Japan's Seafood Imports in May Decreased by 5% YOY in Volume and 3% YOY in Value

According to trade statistics released by the Ministry of Finance on June 27, Japan’s May seafood imports (with preliminary figures including fish and shellfish, their preparations, fish meal, and seaweed) decreased by 5% in volume from the same month last year, totaling 181,942 tons. In addition, the value of these imports decreased by 3% to 165.412 billion yen ($1.154 billion), as reported by Japanese news outlet Minato Shimbun.

Fresh and frozen tuna imports rose by 13% to 17,417 tons, including the following tuna...

Trump Announces US Trade Deal With Vietnam, Including 20% Import Tariff

President Trump announced that the United States has agreed to a new trade deal with Vietnam on July 2.

Trump stated that Vietnam will pay the US a 20% tariff on all goods exported to the U.S. and a 40% tariff on transshipped goods. The higher 40% tariff targets products that are not originally made in Vietnam but are routed through the country to bypass higher tariffs. This move is significant, as many countries have used Vietnam as a transit point to avoid stricter trade penalties aimed at Chinese...

Phillips Foods Opens Sales Office in Japan to Expand Crab Meat Sales 

Phillips Foods, a major crab and lobster processor based in Maryland, has opened a representative office in Tokyo. The company will promote products such as blue swimming crab meat and crab cakes to mass retailers and food services in Japan.  

Founded in 1914, Phillips Foods operates aquaculture and processing facilities in Southeast Asia and Canada. They handle various crab species, including snow crab, king crab, and blue swimming crab, along with lobster and barramundi. The company also produces processed items such...

Red Lobster Announces Return of Crabfest and New Seafood Boil Options

On June 23, 2025, Red Lobster announced the return of its annual Crabfest event along with new flavors and all-new Seafood Boils.

The promotional event follows a series of recent ups and downs for the seafood dining chain, which is currently rebounding from a bankruptcy filing more than a year ago. The company has also experienced significant leadership turnover, with a fresh lineup amassing by November 2024 for its CEO, CFO, and COO.

As part of the latest Crabfest, Red Lobster is now offering two seafood boil options...

Senate Committee Addresses Threats from Chinese & Russian IUU Fishing

On June 12, 2025, Senator Dan Sullivan of Alaska—also Chairman of the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Subcommittee on Coast Guard, Maritime, and Fisheries—led a hearing on foreign illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing and the threat it poses to global marine ecosystems, economies, sustainable fisheries, and food security.

“We're particularly focused on the fight for fisheries resources, geopolitical flashpoints where conflict is likely to arise, and the role of both state and non-state actors involved in conflict with criminal activity in the fishing sector. 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...

Russian Crabbers Increase Domestic Prices, Hope to Resume Exports to the US

Crab prices in Russia are steadily growing, mainly due to the country's ongoing export growth. According to analysts, in the first three months of 2025, Russia exported 17,000 tons of crab worth more than $440 million, which is almost by 25% more in both volume and value terms than the previous year.  

That contributes to the growth of crab prices in the domestic market.  

According to recent statements made by Valentin Balashov, Chairman of the Interregional Association of Coastal Fishery Industrialists of the Northern Basin, in an interview...

West Coast Fisheries Infrastructure Waxes and Wanes: Part 2

Loss of infrastructure and spreading repercussion

Editor’s note: This is the second of a three-part series on the struggles facing shoreside infrastructure that supports West Coast fisheries, submitted by Pacific Fishery Management Council Executive Director Merrick Burden. Part 1 discussed the decline in fisheries and infrastructure in the past 20 years.  

Infrastructure problems are particularly acute in California due to depleted salmon populations, closures in the nearshore rockfish fishery, delayed Dungeness crab seasons, changing regulations, and shifting markets. In the early 1980s, between 2,400 and 3,300 commercial boats...

Fishermen’s Interest and Renewed Testing Allows Partial Opening of California Rock Crab Fishery

It’s been a rocky crab fishery for fishermen in California. Now, after being closed for almost a decade, fishermen can now harvest rock crab in northern California, thanks to a recent announcement from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW).  

The announcement comes after a recommendation from state health agencies, which was released by the California Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment on April 23.

Per the recommendation and CDFW’s subsequent announcement on April 24, the commercial rock crab fishery in northern California...

California Closes Crabbing in San Francisco Zone, Keeps Northern California Open

Returning whales to California waters is a sign that Dungeness crab season closures aren’t far behind.  

In prior action, California Department of Fish and Wildlife Director Charlton H. Bonham closed Fishing Zones 4-6, Pigeon Point to the U.S./Mexico border, on April 15, while the northern zones remained open.  

Now, though, the whales are moving north. Zone 3, in the Central Management Area from the Sonoma/Mendocino County line to Pigeon Point, is slated to close at 6 p.m. on May 1...

Russia to Increase Total Allowable Catch for 2026

According to recent statements made by representatives of Russian Rosrybolovstvo, Russia will be increasing the total allowable fish catch for 2026. The increase will be based on recommendations prepared by industry scientists, particularly those at some of the country’s leading research institutions in the field of fisheries.

Ilya Shestakov, head of Rosrybolovstvo, said, “It is important that the total allowable catch is set using a precautionary approach, taking into account the recommendations of scientists. In 2026, the catch is planned to be increased by 61,100 tons—up to 3.65 million tons. Recent scientific expeditions have shown an increase in the stocks of a number of species, primarily pollock and herring. Thanks to this, Russian fishermen will be able to increase the volume of their catch.”

NL Snow Crab Fishery Season Delayed, To Start One Week Late

Today, the Newfoundland and Labrador (NL) snow crab fishery—initially set to open in most areas on April 1—announced that it would be delaying the start of the season by almost two weeks.

The announcement was first issued in the form of a letter written by the Honorable Gerry Byrne, Minister of the District of Corner Brook, and addressed to key representatives for the involved parties: FFAW-Unifor’s Dwan Street, ASP’s Jeff Loder, and Standing Fish Price-Setting Panel Chair Sheilagh Murphy.

According to the March 27 letter...

US-Canada Trade Tensions Loom Over Newfoundland Snow Crab Negotiations

FFAW-Unifor, a union representing fishermen throughout Newfoundland and Labrador, said negotiations with the Association of Seafood Producers (ASP), a trade group representing processors and producers in the region, “have been productive.”

According to the FFAW, stronger snow crab market conditions compared to recent years have helped negotiations. The FFAW also noted the price increases in the Urner Barry by Expana price index.

“We have seen steady increases in the Urner Barry price index and inventory is not a factor. In fact, Urner Barry ceased quoting...

Snow Crab Quota Drops 28% in Southern Gulf of St. Lawrence for 2025

The 2025 Total Allowable Catch (TAC) for snow crab in the southern Gulf of St. Lawrence dipped to 18,334 metric tons (t), per a Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) notice.

The quota is lower than 2024’s 25,710mt TAC but the drop off from last year’s quota was less dramatic than projections indicated earlier this year.

The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation reported last month that the DFO recommended a 33% quota cut for the southern Gulf of St. Lawrence. Instead, the quota dipped by about 28% in 2025...

US Seafood Targeted in Canada’s Proposed Retaliatory Tariff List

Canada wasted no time hitting back at new U.S. tariffs, with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announcing immediate 25% retaliatory duties on C$30 billion ($20.9 billion) worth of American imports after the levies took effect on March 4.

“Canada is being needlessly and unfairly targeted by these tariffs – and the US' decision leaves us with no choice but to respond to protect Canadian interests, workers and businesses. Working with provincial, territorial and industry partners, our singular focus is to remove these tariffs as quickly as possible...

DFO Says NL Snow Crab Fishery in Good Shape, But Cautious on Long-Term Outlook as Season Draws Near

Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) showcased mostly good news for the Newfoundland and Labrador (NL) snow crab fishery in its latest stock assessment update. However, findings did indicate that the stock may see poor growth rates due to “unfavorable ecosystem conditions and low abundances of small snow crab observed in surveys.” 

The DFO indicated that stocks appear to sit at healthy levels, which may pave the way for a similar quota in 2025. Last year’s quota was...

Russia Struggles to Boost Domestic Deep-Sea Crab Catch 

Russia’s deep sea crab catch remains low, despite efforts by the Federal Agency for Fisheries (Rosrybolovstvo) to boost activity through quota auctions. 

After a failed attempt last month, Rosrybolovstvo tried once more to auction quotas for catching deep-sea crabs — specifically angulatus snow crab in the North-Okhotsk and East Sakhalin subzones, and red snow crab in the Primorye and West Sakhalin subzones. The starting price for the quotas exceeded 1.051 billion rubles.  

As part of the auction terms, investors were required to build fishing vessels at Russian shipyards...

Summer Crab Season Rules Take Effect in Washington

Summer months mean new fishing seasons, warmer weather and, in the case of Dungeness crabbing on the West Coast, new rules.   

As whales become more prevalent and crabs begin to molt, the states implement more restrictive gear rules, time constraints, landing limits or permitting requirements. In Washington, that means the Coastal Dungeness Crab Summer Fishery Management Plan takes effect as of 12:01 a.m. on July 6, through the end of this year’s season.  

According to the plan, crabbers cannot possess or land more than 2,500...

Sea-Trek Founders Step Down After 40 Years; Longtime Team Members Take the Helm

Sea-Trek Enterprises, a Rhode Island-based frozen seafood trading company, announced that its founders, Peter Coop and Mitchell Sarnoff, will step down from their roles at the company's helm.

The pair will remain involved in Sea-Trek as board members, but new ownership will take charge. The new owners are long-time employees Peter Bruno, Pieter “Dutch” Snoeren, Brian Cooper, and Ken Sullivan. All four of the new owners have been involved in the company’s growth over the past four decades...

Council Adopts “Housekeeping” Version of Pelagic Trawl Definition for Bering Sea and Gulf of Alaska 

By a unanimous vote held yesterday, the North Pacific Fishery Management Council adopted changes to the definition of pelagic gear that skirted the issue of its use on the sea floor. Pelagic trawls are used by the pollock fleet in the Bering Sea and Gulf of Alaska. In recent years, frequency of those nets touching the sea floor, particularly in the Bering Sea, have been found to be as much as 85% according to scientific reports commissioned by the Council.  

That has concerned...

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...

Russia Expects Steady Growth of Crab Supplies to Domestic Market

Crab supplies to the Russian market are expected to grow this year due to the ever-growing demand and consumption of crab from local customers and a significant decline in exports.

According to earlier data provided by the Russian Association of Fish Producers (VARPE), domestic crab supplies in 2024 grew by 20% year-on-year, reaching up to 8,000 tonnes. Given the availability of affordable crab options combined with increased consumption and supply, there is a possibility that that growth will continue this year.

Unlike previous years, crab is no...

Watch Out for Hairy Crab Claws: Invasive Chinese Mitten Crab Found in Columbia River

A Columbia River commercial fisherman pulled up quite a surprise last week.

A Chinese mitten crab, a prohibited species in Oregon, was caught on April 22 in the Lower Columbia River east of Tongue Point, according to the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW). Chinese mitten crabs have not been confirmed in the Pacific Northwest until now. A single Japanese mitten crab was found in the same area in 1997. 

While this is a rare event in Oregon, mitten crabs caused significant infrastructure and ecological...

Russia Increases 2025 Crab Exports by 26%

Russia has increased its 2025 crab exports by 26%, compared to the same period last year, according to data provided by Russian analysts and local media.

According to estimates from experts at the Federal Center for Development of Agricultural Exports of the Ministry of Agriculture of Russia (Agroexport), Russia exported about 17,000 tons of crab during Q1 2025, worth more than US$440 million. Compared to the same period last year, supplies increased by 23% in volume and 26% in terms of value.

The majority of crab was exported to China, which...

Slight Lifting of US Sanctions Would Allow Russia to Resume Crab Supplies to US Market

Should the U.S. lift even a slight portion of its sanctions against Russia—which is a possibility currently being considered by the U.S. amid ongoing peace talks between the two nations—Russia will be able to resume its crab supplies to the U.S. market.

This has been recently confirmed by some well-known Russian senators, such as Alexander Shenderyuk-Zhidkov, a senator from the Kaliningrad Region.

According to Shenderyuk-Zhidkov and other senior Russian officials, one of the important conditions for entering into an agreement...

Supreme Crab & Seafood Revamps its Canned Crab Packaging in Time for Spring

On March 25, 2025, seafood importer Supreme Crab & Seafood launched a new can design for its Signature Catch ® (SC) brand, which is hitting shelves this spring.

The revamped labels take on a clean, modern look with varying color-rimmed tops and bold, matching lettering, which allows customers to easily distinguish between the company’s different canned crab products.

In addition, half of the lid design now includes images that are to-scale of the contents within.

The new design is being applied to the SC Blue Line, which...

NL Snow Crab Fishery: Quota Rises, Protests Erupt, Prices Unresolved

It was a very, very busy weekend for the Newfoundland and Labrador snow crab fishery which featured a Total Allowable Catch (TAC) announcement, and update on dock price negotiations and protests.

The NL snow crab fishery received a 9% quota increase for the upcoming season. The Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) announced a 62,883 metric ton (t) quota, above 2024’s 57,568t mark and roughly 15% higher than 2023’s total. In February, the DFO showcased mostly good news for the snow crab fishery in the province, as Expana...

NL Delegation to Meet with New Buyers at Seafood Expo North America and Explore Market Opportunities 

The Government of Newfoundland and Labrador’s (NL) Fisheries, Forestry and Agriculture division recently announced that Minister Honorable Gerry Byrne and a delegation of provincial fishery representatives will meet with key global buyers during the 2025 Seafood Expo North America (SENA).

The annual seafood expo takes place on March 16 – 18 in Boston, Massachusetts, and will allow the NL government to explore global market opportunities with key players in the seafood sector.

This year, NL will be co-exhibiting with the following companies...

Russia Increases its Live Crab Exports to China in 2025

This year, Russia is increasing its exports of live crab to China—an uptick which coincides with a stable local demand and high export profits.

As a rule, live crabs account for 80% of Russia’s overall crab exports to China, with the majority of crab entering through the ports of Primorye and transported by road to the city of Hunchun before being distributed throughout China.

According to Russian research agency Agroexport, China imported a total value of US $1.3 billion in crab and shrimp from the Russian Federation during...

Mexico’s Modest Role in US Seafood Trade: Limited Impact of a 25% Tariff

President Donald Trump’s tariffs on Canada, Mexico, and China took effect at midnight, prompting swift retaliation. China and Canada quickly imposed tariffs on U.S. products, while Mexico’s president announced that countermeasures would be detailed on Sunday, according to Expana.

The most significant tariff impacts for the U.S. seafood industry will stem from trade with China and Canada, while Mexico’s measures are unlikely to cause major disruptions.

Mexico is a relatively minor player in the U.S. seafood market, ranking only 10th among suppliers and accounting for just 3.32%...