Canada Pulls Seafood From Counter-Tariff List After Industry Pushback

Canada's Department of Finance has reversed course on one of the more contentious elements of its retaliatory tariff package, removing fish and seafood products from its list of US goods facing counter-tariffs, less than 24 hours after the measures were announced.

The department said it made the adjustment based on feedback from Canadian industries, citing a commitment to continually assess the effectiveness of its counter-tariff measures, with a primary focus on sectors that have themselves been targeted by US tariffs. Seafood, notably, has not been...

Pink Salmon Surge in Sitka and Kodiak Lifts Alaska Season Totals

A late-season surge of pink salmon into Sitka and strong returns in Kodiak have brightened Alaska's salmon harvest picture heading into the final stretch of the season.

The Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute's (ASMI) weekly harvest summary through August 22 showed the cumulative salmon catch had exceeded year-to-date 2025 levels — and 2024 levels for pink salmon — though totals remained well behind both the forecast and the prior-year cumulative harvest as the season began to wind down. That picture improved further after the report was distributed...

Chile Presses for Salmon Tariff Removal as Two-Day US Trade Talks End

High-level trade talks between Chile and the United States concluded in Santiago this week without a final agreement, as both sides described ongoing negotiations over the 12.5% Section 301 tariff that has burdened Chilean exports — including salmon — since late July.

Deputy US Trade Representative Jeffrey Goettman led the US delegation for the two-day visit on August 24-25. Chile's government pressed for the removal of the 12.5% tariff across key export sectors, including salmon, wine, timber, and fruit...

Court Preliminarily Approves $2.25M Dungeness Crab Settlements

A federal magistrate judge has preliminarily approved $2.25 million in partial settlements in the Dungeness crab price-fixing class action, moving the case toward its first formal payout to class members while litigation continues against the remaining defendants, including Pacific Seafood Group.

US Magistrate Judge Alex G. Tse signed the order on August 24 in the Northern District of California, clearing settlements with Pacific Dream Seafoods, Inc. ($1 million), Caito Fisheries, Inc. and four Caito family members ($1.25 million), and non-party Fisherman's Choice LLC, which agreed...

Canada Commits $53M to Build Three New Pacific Salmon Hatcheries in British Columbia

The federal government has announced more than $53 million in construction contracts for three new Pacific salmon hatcheries across British Columbia, all developed in partnership with Indigenous nations and aimed at reversing steep declines in Chinook and sockeye populations.

The announcements, made August 25 by Fisheries Minister Joanne Thompson, cover facilities on the upper Fraser River near Hanceville, in Prince George, and on the Kitwanga River in Gitanyow territory — each tied to a separate First Nation and targeting distinct at-risk salmon populations...

Supreme Crab & Seafood Adds Mark Laubner for Business Development and Culinary Support

Supreme Crab & Seafood, Inc. has added Mark Laubner to its team, where he will focus on business development and culinary support across the company’s customer channels.

Laubner brings experience from both sides of the foodservice business, with a background spanning food distribution sales, restaurant operations and culinary management. Most recently, he worked in food distribution sales and previously held an area management role with a national foodservice distributor. That experience gave him a strong understanding of customer negotiations, service...

Iceland Seafood International Posts 16.7% Sales Jump in First Half of 2026 as Net Profit Doubles

Iceland Seafood International delivered a strong first half of 2026, with sales rising 16.7% to €273.0 million and net profit doubling to €2.2 million from €1.1 million in the same period last year. Normalized profit before tax climbed 26.1% to €2.9 million, and the company maintained its full-year normalized PBT guidance of €11.5 million to €13.5 million.

Growth was broad-based across all three divisions. The Sales and Distribution division was the standout performer...

Hokkaido's Nemuro Anglers Asked to Stand Down as Fall Chum Forecast Drops 52% to Record Low

Hokkaido’s Nemuro region is calling on the general public to refrain from salmon fishing as part of the program to secure broodstock for the hatchery. 

According to Minato Shimbun, the Nemuro Area Salmon and Trout Propagation Association will once again implement voluntary restrictions at the start of the fishing season to secure enough fall chum salmon broodstock for hatchery release. In conjunction, the association is collaborating with local municipalities—such as Shibetsu Town—to urge anglers to voluntarily refrain from...

Poké House Debuts in Nevada With First Las Vegas Location

Poké House is bringing its build-your-own bowl concept to Nevada, with its first location in the state set to open Aug. 28 in Las Vegas.

The fast-casual poke brand will debut at 7175 W. Lake Mead Blvd., Suite 168, marking a strategic move into a market known for its growing food scene and global visibility. Company leaders say Las Vegas stood out as a natural next step for the brand, which has built its identity around customization and ingredient...

Canada Targets US Lobster, Salmon, Pollock With 25% Counter-Tariffs

Canada will impose 25% counter-tariffs on American fish and seafood effective September 8, escalating a trade war that now threatens one of the world's most deeply integrated bilateral seafood supply chains.

The measures, announced August 25 by Prime Minister Mark Carney, cover roughly 700 US product lines at rates of 15%, 25% and 50% — a dollar-for-dollar response to US Section 338 tariffs of 50% that took effect August 19 on select Canadian imports after trade talks between the two countries collapsed. Fish and seafood fall...

USDA Announces $156 Million in Commodity Purchases to Support US Producers

The US Department of Agriculture has announced plans to purchase $156 million in agricultural commodities from American farmers and producers, with the products to be distributed to schools and food banks through federal nutrition assistance programs.

The purchases will be made by USDA's Agricultural Marketing Service using Section 32 funds — a standing authority under the Agricultural Adjustment Act that allows the agency to buy surplus or price-distressed agricultural commodities to support domestic producers while supplying federally managed distribution channels.

The full commodity breakdown is as follows...

Restaurants Lean on Efficiency and AI to Protect Margins, Toast Survey Finds

Toast’s annual Voice of the Restaurant Industry Survey finds operators doubling down on profitability, growth and efficiency.

The foodservice technology company led a blind survey across 676 operators from April 3–20, 2026. The data reflects that the industry holding up, with 91% saying their business is in good or excellent shape, matching last year. Inflation, cited by 27% of operators and up seven points year over year, and hiring, cited by 22% and up six points, are...

Norway Sees Sharp Drop in Production Fish as Salmon Harvest Hits Record High

Norway’s Food Safety Authority reports a sharp drop in production fish, known locally as prodfisk, even as overall harvests hit record levels.

Considered lower-quality fish due to damage or imperfections often linked to farming or operational issues, production fish accounted for 10.6% of harvest volume in H1 2026, down from 17.7% in H1 2025 and 30% in H1 2024.

"We see a clear decline in the proportion of production fish, at the same time as the harvest volume is higher than...

Norway to Require Digital Operational Plan Submissions from All Marine Fish Farms From 2027

Norway's food safety authority has launched a new digital system for aquaculture operational plans and made that data publicly accessible — a significant shift in how the country's salmon farming industry documents and shares its site-level management practices.

The Norwegian Food Safety Authority, Mattilsynet, announced that all marine aquaculture facilities will be required to submit their operational plans through the new digital platform from 2027. The system is now live, and Mattilsynet has simultaneously opened the operational plan data from sea-based aquaculture facilities to the...

Ecuador's Shrimp Industry and Local Communities Join Forces to Restore Mangroves

The Sustainable Shrimp Partnership (SSP) and Ecuador's National Chamber of Aquaculture (CNA) have launched a new pilot project called 'Manglares en Común' — Mangroves in Common — bringing together shrimp producers and coastal communities in a collaborative effort to restore mangrove ecosystems across Ecuador.

The project was developed in partnership with Promarisco, feed company Vitapro, and the Manglares Porteños fishing cooperative. The first planting event took place this month, marking the formal start of restoration activities on the ground...

ANALYSIS: Frozen Whiting Fillet Prices Hit Multi-Year Highs as Argentine Imports Slump

The US frozen whiting fillet market continues to strengthen as reduced imports, limited production, and logistical disruptions restrict available supply. Imports from Argentina totaled 2.48 million pounds through June 2026, down 36.6% from 3.92 million pounds during the same period last year and approximately 37% below the five-year average. This was the lowest first-half volume recorded over the period shown, underscoring the depth of the current supply shortfall and the limited availability of replacement product...

Norway's Polar Quality and Fram Seafood to Merge, Creating $800M Northern Norwegian Export Player

Norwegian seafood exporters Polar Quality AS and Fram Seafood have announced plans to merge, creating a Bodø-based export company with combined annual revenues of approximately NOK 7.7 billion — roughly $800 million — and a strengthened position in international salmon markets.

"Our goal has always been to build a solid and future-oriented export company with a long-term perspective and a clear position in the world market," said Jarle Solemdal, Chairman of the Board of Polar Quality AS...

Three Environmental Groups: NOAA is Violating the Endangered Species Act on Gray Whale Protections

Exactly one day after the deadline for NOAA to respond to a petition from Oasis Earth (OE) to list the Eastern North Pacific gray whale population as threatened or endangered, OE and two other conservation groups sent a notice of intent to sue the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration over gray whale protections.

The gray whale population along the North American west coast has dropped by half in just ten years. A year ago, the trio of environmentalists...

Gloria Maris Côte d’Opale Becomes First French Seabass and Seabream Farm Certified to ASC Standard

Gloria Maris Côte d’Opale has become the first French seabass and seabream farm to receive the Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC) Seabream and Seabass standard certification, following an audit conducted by a Conformity Assessment Body (CAB) to verify compliance with the standard.

ASC announced the news yesterday, saying the certification increases the availability of farmed seafood in France that meets ASC’s environmental and social requirements.

“ASC congratulates Gloria Maris Côte d’Opale on this remarkable achievement. As a pioneer...

Nordic Aqua Partners Reaches Full Capacity at China RAS Farm, Eyes Stage 3 Expansion

Nordic Aqua Partners has reached full run-rate at its recirculating aquaculture system (RAS) Atlantic salmon farm in Ningbo, China, bringing annual production capacity to 8,000 metric tons following the completion of Stage 2 of the project.

CEO Ragnar Joensen said the company is now "fully up and running" at that capacity, with operational performance described as solid. Combined with good fish health and welfare, he said the results are supporting improved fish growth, higher harvest weights, and lower production costs...

 SAIC Expands Science Panel Ahead of First Funding Call

The Sustainable Aquaculture Innovation Centre (SAIC) has appointed 14 experts to its first science panel since becoming an independent organization, bringing together expertise across fish and shellfish health, seaweed, environmental sustainability, veterinary science and aquaculture technology.

The panel will provide independent scientific advice to SAIC's board and play a key role in assessing funding applications, reviewing project outcomes and guiding the organization's research and innovation activities. Members will serve for up to two years.

Pieter van West, director of the International Centre for Aquaculture Research...

Atlantic Mackerel’s Shifting Migration Brings Opportunity, Uncertainty

Atlantic mackerel’s once-reliable spring run north and fall return south has become less predictable since 2024, after a pulse of cold, fresh northern water moved onto the Northeast U.S. shelf.

Fishermen across the region report more mackerel in some areas, along with unusual appearances of white marlin, billfish, sand lance, Illex squid, striped bass, red drum and bluefish.

Researchers say the ocean conditions are highly unusual. Cold, fresh water entered the region in 2023 and kept conditions cooler through 2024 and 2025, a pattern...

Wild Planet Foods Named in Class Action Over Alleged Arsenic Levels in Canned Sardines

Wild Planet Foods has been named as a defendant in a federal class action lawsuit alleging that one of its canned sardine products contains arsenic levels that exceed California's daily safe exposure threshold and that the company failed to disclose the risk to consumers.

The complaint was filed August 18 in the US District Court for the Northern District of California by plaintiff Ryan Moore of Napa, California, on behalf of a proposed nationwide class and California subclass of purchasers...

Savoonga, AK Celebrates Official Opening of New Pacific Halibut Plant in Northern Bering Sea

A milestone was celebrated earlier this month in the remote town of Savooonga on St. Laurence Island in the Northern Bering Sea, as the community's new halibut processing plant was officially opened and christened the Orville Evekaan Toolie Halibut Plant.  

Mr. Toolie, an employee of the Norton Sound Economic Development Corporation (NSEDC), who has served the fishers in Savooonga since 1992, was the honorary guest at the community celebration.

“Orville worked to help transform an old Head Start school building into the initial plant in the...

The Retail Rundown: Grocers Make a Final Push for Grilling

Labor Day falls on Monday, September 7, signaling the unofficial end of summer and the last major grilling occasion before consumers turn their attention to school, football, and the fall holidays.

The three-day holiday weekend is a key promotional window for grocers, but the 2026 protein market presents a more challenging backdrop. Factors like tight cattle supplies and broader economic pressures are influencing both availability and consumer demand, prompting retailers to take a more strategic approach to promotions.

From a wholesale beef perspective, the market has become less favorable for retailers seeking promotional leverage. Choice and Select beef cutout values have climbed since the...

China's Sashimi Revolution Opens New Frontier for Imported Salmon

China's rapid embrace of sashimi is driving a structural shift in its salmon import market, with new data from the Norwegian Seafood Council pointing to demand growth that shows little sign of slowing.

Chinese salmon imports rose 43 percent in the first half of 2026, extending a trend that saw the category grow 50 percent across the full year of 2025. The two-year surge has elevated China to Norway's third-largest seafood market in 2025, up from sixth in 2024, with Norwegian seafood exports to China reaching...

Russia Looks to Expand Pollock Roe Sales in Asian Markets, With China in Focus

Russia is moving to more aggressively promote its pollock roe across Asian markets, with China identified as the primary growth target in the coming years.

The Russian Pollock Association (ADM) has been running a pollock roe promotion program in China since 2024. Elena Borisenko, ADM's project manager in China, said pollock roe is already an established product in Japan and South Korea and is gaining traction in China. Russian producers are planning to significantly increase shipments to the Chinese market once outstanding issues around...

Kim Phat Seafood Medley Recalled in Canada Over Undeclared Allergens

Kim Phat brand’s Seafood Medley has been recalled in Canada after the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) flagged undeclared allergens. The CFIA says the product’s label failed to disclose egg, fish, gluten, soy and wheat.

The recall covers Seafood Medley 1.1 lb (500 g) packs, with UPC 6 28790 00196 2, distributed by Ocean Packers Inc. The affected packs were produced Aug. 16, 2025, and carry a best-before date of Aug. 15, 2027. The action was triggered by a customer complaint...

Court Closes NRDC Lawsuit That Forced MMPA Seafood Import Rules Into Effect

The federal lawsuit that compelled the US government to implement long-dormant Marine Mammal Protection Act import restrictions on seafood has been formally closed, with a judge ruling that nothing remains to adjudicate.

Judge Gary S. Katzmann of the US Court of International Trade dismissed the case on August 19, denying as moot a motion by the Natural Resources Defense Council, Center for Biological Diversity, and Animal Welfare Institute to enforce an earlier settlement agreement. All parties — including the government and the seafood industry intervenors led by the...

SalMar Posts Record Biological Performance in Q2, Raises Full-Year Harvest Guidance

SalMar reported record-strong biological performance in the second quarter of 2026, with the Norwegian salmon farming giant delivering its highest-ever group harvest volume and raising its full-year guidance on the strength of the results.

Group harvest volume for Q2 reached 81,800 tonnes, with operational EBIT for the group coming in at NOK 1,237 million for the quarter. The Norwegian operations were the primary driver, delivering operational EBIT of NOK 1,227 million on 71,500 tonnes harvested — with Icelandic Salmon and SalMar Ocean accounting for the remainder...