ANALYSIS: Shrimp, Crab Meat and Frozen Tuna Face Slow Sales, Backed Up Inventory

‘Tis the season to be jolly! But with slow sales and backed up inventory, not everyone may be feeling the holiday spirit.

The shrimp market has come under significant pressure in recent weeks amid the realization supplies are burgeoning. Imports in the last 10 years have grown by CAGR 5.29 percent, but in 2021 surged 19.8 percent. And January through April were 17 percent higher. While imports have since slowed, and year-to-date imports are even with the prior year, that’s still 20.5 percent more shrimp than January through September 2020...

Maine Delegation, Governor Mills Urge Retailers to Continue Selling Maine Lobster

Maine Senators Susan Collins and Angus King, along with Representatives Chellie Pingree and Jared Golden and Governor Janet Mills, are encouraging retailers to continue selling Maine lobster despite the fishery losing its Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certification. The group released a statement following news that Whole Foods would stop purchasing Gulf of Maine lobster.

“We are disappointed by Whole Foods’ decision and deeply frustrated that the Marine Stewardship Council’s suspension of the lobster industry’s certificate of sustainability continues to harm the livelihoods of hardworking men and women up...

SeafoodNews Closed on Thursday, November 24 and Friday, November 25

SeafoodNews will not be publishing on Thursday, November 24 and Friday, November 25. We will return to our normal publishing schedule on Monday, November 28.

In the meantime, catch up on our recent major news stories by checking our Featured Stories page. 

You can also watch all the latest SeafoodNews Weekly Videos here or listen to the latest SeafoodNews Podcast episodes here.

ANALYSIS: Key Shrimp Item Descends to All-Time Low Price

The market for 16-20 count, P&D, tail-on, white shrimp has fallen to a new all-time low. The bellwether item, used in a multitude of foodservice applications, fell to $5.00 per pound in Tuesday’s assessment.

There’s an array of factors contributing to the current, weak environment:

Imports have been growing at a rate of roughly 5.3 percent, per year, in the last ten years. In 2021, imports surged 19.8 percent, and January through April, they climbed another...

China Fisheries & Seafood Expo Postponed to 2023 Due to COVID Concerns

The 26th China Fisheries & Seafood Expo (CSFE) has officially been postponed until 2023.

CSFE was initially supposed to take place October 26 through October 28. However, in mid-September Peter Redmayne, the President of Sea Fare Expositions, the overseas organizer of China Fisheries & Seafood Expo (CFSE), announced that they would be postponing the event by two weeks due to COVID-19 restrictions in Qingdao. Earlier this month Redmayne confirmed that they would have to reschedule due to the ongoing restrictions and lockdowns to stop outbreaks...

OP-ED: NWAA To Public Lands Commissioner Franz: You Got It Wrong!

Just four days after she announced that she would not renew Cooke Aquaculture’s fish farming leases, Washington state Public Lands Commissioner Hilary Franz held a press conference where, flanked by her anti-aquaculture supporters from the Wild Fish Conservancy (WFC), she declared an end to the proud 40-year tradition of fish farming in Puget Sound.

In response, the Northwest Aquaculture Alliance, joined by six other leading seafood trade associations—the National Fisheries Institute, National Aquaculture Association, Global Seafood Alliance, Best Aquaculture Practices, California Aquaculture Association...

Singapore 7-Eleven Launches 7-Select Fish Burger, Shrimp Burger

Something fishy is going on at 7-Eleven Singapore locations. The convenience store chain is launching five brand-new 7-Select grab-and-go burgers … and two of them feature seafood!

“Variety is the spice of life so we’re adding not one but two all-new seafood options to our burger menu,” 7-Eleven Singapore teased. 

First up is the 7-Select Fish Burger, featuring a “delicious white fish patty in crispy breadcrumb with cheese, diced onions and mayonnaise in a soft bun...

Scott & Jon’s Employees, Owners Give Back At Maine Food Bank

It’s the season of giving, and that’s exactly what the owners and employees of Scott & Jon’s did last week by joining the Good Shepherd Food Bank of Maine in the fight against hunger.

This is the third year that Scott & Jon’s has partnered with the Good Shepherd Food Bank. The partnership includes them donating items and volunteering their time to come hand-sort fresh foods and packaged goods. This year the team at Scott & Jon’s created 4,582 complete meals for those affected by food insecurity...

Seafood Industry to the White House: Include Us in the Ocean Climate Action Plan

Climate and fisheries: Both need to be protected as the earth continues to change. The Responsible Offshore Development Alliance, joined by almost 50 people and organizations, sent that message to the White House last week.

Commercial fishing industry leaders and participants submitted recommendations to the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy to inform the development of a U.S. Ocean Climate Action Plan through RODA on Nov. 18. The letter outlined nine specific actions necessary to...

California Market Squid Fishery Begins MSC Assessment

The Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) Fisheries Standard assessment process has begun for the California market squid fishery.

Over a month ago, SeafoodNews covered how squid purse seiners and processors in the state were looking to land MSC certification.

Del Mar Seafoods, Silver Bay Seafoods and Lund’s Fisheries, supplied by Sun Coast Calimari, have engaged with independent certification body SCS Global Services to complete the assessment of the fishery against the MSC Standard.

The aforementioned coalition explained that the California market squid fishery is the largest commercial squid fishery by tonnage...

NOAA Preliminary Data For August Reveals 17.4 Million Pounds of Shrimp Landed in Gulf of Mexico

The Fishery Monitoring Branch of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has released preliminary shrimp landings data from the Gulf of Mexico for August 2022. While the data does not include shrimp landings in Georgia or South Carlina, the figures released reveal that at least 17.4 million pounds of shrimp were landed in the Gulf of Mexico. In addition, another 1.5 million pounds of shrimp were landed in the South Atlantic in August.

NOAA only began releasing landings data from the...

Russian Fishermen Call on State to Increase Support for Building of New Trawlers 

Russian leading fishermen have called on the state to significantly increase the volume of support which is required for the building of new trawlers, according to representatives of fishermen and local media reports.   

According to industry association VARPE, the current measures of state support for the construction of fishing fleets in Russia do not bring serious results. According to its estimates, the allocated funds are not enough to stimulate the construction of vessels in Russia, and local fishermen still prefer to buy used vessels abroad...

tru Shrimp Partners with Medical Manufacturer to Develop Hemostat Products

Medical hemostat manufacturer Chitogen and tru Shrimp, through its trū Chitosan division, have signed a Letter of Intent to supply trū Chitosan for use in the market expansion of Chitogen's patented and proprietary SoftSeal® interventional hemostat product line into the European Union.

"This is truly a great development for Chitogen," stated Albert Emola, President of Chitogen. "trū Chitosan is made in the US in an FDA facility to exact USP [United States Pharmacopeia] monograph specifications. Their extraordinary, documented chain of custody will enable Chitogen to market our SoftSeal...

Thai Union Conducts First At-Sea Assessment to Strengthen Improvements For Fisher’s Work, Welfare

Thai Union is releasing the results of their first at-sea assessment to strengthen improvements for fisher’s work and welfare.

While the seafood giant has had in-port audits for the fleet since 2018, it wasn’t until this past May that they commissioned their first consultant to spend weeks on board a carrier vessel to assess working conditions and welfare of the crew.

Thai Union hired an independent fisheries and aquatic resourcing company. The consultant opted to take a trip that was 34 days...

Cooke Announces Completion of Acquisition of Tassal Group Limited

Months after announcing their intent to acquire all outstanding shares of Tassal Group, Cooke Inc. announced on Monday that they have completed their acquisition of the Australia-based salmon and Black Tiger Prawn grower.

“We are thrilled to be joining the Tasmanian aquaculture industry and look forward to welcoming Tassal’s 1,700 employees to the Cooke family of companies,” said Glenn Cooke, CEO of Cooke Inc. “Over the last few months, myself and members of our global management team have had the opportunity to visit Tassal’s operations and have been...

OBI Seafoods Supports Pedro Bay Rivers Project Blocking Pebble Mine With $200K Donation

Last week Seattle-based OBI Seafoods announced their contribution of $200,000 to an initiative designed to block a road needed by the beleaguered Pebble Mine project in the Bristol Bay watershed. OBI operates ten processing plants in Alaska, including three in Bristol Bay, and has offices in Tokyo and Seattle. 

OBI’s contribution went to The Pedro Bay Rivers project, a partnership between the Pedro Bay Corporation, the Bristol Bay Native Corporation, the Bristol Bay Heritage Land Trust, and  ...

Photo Credit © Rafael de la Uz 

Cargill Appoints Brian Sikes as their 10th CEO in 157-Year History

Brian Sikes, Cargill’s Chief Operating Officer (COO), has been elected to serve as the company’s new President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO). Sikes’ appointment makes him Cargill’s 10th CEO in their 157-year history. He will be replacing Dave MacLennan, who will assume the role of Executive Chair of Cargill’s Board of Directors.

“As Cargill continues to navigate dynamic global markets, both operational excellence and a clearly articulated vision driven by purpose and values will define the company’s success, and there is no...

Primary West Coast Dungeness Crab Season Delayed Until At Least Dec. 15

Poor meat recovery in most areas for Dungeness crab has prompted Washington Oregon and California fisheries managers to agree to delay the season for now.

As SeafoodNews reported earlier this week, only the areas around Coos Bay and Newport tested above the threshold for meat fill.

Earlier today, coastal Dungeness crab Tri-State policy representatives from the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife agreed to delay ...

First Batch of 2023 Alaska Symphony of Seafood Winners Announced
CORRECTION 11/23/22: The kelp chimichurri used on Peter Pan Seafood's winning dish was developed completely in house. Below is the correct photograph of the dish. 

The winners of Alaska Symphony of Seafood  Seattle People's Choice, Retail, Foodservice and the Bristol Bay Choice Awards were announced last week at Pacific Marine Expo in Seattle on November 18, 2022.

Peter Pan Seafoods swept the Retail Category with their Wild Caught Alaska Salmon with Ribbon Kelp Chimichurri ...

Photo of Wild Caught Alaska Salmon with Ribbon Kelp Chimichurri courtesy Peter Pan Seafoods

Red Lobster Releases Holiday Collection of Gifts For the Cheddar Bay Biscuit Lover in Your Life

Red Lobster’s Cheddar Bay Biscuits are fan-favorites. And this year you can gift the Cheddar Bay Biscuit lover in your life with something from Red Lobster’s 2022 Holiday Collection. 

The seafood restaurant released their curated selection of apparel and accessories, and they are absolutely mouthwatering. From lobster and Cheddar Bay Biscuit ornaments an a a Red Lobster tote bag or beanie, there is something for everyone in Red Lobster’s Holiday Collection.

“We’re thrilled to bring back our holiday shop this year...

National Fisheries Institute President John Connelly Passes Away After Battle With Cancer

National Fisheries Institute (NFI) President John Connelly has passed away after a battle with a rare and aggressive form of cancer, cholangiocarcinoma. He was 61-years-old.

Connelly has served as the President of NFI since 2003. In January 2022 he announced that he intended to retire in 2023. However, in September he confirmed to NFI members that he had been diagnosed with cancer in late March. He said at the time that he started chemotherapy in early April and had been...

Whales are Sticking Around in California; Commercial Crab Season Remains Closed

Whales off the California have no idea they're impinging on the commercial Dungeness crab fishery, but that's just the way it goes.

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife surveys and information from commercial whale-watching trips showed a number of whales still present in the areas south of Point Arena, Calif. CDFW Director Charlton Bonham consequently delayed the season in Central and Southern California for a second time, he announced Monday.

"Aerial surveys undertaken by the Department on November 9, 2022, observed ...

Government Accountability Office Says USDA Needs to Provide More Seafood in School Lunches

A recent report from government watchdog the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) found that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) must develop a plan to boost its assistance in providing more seafood in school lunches.

The GAO found that the USDA purchased a “limited quantity of seafood compared to other animal proteins (beef, eggs, pork, and poultry) for the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) for fiscal years 2014 through 2019.”

Seafood purchases by the USDA represented just 1 and 2% of all animal proteins...

First Bidding for Salted Herring Roe in Osaka Up to JPY 10,000 Per Kilo for U.S., Canadian Products

The first bidding of the salted herring roe sales season for the New Year was held on November 18 at the Osaka City Central Wholesale Market. Uoichi and Daisui primary wholesalers put 764 kg (540 kg in the previous year) of salted herring roe on the auction. Minato Shimbun reported that the median price of successful bids for large-sized Canadian and American products in gift-grade packages was 9,000 to 9,500 yen/kg ($63.49-67.02/kg)...

Sysco Unveils 2022 Sustainability Report and Debuts DEI Report 

Distribution giant Sysco unveiled its latest Sustainability report alongside its first-ever Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Report.

“Sustainability is an integral part of our business strategy, called the Recipe For Growth, to ensure we are growing responsibly and purposefully,” says Neil Russell, Sysco’s Senior Vice President of Corporate Affairs and Chief Communications Officer. He continues, “We are proud of the actions we are taking today to build a more sustainable future for Sysco and for our industry.”

Sysco shared the following highlights in its sustainability report...

Thai Union’s SEALECT TUNA Celebrating 30 Years, Highlights Pathway to Future Growth

Thai Union’s SEALECT TUNA brand celebrated its 30^th year in operation and the top tuna brand in Thailand shared what has been behind its success and its plans for the future.

SEALECT explained that its campaign, “Healthy Living, Healthy Oceans” has guided the company as it works to increase canned tuna consumption domestically.

Saran Rattanarungruengchai, General Manager - Emerging Markets at Thai Union, said on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of SEALECT TUNA, “We give thanks to all customers and value your patronage, and appreciate your confidence in...

MSC Congratulates ICCAT On State-of-the-Art Conservation Measures to Safeguard Atlantic Bluefin Tuna

Yesterday the agreement to establish a management procedure for Atlantic bluefin tuna was ratified during the conclusion of the 23rd special meeting of the International Commission for Conservation of Atlantic Tuna (ICCAT). 

Based on the draft recommendation, the management objectives for Atlantic bluefin tuna include stock statuses, including that “both the western and eastern stocks should have a 60% or greater probability of occurring in the green quadrant of the Kobe plot (no overfishing occurring and not overfished).” Safety, yield, stability are also...

Cooke, Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe Release Statement on Decision to End Net Pen Aquaculture in WA

Early last week the Washington Department of Natural Resources (DNR) announced that they had decided not to renew leases for Cooke Aquaculture’s Puget Sound fish farms. By the end of the week it was revealed that "Washington's public aquatic lands will no longer be home to commercial finfish net pen aquaculture." The fish-farming company was given until December 14 to wrap up steelhead farming in their last pens and begin deconstructing the equipment.

The DNR said that the decision to cancel...

Pollock Catch Grows in Russia This Year

Pollock catch in Russia is steadily growing this year, according to latest data provided by the Russian Federal Agency of Fisheries (Rosrybolovstvo).  

The volume of catch in the Bering and Okhotsk seas, Russia’s major pollock-producing areas, increased by 12% in November of the current year, compared to November 2021. It reached 1.4 million tons. In the West Bering Sea zone in mid-November the volume of catch amounted to more than 452,000 tons - 32% more than last year. 

As the press service of the Federal Agency for Fishery...

Japan: F&P to Purchase all ASC-MSC Certified Wakame and Kelp Seaweed by 2024 From a Regional Group

Fish and Planet, Inc. (F&P), based in Tokyo, supports small-scale fisher's conversion to sustainable fishing and will purchase all wakame seaweed (Undaria pinnatifida) and kombu kelp (family Laminariaceae) from sources certified by the Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC) and the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) in 2024. It will purchase the seaweeds from the Youth Group of the Jusanhama Branch of Miyagi Prefecture Fisheries Cooperative Kitakami Town in Ishinomaki, Miyagi Prefecture, which has obtained the same certifications...