plan will put the American worker first, improve our competitiveness in every area of industry, reduce our trade deficit, and bolster our economic and national security...

Japan: Import Prices Rise for Frozen US and Russian Cod, Raising Concerns about Reduced Imports

As of January 31, the sale price of dressed cod from Alaska, 9/10 fish per 18/19 kg frozen block, was around 1,000 yen/kg ($6.51/kg), nearly double what it was four years ago.

“Demand from Europe and the US is tight due to a trend of poor catches worldwide. It is expected to reach around 1,070 yen/kg ($6.97/kg) in February,” said a trading company source. 

Prices for Russian cod have also risen, and there is a possibility that...

Ecuadorian Shrimp Companies Unite Under “Ecuador First Class Shrimp” Brand to Expand Global Reach

Ecuadorian shrimp companies have adopted the “Ecuador First Class Shrimp” brand as they look to promote the 60-year industry at trade shows and beyond.

The new brand, created with the help of Ecuador’s National Chamber of Aquaculture (CNA), aims to tell the industry's story. It focuses on characteristics like sustainability, quality, and innovation.

The Ecuador First Class Shrimp brand will be on display at the upcoming Seafood Expo North America show and was on display at some trade shows...