Trident Seafoods, Channel Fish Land USDA Pollock Contracts

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) awarded over $2 million in contracts for various Alaska pollock products for use in Child Nutrition and other Domestic Food Distribution programs.

In total, contracts for 920,000 pounds of Alaska pollock products were awarded for $2,052,149.

Trident Seafoods took home most of the purchase, with the USDA purchasing 730,000 pounds of product for over $1.6 million. The USDA will buy 190,000 pounds of product for just over $448,000 from Massachusetts-based Channel Fish Processing...

Japan: Q1-Q3 Surimi Product Exports up 12%, Surging to the Middle East

According to the Ministry of Finance's trade statistics, the cumulative export volume of fish paste products (excluding fish sausages) such as kamaboko from January to September 2024 was 7,522 tons, up 12% from last year. The increase was due to a significant increase in exports to the emerging Middle East, including the United Arab Emirates (UAE), which tripled; Saudi Arabia, which nearly doubled; and the United States, the largest export destination, which grew 1.5 times. However, this was down 17% compared to the...

USDA Seeks Bids on Salmon and Alaska Pollock; Awards Catfish Contracts

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is looking for bids on a notable amount of Alaska pollock and wild salmon products. Plus, it unveiled its purchase awards for 270,000 pounds of farmed catfish products.

Focusing on pollock, the USDA said it is looking for offers to sell pollock products, with bids due on November 13, 2024. In all, the USDA is looking for 920,000 pounds of pollock products ranging from frozen Alaska pollock sticks, fillets and bulk containers of product...

Russian Pollock Fishers’ Organization Develops Pollock Roe Market in China

According to Minato Shimbun, a group of Russian pollock fishers has begun an initiative to develop the Chinese market for Russian pollock. They exhibited at the China Fisheries and Seafood Expo 2024 in Qingdao, China, from October 30 to November 1. They offered a variety of pollock dishes to suit consumer tastes. The group estimates that China's potential demand for pollock is more than 5,000 tons. The Hokkaido Trawl Fisheries Cooperative Federation reported this.

The Russian Pollack Association is exhibiting at the Qingdao fair. Russia produces 35,000 tons of pollock...

Alaska Pollock Group At-Sea Processors Association Announces Leadership Transition

The At-sea Processors Association (APA), a trade group within the Alaska pollock industry, announced that its Executive Director, Stephanie Madsen, will retire at the end of the year.

Madsen has been at the helm of the APA since 2007 and has spent nearly 50 years working with the Alaska fishing industry. Madsen started her career working with fishing industry leaders in Unalaska over 40 years ago. She served a pair of terms on the North Pacific Fishery Management Council, serving as the first woman Chair and also as...

Russian Fish Exports in Steady Decline Throughout 2024

Fish exports from Russia are steadily declining due to the ongoing pressure from sanctions and the existing import duties on Russian fish in the EU and the UK. In the first half of 2024, Russian exports dipped 7% in volume, year-on-year. Through eight months, that figure has dipped 13% lower from 2023.

As Artem Daushev, assistant to the head of the Russian agricultural regulator Rosselkhoznadzor, said during the recent International Fishery Industry Forum in Russia,

"The volume of fish exports from Russia in January-August 2024...

Japan: May Surimi Products Output Lags Again by 4.4% to 33,325 Tons

Japan’s Food Supply and Demand Research Center recently announced the production volume of surimi products in May 2024, which was 33,325 tons. This was a decrease of 4.4% from the previous year and marked the fifth consecutive month of decline since the beginning of this year.

Looking by product, only ita-kamaboko (steamed products on wooden board) increased slightly by 0.6%, but other products all showed declines and sluggish performance. Chikuwa grilled tube decreased by 2.5%, pre-packaged kamaboko by 42.2%, naruto steamed sticks and...

EU Considering Tightening Ban on Seafood Imports From Russia

The EU will consider tightening the ban on seafood imports from Russia as part of a new package of sanctions against the country, according to recent reports from both European and Russian media.

In spring 2022, the EU imposed a ban on the supply of Russian seafood, caviar and crustaceans. However, some Baltic countries insist on restrictions on the import of Russian fresh fish and fish products. 

Thus, Lithuania, Estonia, Latvia, and Sweden are currently demanding a ban on the imports of cod, herring, sprat, and other fish from...

Long John Silver’s Launches New Value Promotion Featuring Alaska Pollock

Long John Silver’s is offering up a deal that is sure to make waves this summer. The quick service seafood chain has launched a new great value promotion and side menu item: $6 fish baskets featuring two pieces of battered wild-caught Alaska pollock, including two golden hushpuppies and a choice of a side — like Long John Silver’s new crispy waffle fries.

“At Long John Silver’s, we are committed to providing our customers with convenient, affordable, high-quality seafood,” says Christopher Caudill, senior vice president of marketing and...

U.S. Authorities Lobbying For MSC to Ban Russia

According to some Russian media reports,, U.S. authorities are lobbying for the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) to ban Russia from using the international environmental certificate for fishing.

As the Russian RBC business paper has recently reported,a group of American senators appealed to the MSC to ban the use of the international environmental fisheries certificate by Russian fishermen. Senators Dan Sullivan and Lisa Merkausky (from Alaska), as well as senators Susan Collins and Angus Stanley King Jr. (from Maine), reportedly sent a letter with such demands to the...

May Surimi Production in Hokkaido Reaches 1429 Tons, Up 48% From Last Year

The National Surimi Manufacturers Association announced on June 25 the total amount of land-based surimi produced in Hokkaido in May 2024 at 1,429 tons, up 48% from the same month last year. The volume was broken down into 1,399 tons of Alaska pollock surimi, up 60% from the same month last year, and 20 tons of Atka mackerel surimi, down 59% from the same month last year, according to the Kamaboko News.

The total from January to May was 3,110 tons, an 8%...

Russia Plans Further Increase of Pollock Supplies to China

Russia plans to further increase supplies of its pollock to China as the demand for the fish in the Chinese market and its consumption is steadily growing. 

Currently Russia is the second largest supplier of fish to China, after Ecuador. In value terms, exports of Russian fish to China in 2023 reached US $2.9 billion. Of this, about $1.6 billion accounted for frozen fish and $1.2 billion from crustaceans.

According to the Russian Sfera FM business paper, citing the Russian Pollock Association, at present there...

Move Over, Grasshoppers. Wild Alaska Pollock Is Coming To T-Mobile Park

Move over, grasshoppers. There’s a new must-have food at T-Mobile Park.

A new partnership between the Association of Genuine Alaska Pollock Producers (GAPP) and the Seattle Mariners will bring Wild Alaska pollock fish tacos to Major League Baseball. Beginning June 28, baseball fans will be able to find the fish at Edgar’s Cantina, as well as in other locations and clubs throughout the stadium.

“It’s a big deal to have a menu item at a major MLB stadium — not only for the sheer number of...

NFI President Lisa Wallenda Picard Responds to Peltola’s Bottom Trawl Clarity Act

On May 22 Alaska Representative Mary Peltola introduced a pair of bills designed to restrict bottom trawling and reduce bycatch. And one of them has garnered a response from National Fisheries Institute (NFI) President and CEO Lisa Wallenda Picard.

The first bill — the Bycatch Reduction and Mitigation Act — would authorize NOAA’s Bycatch Reduction and Engineering Program (BREP) to provide $10 million in funding for five years. The bill would also establish the Bycatch Mitigation Assistance Fund, administered by the National Fish and...

High Liner Foods and Trident Win USDA Alaska Pollock Purchase Request

On Thursday the USDA announced the purchase award winners for the May 3 invitation for Alaska pollock products. Both High Liner Foods and Trident Seafoods were awarded the contracts, which combined are worth $3,756.021.68.

High Liner was awarded a contract for 76,000 lbs of frozen Alaska pollock fillets (pkg 20/2 lb), 76,000 lbs of frozen Alaska pollock sticks (pkg 20/2 lb), and 836,000 lbs of frozen and breaded Alaska pollock sticks (40 lb carton). The contract total of 988,000 lbs is worth...

Tokai Denpun Predicts Russia's Surimi Production Will Double to 100,000 Tons in 2027

Yoshiharu Jinno, manager of the Surimi Group, Sales Department 2, of Tokai Denpun, gave a speech at an exhibition held by the company in Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo, on May 24, where he presented his outlook for future surimi production in major countries. He predicted that Russia, a new producer of Alaska pollock surimi, will see its current production of about 40,000 tons grow two to three times to 100,000 tons in 2027. He also predicted that India, the world's fourth largest producer of...

American Seafoods Names Inge Andreassen as New Chief Executive Officer

American Seafoods Company, a top at-sea processor of Wild Alaska Pollock and Pacific Hake, announced that Inge Andreassen, the current Chief Operating Officer (COO) and President, has been named Chief Executive Officer (CEO), succeeding Einar Gustafsson.

Andreassen said:

 “Leading American Seafoods is a privilege and a responsibility that I hold with great pride and profound respect. This company has been at the core of my professional journey, and I am deeply honored to continue building upon its legacy. Our success...

Russian Government Approves Concessions for Domestic Pollock Producers 

The Russian government has approved concessions for domestic producers of pollock by adopting a decree exempting frozen sardines and pollock fillets from exchange rate export duties.

According to data from the Russian Pollock Association, pollock fillets are strategically important for the entire Russian fish sector, accounting for 35% of the catch and production of fish products in Russia and about 80% of export revenue.

The government's decision comes into force on November 10 and can be considered a victory for producers. Their...

Russia to Cut Fish Exports to EU Amid Sanctions and Market Shift

Russia will continue to reduce fish exports to the EU region this year and in 2025 due to the ever-growing pressure from sanctions and the ongoing reorientation to the East.

In 2023, Russia exported fish and fish products to EU countries — mostly fillets as well as minced pollock and cod – for a total sum of US$768 million. About 95% of such shipments accounted for white fish.

Fish products from Russia and China, made from Russian raw materials, account for more than 80% of all...

Russian Government Plans to Keep Duties on Exports of Domestic Fish, Seafood

The Russian government plans to keep the existing duties on exports of domestic fish and seafood despite criticism from local fishermen.

According to recent calculations of the Russian Association of Fishing Fleet Owners (AFFO), from the beginning of October 2023 to the end of September 2024, the overall duties paid on the export of pollock, cod, haddock and crab products from Russia may amount to more than 19.2 billion rubles, which is a big figure for the industry...

Japan’s H1 Surimi Imports Up 8.6% 

Japan’s Ministry of Finance recently announced that surimi imports in June 2024 were 16,079 tons, a slight decrease of 0.6% compared to the previous year.

According to Kamaboko News, imports from the United States were 6,585 tons, a decrease of 0.9% compared to the previous year, while imports from Thailand, Argentina and Indonesia increased by 34.3% to 1,182 tons, 18.9% to 573 tons, and 7.1% to 105 tons, respectively. Imports from Russia were 1,377 tons, an increase of 2.5%.

Imports from Southeast Asia included:

- An 8.4% decrease to 1,380 tons from...

U.S. Surimi Producers Losing Competition to Russian Rivals in Global Market 

According to recent statements made by German Zverev, President of the All-Russian Association of Fishery Producers (VARPE), U.S. surimi producers are losing competition to Russian rivals in the global market, forcing them to use political tools to protect their interests. 

In a recent interview with the Russian Rossyiskay Gazeta business paper, Zverev responded to recent statements made by American Seafoods Group CEO Einar Gustafsson to Undercurrent News. Gustafsson called for a tougher trade war with Russian fishermen, being unhappy with the...

Russia Pollock Association: Country Number One In Pollock Production

Russia retained its global leadership in pollock production based on the results of the first half of 2024, according to the latest data, published by the Russian Pollock Association. 

In the first half of 2024, Russian fishermen caught more than 1.3 million tons of pollock, which is twice as much as the United States, Russia's main competitor.

Compared to the same period last year, pollock catch in Russia this year increased by 21,000 tons, or 1.6%. According to the forecast of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the...

ANALYSIS: Uncertainties Within Cod, Haddock, Pollock Amid Geopolitical And Economic Factors

The U.S. wholesale market for groundfish is currently experiencing a complex and unsettled environment. Despite pricing remaining relatively steady, the undertone across the sector is highly unsettled, reflecting a range of economic and geopolitical factors influencing market dynamics. With upwards pressure on the market, including but not limited to supply challenges driven by Russian sanctions and reduced quotas, as well as rising replacement, freight, and cold storage costs and availability, sluggish demand within the U.S. has tempered the upwards pressure on wholesale prices during the height of summer...

Russia Projects Surimi Production to Triple to 163,000 Tons by 2028

Full-scale production of Russian pollock surimi began in 2021 at modern onshore factories and high-sea processing vessels. According to Russia's leading pollock fishery company, Russian Fisheries Company (RFC), the country's surimi production is expected to surge to 163,000 tons in 2028; 3.5 times the actual production of about 47,000 tons in 2023. Surimi produced by the company is expected to account for 60% of the national total, at 98,000 tons (3.3 times the amount in 2023), Minato Shimbun reported.

Japan: Crab Sticks Processed with Sustainable Alaskan Surimi Go on Sale at 16,300 FamilyMart Stores

FamilyMart Co., Ltd. will release two crab-flavored surimi products, "Seafood Stick" and fish side dishes using wild seafood from Alaska. The sustainably fished products will be at approximately 16,300 FamilyMart stores nationwide from June 18, 2024, to coincide with "Sustainable Food Culture Day" on June 18, one of the international days designated by the United Nations, reported Kamaboko News.

In addition to the three products already on sale using wild seafood from Alaska, the target products will display the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute...

Russia Looking To Overtake The United States in Global Surimi Market

Russia is overtaking the United States in the global market of surimi by a sharp increase of domestic production.

According to recent statements from the president of the All-Russian Association of Fisheries, German Zverev, Russia's share in the global market of surimi from pollock in 2024 will increase by 5% - to 24%, versus 19% a year earlier.

According to data from the Russian Pollock Association (ADM), the global surimi market reached about 900,000 tons last year. Of this, surimi from warm-water fish species accounted for...

New Surimi Product Wrapping Plant-based Pollock Roe Goes on Sale

Kamaboko manufacturer Sanriku Fish Paste in Miyagi Prefecture has started selling a new product, "Tarakichi, Fresh Mentaiko-Style Kamaboko." This healthy product wraps a "mentaiko-style (artificial spicy pollock roe) paste" made with konjac in surimi kamaboko. Thanks to a retort sterilization process, it can be stored at room temperature.

According to the Minato Shimbun report, the paste was created in collaboration with Deats Food Planning of Tokyo, which develops plant-based food products. In pursuit of authenticity, the paste reproduces the taste and...

JAPAN: April Land-Based Surimi Production in Hokkaido Doubles to 717 Tons

The National Surimi Manufacturers Association announced on May 27 that the total amount of land-based surimi produced in Hokkaido in April 2024 was 717 tons, 99% higher than last year. It was broken down into 602 tons of Alaska pollock surimi, 236% higher than last year, and 10 tons of Atka mackerel surimi, 84% less than last year.

The cumulative total from January to April was 1,681 tons, 12% lower than last year. It was broken down into 1,463 tons of Alaska pollock, 5% lower than...

Trident Seafoods Will Operate Kodiak Plants Through ‘B’ Season

In a series of events that define the phrase “Timing is everything,” Trident Seafoods has announced it will continue to operate its Kodiak plant through the pollock “B” season. The news comes on the same day that Kodiak’s City Council and the Borough prepared a request for a federal emergency rule to allow a mothership processor to buy and process fish from Trident’s pollock fleet of 15-25 vessels this fall. 

Kodiak’s Hail Mary was well planned, not to mention well timed, for the North Pacific Fishery...