ANALYSIS: US Shrimp Wholesale Declines Reach Retail Slowly, and Only in Part 

Wholesale shrimp prices have declined since late November 2025, a period of roughly a full year. Retail prices have also moved lower, but by a smaller amount.

Part of the explanation is that pass-through from wholesale to retail has historically been slow, and it differs by direction. Expana ran the relationship monthly back to 2012 for frozen and fresh shrimp. It measured average moves over time rather than week to week, and split the results by whether wholesale was rising or falling...

Chile Truckers' Fuel Strike Hits Shipping Routes, Putting Salmon Logistics on Watch

Chilean truckers began a national strike Tuesday over diesel costs. Organizers say more than 4,000 trucks are stopped along routes from Arica in the north to Puerto Aysén in the south, according to ADN Radio's live coverage. Aysén is one of Chile's salmon-farming regions.

Truckers are blocking stretches of Route 5 North and South and Route 68. Blockades have been reported in the Tarapacá, Maule, Biobío, La Araucanía and Metropolitan regions. Interurban buses also cut Route 5 South at San Bernardo...

ANALYSIS: Live Lobster Prices Under Pressure Ahead of Holiday, Chinese New Year Demand Test

The live lobster market continues to move at a measured pace, with buyers limiting purchases to immediate needs and showing little interest in building positions. Improved Maine catches and expanding Canadian fall production have added supply at a time when both live and processor demand remain restrained, shifting leverage toward buyers and pressuring prices across the complex...

Cermaq Developing New US Processing Plant as Mitsubishi Cuts Salmon Earnings Outlook

Cermaq is developing a new value-added processing facility in the US, according to its parent Mitsubishi Corporation's first-half earnings presentation. The same slide says Cermaq is adding capacity and automation at its existing facility in Chile. Mitsubishi framed the processing push as a way to improve profitability and make the business more resilient to market swings. The slide gives no location, investment amount or timeline.

The plans come as Mitsubishi warned that salmon earnings will fall short of its initial expectations this fiscal...

Norway Orders Daily Fish Farm Mortality Reporting From January 2027

Norway will require fish farmers to report fish losses daily from the start of 2027, as the government seeks a clearer picture of when mortality events happen in its staple aquaculture industry. Mattilsynet, the Norwegian Food Safety Authority, announced the rules Nov. 9.

Mortality is currently reported as one figure for the whole month, which makes it hard to tell when fish died...

Norwegian Seafood Producer Lerøy Seafood Group's Q3 Operational EBIT Rises to NOK 459M

Lerøy Seafood Group's operational EBIT rose to NOK 459 million in the fiscal third-quarter, which ended on September 30, from NOK 15 million a year earlier, the company said.

Lower costs and good biological development in Farming, plus a strong Market Operations quarter, drove the gain, the firm added. The Norwegian company farms salmon and trout, catches wild fish, and processes and sells seafood.

“We continue to see good biological development, and all three of our Norwegian farming regions delivered improved...

Russia Targets Bigger White Roe Output, Exports as Red Caviar Supply Drops

Russia hopes to significantly increase production, and possibly exports, of roe from white fish species in the coming years, as demand grows in both domestic and foreign markets.

Red caviar production has fallen sharply this year because of a much smaller salmon catch, according to the draft. Official statistics put output at about 4,000 metric tons, down from 12,000 metric tons in 2025. Prices have jumped, and local buyers are weighing roe from white fish as an alternative. Production of roe from pollock, capelin and herring is rising...

NAA: America First Seafood Strategy Leaves Aquaculture on the Sidelines 

The National Aquaculture Association (NAA) says the America First Seafood Strategy (AFSS) gives commercial fishing "overwhelming emphasis" and treats aquaculture as a "secondary, complementary role." The group is asking the USDA Office of Seafood to set tangible growth goals for farmed seafood.

NAA sent the letter Nov. 6 to Office of Seafood Director Michael Illenberg. It followed an Oct. 20 meeting between the two sides and the AFSS release on Oct. 23. NAA also issued a public statement the same day...

ANALYSIS: YTD Canadian Lobster Export Value Remains Stable Amid Shift to Frozen

Canadian lobster exports had a positive month of September, with both live and frozen Homarus americanus shipments performing well. According to Statistics Canada, exports reached 5,428 MT, worth CAD 224.8 million. That is up 5.3% in value from August and 11.5% from September 2025. The annual gain came mainly from frozen products, whose value rose 17.7% year on year, against 1.1% for live...

Alaska Seafood Harvesting Jobs Rise 4% in 2025, Ending Five Years of Losses

Alaska's seafood harvesting workforce grew 4% in 2025, according to the state Department of Labor and Workforce Development. It is the first annual increase after five straight years of job losses. The gain averaged 216 jobs per month and was the largest in more than a decade.

The recovery is modest. The industry has lost about 2,300 jobs since 2019, and July employment, the annual peak, was about 17,400 in 2025, well below the roughly 24,000 of the mid-2010s...

AKVA Clears 90% Acceptance Threshold in Yanmar Takeover

Shareholders have tendered about 92% of AKVA group ASA's shares to Yanmar's offer, clearing the minimum acceptance condition. Completion still depends on regulatory approvals, and the offer period closes on 20 November.

Oslo-listed AKVA group said on Monday that its offeror, Pontos Bidco AS, has received acceptances for 33,584,769 shares, or about 92.06% of issued share capital and voting rights, subject to customary verification. The offer is NOK 161 per share, valuing the deal at NOK 5.9 billion ($611 million). Pontos Bidco is indirectly owned...

The QRILL Company Antarctic Krill Fishery Set for MSC Recertification

The QRILL Company’s Antarctic krill fishery is set to be recertified under the Marine Stewardship Council’s Fisheries Standard following an independent reassessment that included objections from environmental organizations.

The reassessment was carried out by independent conformity assessment body LRQA, which evaluated whether the fishery is sustainably managing krill stocks, minimizing impacts on the broader marine ecosystem and operating under effective management systems.

Two NGOs, the Antarctic and Southern Ocean Coalition (ASOC) and WWF-UK, lodged objections to LRQA’s initial recommendation for certification. After investigating the objections...

Rep. Nancy Mace Introduces Bill Targeting Microplastics in Water and Seafood

Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., has introduced the Plastics Understanding and Removal through Government Evaluation, or PURGE, Act, legislation aimed at addressing micro- and nanoplastics in the environment, including rivers, oceans and seafood.

The bill would direct the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to study and test strategies for removing microplastics from the environment and water supplies, while also exploring ways to prevent plastics from breaking down into persistent micro- and nanoplastic particles.

The legislation focuses on two main approaches. In the first, it looks to  filter, capture and remove...

Oregon Congressional Delegation Celebrates USDA $12M Purchase of Whiting

Last week Oregon’s U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley led Oregon Congressional Delegation members—including Senator Ron Wyden and U.S. Representatives Suzanne Bonamici, Val Hoyle, Andrea Salinas, Maxine Dexter, and Janelle Bynum—to announce that after pressure from the delegation, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will purchase Pacific whiting fillets and hazelnuts under the agency’s Section 32 program.

The purchases total $12 million for Pacific whiting fillets and $22 million for Oregon hazelnuts...

USTR Extends Section 301 Exclusions for 10 Seafood Tariff Lines, Keeps Chinese Vessel Fees on Hold

The Office of the US Trade Representative (USTR) has pushed back two China-related Section 301 deadlines by two months. The extensions keep a set of seafood tariff exclusions in place and extend the suspension of fees on Chinese-built and Chinese-operated vessels.

In one Federal Register notice, USTR extended all 178 existing product exclusions from the Section 301 tariffs on Chinese imports. Ten of them cover seafood tariff lines. The exclusions had been set to expire today...

Alaska Salmon Harvest Halves in 2026, but Ex-Vessel Value Rises 20%

The Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G) has released preliminary figures for the 2026 statewide salmon season. The commercial harvest was 99 million salmon, down from 195 million in 2025, while the estimated ex-vessel value rose 20% to $648 million from $541 million.

The value gain came from higher prices. ADF&G says the 2026 statewide average ex-vessel price per pound for all salmon species improved considerably on 2025, offsetting the lower harvest volume...

USDA Seeks Wild Salmon Fillets and Shrimp for Federal Food Programs

The US Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Marketing Service has issued a combined solicitation for wild frozen salmon fillets and peeled and deveined shrimp for federal food and nutrition programs. Solicitation 12-3J14-27-B-0091 was posted November 4, and bids are due November 17 at 1:00 p.m. Central Time. Awards will be announced by 5:00 p.m. Central Time on November 30...

Scotland's New £7.5 million Salmon Farm Opens in Shetland

A new £7.5 million salmon farm in Shetland has officially opened, adding eight full-time jobs and expanding the company’s farming infrastructure with larger pens and new feeding technology designed to support fish health and welfare.

The Billy Baa marine farm, located west of South Whiteness and Weisdale Voe, is Scotland’s largest salmon farm. Stocked in September, the site is part of the company’s strategy to develop larger farms in deeper waters with stronger currents.

The farm features nine 160-meter-circumference...

Iceland Seafood International Lowers 2026 Earnings Forecast on Argentina Trawler Problems

Iceland Seafood International (ISI) cut its 2026 earnings forecast, citing weaker-than-expected performance in its Argentina operations. The company announced the revision Nov. 10.

ISI now expects normalized profit before tax of €8.5 million to €10.5 million (about $9.8 million to $12.1 million). That is comparable to 2025 but below its earlier outlook of €11.5 million to €13.5 million...

Seattle to Host Fifth Annual Bristol Bay Salmon Week Nov. 14–21

Seattle will host its fifth annual Bristol Bay Salmon Week from Nov. 14–21, an event organized by the Bristol Bay Regional Seafood Development Association (BBRSDA) to spotlight Alaska’s wild sockeye salmon and strengthen ties between Bristol Bay harvesters and the Seattle market.

BBRSDA, a fishermen-funded organization, works to increase the value of the Bristol Bay fishery through education, quality outreach and marketing. This year’s promotion will feature wild-caught, sustainably harvested Bristol Bay sockeye on limited-time menus at nearly 40 restaurants across the...

ADF&G Forecasts 'Strong' 49.3 Million Sockeye Run for Bristol Bay in 2027

The Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G) is forecasting a strong 2027 Bristol Bay sockeye run of 49.31 million fish. That would allow a potential harvestable surplus of 35.26 million fish. The department released the forecast Nov. 6.

The forecast comes with an 80% prediction interval of 35.47 million to 63.14 million fish. The 49.31 million point estimate is 3% below the most recent 20-year average of 50.96 million fish and 31% above the long-term average of 37.56 million (1963–2026)...

Judges Appear Divided as Chilean Sea Bass Importer Fights US Treaty Reading

A federal appeals panel on Friday heard a challenge to the US ban on Chilean sea bass from South Georgia. The ban stems from a four-year-old standoff over who sets the rules for one of the highest-priced fish in US supermarkets.

Texas-based importer Southern Cross Seafoods is asking the 11th Circuit to overturn the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) decision that blocked its shipments. The fish is Patagonian toothfish, sold in the US as Chilean sea bass. Southern Cross...

USDA Solicits 117,040 Cases of Canned Pink Salmon for Delivery Through June

The US Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) has issued a solicitation for canned pink salmon for federal food and nutrition assistance programs. It is separate from the wild frozen salmon fillet and shrimp request Expana reported Monday.

Solicitation 12-3J14-27-B-0090 seeks 117,040 cases of pink salmon packed 24 cans to a case, with 14.75 ounces per can. That works out to roughly 2.6 million pounds. About 103,360 cases are standard pink salmon, and 13,680 cases are kosher...

Brim Buys Bankrupt Arctic Char Farmer Matorka, Targets 1,000 MT in 2027

Icelandic seafood group Brim hf acquired all the assets of Matorka, a land-based Arctic char farmer that declared bankruptcy this month. Brim bought the business through a newly established subsidiary, and Brim did not disclose financial details in its statement.

Brim said it wants to build on Matorka's existing knowledge and operations, focusing on cost-effective production, product quality, and sustainable growth. It estimates 2027 production at more than 1,000 metric tons of whole char...

Animal Welfare Group Petitions Maine to Write Rules for Farmed Salmon, Targeting Cooke

Animal Outlook, a Washington-based animal welfare nonprofit, has petitioned the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry to adopt rules on the welfare of farmed salmon. The Maine Monitor reported the petition.

Animal Outlook filed under the Maine Administrative Procedure Act. State law requires the department to begin rulemaking within 60 days of a petition signed by at least 150 registered Maine voters. A department spokesperson said it received the petition Sept. 29 and expects to start the process this month. Rulemaking would include a public...

US Import Volumes Expected to Ease after Extended Peak Season, NRF says

Import volumes at the nation’s major ports are expected to taper off through the rest of the year following an extended peak shipping season that has kept terminals busy, according to the latest Global Port Tracker report.

Global Port Tracker, produced for NRF by Hackett Associates, provides historical data and forecasts for major US ports including Los Angeles/Long Beach, Oakland, Seattle and Tacoma on the West Coast; New York/New Jersey, Virginia, Charleston, Savannah, Port Everglades, Miami and...

Eastern Hokkaido Sardine Purse-Seine Fishery Ends Season With Zero Landings

It has been confirmed that the Japanese sardine fishery conducted by the purse seine fleets off the eastern coast of Hokkaido has yielded zero catch for the current season. According to the Hokkaido Purse Seine Fisheries Association, "As of October 30, no fishing fleets are operating in the area, and there is no possibility of any landings on October 31." Reports from the Minato Shimbun indicate that this is the first time since 2001—a span of 25 years—that the season has concluded with a total catch...

ANALYSIS: Atlantic Halibut Finds Seasonal Support, but Still Trails Recent Benchmarks

Atlantic halibut remains a volatile market, but it is still showing some familiar seasonal patterns. Prices are moving into the typical late-year upswing, a period when reduced fishing activity and a modest holiday demand lift often combine to support the market.

Even with that seasonal firming, the current market sits below both year-ago levels and the three-year average for this point in the calendar. That suggests the market is following a recognizable seasonal path, but from a lower base than in recent years. In other words, the direction is familiar even if the price level is...

BioMar Ecuador Inaugurates Shrimp Feed Production Expansion

BioMar Ecuador announced on November 9 that it has inaugurated the first phase of its production expansion project for shrimp feed.

BioMar Ecuador plans to increase production capacity from 300,000 to 410,000 tons during 2026 through operational improvements and a new production line, supplemented by external capacity arrangements, the company said.

"Ecuador is one of the most important shrimp markets globally, and we see strong potential for continued growth," said Henrik Aarestrup, VP LATAM Shrimp & Hatchery at BioMar.

BioMar Ecuador Managing Director Andres Rivadulla noted that the inauguration

Sri Lankan Blue Swimming Crab Fishery Earns MSC Certification After Decade of Work

The North-Western Sri Lanka blue swimming crab fishery has achieved Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certification, making it the first fishery in the country to meet the MSC Fisheries Standard for environmental sustainability. The milestone follows more than a decade of work by fishing communities, exporters, government and other stakeholders to protect the country's blue swimming crab stocks.

The certification covers two units of assessment off the north-western coast: Palk Bay and the Gulf of Mannar. Small-scale fishers use bottom-set gillnets from traditional boats...