Louisiana's Inshore Shrimp Season to Open May 8 in Some Parts

On May 1, 2025, the Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Commission published the opening dates for the state’s inshore shrimp fishing season.

The following dates were decided upon for Louisiana’s inshore shrimping areas, using information provided by Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) biologists as well as public comments:

* State inside waters from the Mississippi/Louisiana state line westward to the eastern shore of South Pass of the Mississippi River will open at 6:00 a.m. on Monday, May 19, 2025...

Texas House of Reps. Advances Legislation Supporting State Shrimp Industry

Earlier this week, the Southern Shrimp Alliance (SSA) issued a news release detailing the Texas House of Representatives’ recent advancement of two bills that stand to support the state’s shrimp industry.

The first bill, HCR 76, was authored by Representatives A.J. Louderback and Terri Leo-Wilson and unanimously approved by the Trade, Workforce & Economic Development Committee on April 23. The bill urges the federal government to address the domestic surge in cheap, farm-raised imported shrimp and to take measures to combat the negative impact that such imports have on...

Ecuador Imposes Seasonal Ban on Titi Shrimp to Protect Juvenile Stocks

Ecuador has implemented a temporary and seasonal recruitment ban on titi shrimp (Camarón Pomada — Protrachypene precipua and Xiphopenaeus riveti) from April 22 to May 21, 2025, as outlined in Ministerial Agreement MPCEIP-SRP-2025-0037-A.

This measure, published on April 21 by the Ecuadorian Ministry of Production, Foreign Trade, Investment, and Fisheries, prohibits the capture, commercialization, and transportation of the species during this period to protect juvenile shrimp and support resource sustainability.

Exceptions are allowed for shrimp caught before the start of the ban, provided that inventory is...

Russia Plans to Lift Restrictions on Shrimp Catch This Year

Russia is considering a significant increase to its shrimp catch this year, which should lead to reduced imports to the domestic market.

For this purpose, Russian authorities plan to lift all the existing restrictions on the catch of northern and scalloped shrimp in the Primorye subzone and the West Sakhalin subzone.

According to recent calculations made by German Zverev, head of the All-Russian Association of Fish Producers (VARPE), maintaining the current ban will lead to potential losses of up to 1,500-ton catch volumes, which is equivalent to 6%...

Russia is Increasing its Shrimp Catch This Year

This year, Russia is increasing its shrimp catch, thanks to an ever-growing demand for the shellfish species both globally and domestically.

According to latest data from the Russian Federal Agency for Fisheries, Russia’s volume of shrimp catch during the period of January-March 2025 amounted to 5,400 tons, which is 29% more than the same period last year. In 2024, the total volume of catch grew by 24%, amounting to 27,000 tonnes.

At the same time, according to data of the Russian Fish Union, shrimp imports to Russia in 2024 also increased...

Oregon Issues Annual Pink Shrimp Review Report as New Season Approaches

Oregon’s pink shrimp fishery has had its share of struggles over the years, but it seems the only thing holding it back is broader markets. Last year was particularly strong, according to the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife’s recently released annual report. 

The 36th Annual Pink Shrimp Review 2025 provides the following: a comprehensive 2024 season review, indicators for the 2025 season (which opens April 1), a review of research regarding pink shrimp, and regulatory changes and more. 

ODFW summarized the 2024 season this way: “The 2024 pink shrimp season was very productive, seeing the highest catch volume since 2015. Shrimp abundances were high, but market demand seemed low.”

Pro Golfer Scottie Scheffler Sticks to Seafood Favorites for 2025 Masters Champions Dinner

The Masters, the most iconic tournament in professional golf is set to begin in a few weeks and the menu for the Masters Club dinner for Champions was released and seafood holds a prominent spot.

Each year, the defending champion curates the exclusive dinner, which features all the living tournament champions. In 2025, Scottie Scheffler, who also won the tournament in 2023, will be honored.

This year’s menu nearly mirrors Scheffler’s 2023 menu, featuring Tex-Mex flair and intriguing seafood options...

Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch Says to Avoid Certain Mexican-Caught White and Yellow Shrimp

Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch Program (Seafood Watch) released its March 2025 updated recommendations for Mexican shrimp in the Eastern Central Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico regions, with certain white and yellowleg shrimps receiving downgraded recommendations, now classified amongst the "Avoid" category.

Meanwhile, certain brown, blue, and pink shrimps were upgraded from red to yellow ratings. For the most part, however, the majority of shrimp maintained yellow or red ratings due to bottom or skimmer trawling methods, which Seafood Watch has deemed unsustainable...

US Shrimp Industry Sees Two Protectionist Bills Introduced in the 119th Congress

Two bills aimed at protecting the beleaguered U.S. shrimp industry have been introduced in the current U.S. Congress: one in the House yesterday and one in the Senate on February 20, 2025. 

Both bills would restrain imports from foreign suppliers using different tools. The Senate bill—the text of which is currently unavailable—would tighten federal inspection requirements for U.S. shrimp imports. The House bill would ban U.S. financial support for “any activity relating to shrimp farming, shrimp processing, or the export of shrimp from any foreign country..."

Seafood Industry Veteran Guy Lott Joins Bama Sea Products as Chief Commercial Officer

Bama Sea Products, a Florida-based seafood processor and distributor, announced that seafood industry veteran Guy Lott has been named Chief Commercial Officer.

The company, which produces wild-caught shrimp and other raw and value-added seafood products, highlighted how Lott’s experience with multi-unit restaurant chains, key retailers and fine-dining establishments will help the company’s sales strategy.

“We are thrilled to welcome Guy aboard to lead our sales efforts,” said Michael Stephens, CEO of Bama Sea Products. “We pride ourselves on having some...

SEAD Genetic Testing Shows 77% of Savannah Restaurants Are Misrepresenting Shrimp Dishes

According to recent genetic testing conducted by Seafood Development Consulting (SEAD) approximately 77% of restaurants in Savannah, Georgia, (34 out of 44 establishments) are misrepresenting farm-raised imported shrimp as local wild-caught Gulf Coast shrimp.  

SEAD was hired by the Southern Shrimp Alliance (SSA) to perform the genetic testing between February 18 – 23, 2025. During this time, SEAD utilized its patented rapid ID, high accuracy genetic test RIGHTTest™ to determine the veracity of shrimp species being served at 44 random seafood restaurants in the Savannah area...

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...

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%...

SeaPak Debuts New Cajun-Style Shrimp Product

Frozen seafood brand SeaPak debuted a new cajun style shrimp product that became available this month at retailers including Meijer, Food Lion, Hannaford, Schuncks and Giant Eagle. 

The new SeaPak Classic Cajun Style Shrimp features a New Orleans spice blend, including salt, black pepper, cayenne pepper, and garlic. Butter is also featured to melt the seasonings into a sauce that can be paired with rice, grits, or French bread.

"Our taste tests have shown that people love how fresh and well-seasoned SeaPak Classic Cajun Style Shrimp is...

Ecuadorian Shrimp Companies Unite Under “Ecuador First Class Shrimp” Brand to Expand Global Reach

Ecuadorian shrimp companies have adopted the “Ecuador First Class Shrimp” brand as they look to promote the 60-year industry at trade shows and beyond.

The new brand, created with the help of Ecuador’s National Chamber of Aquaculture (CNA), aims to tell the industry's story. It focuses on characteristics like sustainability, quality, and innovation.

The Ecuador First Class Shrimp brand will be on display at the upcoming Seafood Expo North America show and was on display at some trade shows...

CenSea and Ocean Garden Join Forces, Boosting Captain Fresh’s Global Reach

CenSea, a top US seafood importer and distributor, announced it had acquired Ocean Garden’s brand portfolio, bringing another significant name under the Captain Fresh umbrella.

Two of the largest US-based seafood companies have joined forces with the deal, which is now inked. CenSea boasts a strong foundation in Asian shrimp and other products and can combine with San Diego-based Ocean Garden, which specializes in Mexican and Ecuadorian shrimp.

Jeff Stern, Co-President, CenSea, added, “We at CenSea are committed...

Russia Reduces its Output of Fish Products This Year

This year, Russia has reduced its production of fish products, mainly due to unfavorable weather conditions, which have led to a decline in pollock catch, the most important fish in the country’s overall fish catch structure.

According to data from the Russian Fish Union’s Analytical Center, the production of Russian fish products in Q1 2025 amounted to 1.16 million tons, which is 3% lower on year-on-year basis. Of these products, frozen fish products decreased by 4%, amounting to 722,000 tons. At the same time, the production of frozen fish...

Southern Shrimp Alliance Celebrates Trump’s Executive Order to Strengthen American Seafood Industry

The Southern Shrimp Alliance (SSA) recently released a statement applauding President Trump’s executive order “Restoring American Seafood Competitiveness,” which he signed on April 17.

According to the SSA, the action directly confronts the existential threats currently facing the U.S. domestic shrimp industry including unfair trade practices, imported shrimp that is unsafe or linked to forced labor practices, and regulatory imbalances. The Alliance added that foreign competitors do not have to face the same regulations or economic and logistic barriers as U.S. shrimpers...

SEAD Testing Shows 43% of Gulf Shores Restaurants Are Falsely Labeling Shrimp Dishes

According to genetic testing conducted last week by Seafood Development Consulting (SEAD), approximately 43% of restaurants in Gulf Shores, Alabama (19 out of 44 establishments) are currently misrepresenting farm-raised imported shrimp as local wild-caught Gulf Coast shrimp.

The testing was commissioned by the Southern Shrimp Alliance (SSA), along with previously conducted genetic testing for other Gulf coast shrimp towns like Baton Rouge, Savannah, Galveston, St. Petersburg, and Tampa, which showed notable percentages of mislabeling...

The Winding Glass: We Will All Pay the Price for Tariff Stupidity, Incompetence, and Hubris- Opinion

Trump has no tariff plan. Most tariffs are negotiated on specific commodities, with painstaking analysis of costs of inputs, subsidies, and trade balances. Anyone who remembers the imposition of shrimp tariffs in 2004 knows that even though the process was driven by the politics of domestic shrimpers, the actual process was detailed and company specific. As a result, those companies demonstrating a lack of subsidy and realistic cost inputs avoided significant tariffs. Within a short time, the shrimp market was healthy again...

Sustainable Shrimp Partnership, CNA Recognize Ecuadorian Shrimp Hatchers for Sustainability Efforts

The Sustainable Shrimp Partnership (SS) and Ecuador’s National Chamber of Aquaculture (CNA) recognized Biogemar, Omarsa Mar Bravo, and Promarisco Chanduy hatcheries for their commitment to sustainability in shrimp larval production.

The recognition was held on March 12 during AquaExpo and highlighted the progress made through the SSP and CNA’s Scale Up initiative.

The Scale Up program aimed to raise standards for Ecuador’s shrimp hatcheries. The companies work through training, audits, and the implementation of operational improvements to achieve compliance with the standards outlined in the...

Japanese Importers See Opportunities to Increase Canadian Spot Prawn Imports

According to a Minato Shimbun report, following China's announcement to impose an additional 25% tariff on Canadian seafood products, a Japanese trading company predicts that the volume of Canadian spot prawn and lobster exported to Japan will increase. Regarding Canadian spot prawns, the trading company predicts that "in recent years, exports to Japan have decreased due to an increase in exports to China, but the Japanese market will be subject to market restructuring."

Canadian spot shrimp are caught in British Columbia. The 2024 fishing season was from...

Ecuador’s SSP Celebrates Seven Years of Shrimp Sustainability

The Sustainable Shrimp Partnership (SSP) is celebrating its seventh anniversary as a global benchmark entity for responsible shrimp production.

SSP is comprised of leading shrimp producers in Ecuador’s booming shrimp farming sector, which currently dominates the global shrimp market.

“Leading by example has not only been a strategic foundation but also our greatest source of learning,” said SSP Director Pamela Nath, commemorating another year since the organization’s 2018 founding.

The Partnership’s certification program plays a vital role in how the SSP moves the needle on shrimp farming. At its core, SSP certification...

FDA Ends Two-Month Streak of No Entry Line Refusals for Antibiotic-Contaminated Shrimp

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently released new data showing a total of 92 seafood entry line refusals in February 2025, and a total of four entry line refusals of shrimp (4.2%) for the presence of banned antibiotics, per product traces of veterinary drug residues.

Of the total 92 seafood entry line refusals during February, 26 entry lines were for shrimp imports unrelated to banned antibiotics.

This data follows marks the end of the FDA’s two-month consecutive streak where the federal agency reported...

USDA Awards Nearly $50 Million to Channel Fish, Trident for Pollock Contracts

The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) awarded $47 million to Massachusetts-based Channel Fishing Processing and Seattle-based Trident Seafoods for just over 21 million pounds of Alaska pollock products.

The USDA purchase award description noted that Trident was awarded a little over $25 million for 10.5 million pounds of pollock products. Meanwhile, Channel Fish landed $22.4 million for pollock products to be distributed throughout the country.

The USDA first announced the pollock purchases in February. Expana reported that the government was eyeing...

New Seafood Products Drop as Lenten Season Kicks Off

As the 2025 Lenten season gets underway, several food producers have released limited-time only (LTO) offerings, the most recent of which are Zaxbys, SeaPak, and Natural Grocers.

Last week, a number of U.S. restaurants began showcasing new or existing menu items for the season, which runs from March 5 to April 17 this year. Such notable participants include McDonald’s, Red Lobster, Popeyes, Taco John’s, Jack in the Box, and Long John Silver's.

Zaxbys leans into its popular southern fried shrimp

For this year’s Lenten season, Georgia-headquartered chicken chain Zaxbys...

Senator Cassidy Urges Treasury to Block Funding for Foreign Shrimp Farms

The Southern Shrimp Alliance (SSA), an organization representing the domestic shrimp industry, commended a recent letter from US Senator Bill Cassidy (R-LA), who called on Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to block taxpayer dollars from financing foreign shrimp aquaculture projects.

Cassidy, a senior member of the Senate Finance Committee, urged the Treasury Department to “take all necessary actions to prevent any future funding of shrimp aquaculture development, which would exacerbate the financial crisis facing U.S. shrimpers.”

According to the letter, Ecuadorian shrimp producers and exporters...

Commissioner Sid Miller Declares Support for Federal Intervention in the Gulf Shrimp Industry

In a statement on February 25, Commissioner Sid Miller of the Texas Department of Agriculture declared support for Texas Representative A.J. Louderback’s new proposal for federal intervention in the Gulf shrimp industry. The proposal, titled HCR 76, was filed on February 13 and urges the federal government to curb mass importation of foreign shrimp. 

Commissioner Miller declared that the Gulf shrimp industry is currently facing a “catastrophic crisis” after years of farm-raised, foreign-imported shrimp devastating the livelihoods of Gulf shrimpers...

Over 21 Million Pounds of Alaska Pollock Among USDA’s Latest Seafood Purchase Requests

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is seeking bids on various seafood products, including catfish, shrimp, and Alaskan pollock, through Section 32.

The USDA stated that the products, announced in three separate solicitations, will be used in domestic food distribution programs. Bids are due by February 27, and acceptances will be announced on March 6. The largest purchase is focused on Alaskan pollock, with the USDA looking for bids on over 21 million pounds of product. The offerings range from frozen pollock fillets...

Japan: Shrimp Imports Rose 8% in 2024, with Ecuador Imports Doubling and Argentina Imports up 40%

Japan's shrimp imports in 2024, including frozen and processed shrimp, reached 213,826 tons, an increase of 8% from the previous year and exceeding the lowest level since 2012. The increase is due to a doubling of frozen shrimp imports from Ecuador. Japan’s 2024 shrimp import value came in at 186.3 billion yen ($1.22 billion), reported Minato Shimbun.

According to the Ministry of Finance's trade statistics, frozen shrimp increased by 10%, amounting to 152,451 tons and a total value of 199.8 billion yen...