Chicken of the Sea Partners with McCormick for New Tuna Products and OLD BAY Collaboration

Seafood company Chicken of the Sea recently partnered up with food company McCormick to incorporate OLD BAY Seafood Seasoning into two of its new tuna packet offerings. Together, the two powerhouses have a combined industry presence of more than 230 years.

The seafood company added the following two items to its on-the-go lineup: Chicken of the Sea Wild Caught Light Tuna Packet with OLD BAY(R) Seasoning and Chicken of the Sea Wild Caught Light Tuna Packet with McCormick(R) Chili Lime...

The Year’s First Tuna Auction Topped at JPY 750,000 per Kilo at Toyosu Market

The annual first auctions of the new year took place on the morning of January 5 at wholesale markets in major Japanese cities. In particular, the bluefin tuna auction at Toyosu Market in Tokyo was highlighted on TV and online news media. According to Minato Shimbun, a fresh bluefin tuna from Oma, Aomori Prefecture, weighing 276 kilos, was sold for 207 million yen ($1.31 million), the second highest value following 333.6 million yen ($2.12 million) recorded in 2019...

South African Albacore Tuna Fishery Lands MSC Certification

The Southern Africa Sustainable Tuna Association (SASTUNA), a group representing the South African albacore tuna pole and line fishery, has been certified to the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) sustainability standard.

The fishery was awarded the third-party certification after a 6-month assessment carried out by SCS Global Services. The fishery lands 3,000-5,000 tonnes of tuna per year. It mainly operates out of Cape Town and Hout Bay, with over 90% of the catch heading to international destinations like Europe, the Americas, Asia and Australia...

New Fishing Show “Harpoon Hunters” to Premier on Discovery Channel Jan. 24

Warner Brothers Discovery has announced the upcoming premier of its new show “Harpoon Hunters,” which will debut on Discovery Channel on January 24, 2025, at 9 p.m. ET/PT.

The show follows elite New England fishermen as they spear large game fish in Cape Cod, including Atlantic bluefin tuna. The multi-generational fishing families race to catch high-valued game fish using ten-foot electrified spears.

The harpooners have four weeks to catch as many fish as they can before the total catch limit is met...

NMFS Announces New 2025 Regulations for Commercial Fishing of Pacific Tuna

The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) recently published the final rule under the Tuna Conventions Act (TCA) of 1950, which involves new regulations for fish aggregating device design and reporting requirement in the Eastern Pacific Ocean. The new regulations will affect commercial fishing for the following species: Pacific yellowfin tuna, Pacific skipjack tuna, and Pacific bigeye tuna.

According to a news release by NOAA Fisheries, the regulatory decision was published on December 6, 2024, and will result in the implementation of two resolutions adopted at the 101st Meeting of...

Tuna Price-Fixing Scandal Winds Down as Court Approves Settlement

The U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California approved the settlement agreement between tuna companies StarKist, its parent company Dongwon Industries and Lion Capital, the owner of Bumble Bee Foods and consumers.

The agreement, approved by U.S. District Court Judge Dana Sabraw, marks the end of a nearly decade-long antitrust case that alleged massive tuna companies engaged in a price-fixing conspiracy. The case involved massive fines and prison sentences.

The latest settlement agreement will see StarKist pay $130 million in cash to consumers...

Breakthrough Achieved in ICCAT’s Challenging Negotiations to Manage Atlantic Tuna, Swordfish

At long last, new management measures for Atlantic tropical tunas and North Atlantic swordfish have been adopted by the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) that will apply to all Atlantic tropical tunas, including bigeye, skipjack, and yellowfin tuna. The negotiations involved a diverse set of parties from around the world with widely divergent fisheries, conservation, and development interests. 

One result of the newly adopted control measures and allocation decisions is that the United States has solidified its current level of access to the fishery and ...

Photo of tunas: NOAA Fisheries

Bumble Bee Seafoods Debuts Singing Tuna Advent Calendar for the Holidays

Bumble Bee Seafoods is in the holiday spirit with the return of its Tuna Lovers’ Advent Calendar, with an interesting added twist.

The 2024 version sings a “tuna tune.” This may be familiar to those who remember the original Bumble Bee jingle, which debuted in the 1970s.

"Our advent calendar was very popular last year, so we knew we had to bring it back and make it even more fun with the new remake of the iconic Bumble Bee theme song," said Dana Kowal, Senior Director of Brand Marketing...

Japan: September Exports Surged 24% to 33,000 MT, Frozen Scallops 4.8 Times to 7,000 MT

According to trade statistics released by the Ministry of Finance, September's fishery product exports (fish and shellfish and their products, and fishmeal) increased 24% year-on-year in quantity to 33,075 tons and 27% value to 26.25 billion yen. The volume and value of frozen scallops were significantly higher than the same month last year. Frozen yellowtail fillets exceeded last year's month. Minato Shimbun highlighted them below.

Frozen scallops (shucked and whole in shell) increased 4.8 times to 7,004 tons and increased 99%...

Bumble Bee Seafoods Expands Product Line with 11 New Convenient Seafood Options

Bumble Bee Seafoods added 11 new products to its canned, pouched and kit-based seafood product lines.

"Everything we create is driven by what consumers value most: nutrition, flavor, and convenience that fits into real life," said Jeremy Zavoral, Senior Director of Innovation & Insights, Bumble Bee Seafoods. "Our goal is to make it easier than ever for people to enjoy seafood in ways that are both practical and delicious."

Find a breakdown of all the new items below...

Japanese Tuna Fishery Company Calls for Import Restrictions on IUU Farmed Tuna 

At the 10th Tokyo Sustainable Seafood Summit (TSSS), hosted by Seafood Legacy and Nikkei ESG, held in Tokyo on October 8-10 to realize a sustainable fisheries industry, attention was focused on the embargo measures to cut off the source of income for IUU (illegal, unreported and unregulated) fisheries. Sotaro Usui, president of Usufuku Honten based in Kesennuma City, Miyagi Prefecture, which operates a deep-sea tuna fishery, called on multiple ministries and agencies to work together to prevent IUU fishery product imports...

Monterey Bay’s Seafood Watch Assigns Pacific Bluefin Tuna Yellow Rating for First Time

Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch program released new assessments for Pacific bluefin tuna fisheries in the Eastern Pacific region. The group assigned a yellow (good alternative) rating to the tuna caught by fisheries in California and Mexico which use FAD-free purse seines, and the U.S. pole-and-line fishery. 

Like all bluefin tuna, the aforementioned fisheries were previously rated red (avoid) due to overfishing. This marked the first time in the two-and-a-half-decade history of the...

North American Bluefin Tuna Prices Rise at Toyosu Market in August

According to a Jiji Press survey, the number of imported tuna arriving at the fresh tuna section of Tokyo's Toyosu Market in August was 3,077, down 3.5% from the same month last year. The number of bigeye tuna increased, but the number of wild bluefin and southern bluefin tuna decreased, as reported by Minato Shimbun.

The total number of bluefin tuna was 381, down about 16% from the same month last year. The main product, Canadian tuna, increased to 211 (167 in the same month last year)...

Kyokuyo Feed-one Marine, Kyokuyo’s Bluefin Farming Arm, Enters Special Liquidation Proceedings 

According to a recent Tokyo Shoko Research (TSR) announcement, Kyokuyo Feed One Marine, which farms and sells bluefin tuna and other fish in Ehime Prefecture, received a special liquidation order from the Yokohama District Court on August 8. Minato Shimbun reported that its debts are approximately 2.465 billion yen ($17.21 million).

The company was established in November 2012 with joint investment from five companies, including Kyokuyo and leading feed manufacturer Nippon Formula Feed. It changed the corporate name to its current name...

Toyosu Market’s June Fresh Imported Tuna Falls by 49.3% 

According to a Jiji Press survey, 829 imported tuna arrived at Toyosu Market in June, a 49.3% decrease from the previous year. The number of bigeye tuna increased, but the number of wild bluefin and southern bluefin tuna dropped significantly, reported Minato Shimbun.

The total number of bluefin tuna was 24 (141 in the same month last year), down 83%. Those from New Zealand were 14, a significant drop from the previous year with 110 fish, where it experienced an unusually good catch. The number of wild bluefins from...

Fresh Catch Yellowfin Tuna Recalled In California Due To High Histamine Levels

High histamine levels found in Fresh Catch’s yellowfin tuna loins have prompted the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to issue a recall.

The recall was initiated on June 12 in the state of California. Products have a code of #461079 or #111097 with an expiration date of April 5, 2024. A total of 716 lbs of yellowfin tuna are impacted as part of the recall. 

Fresh Catch’s recall is listed as a Class II, meaning that there is a “lower chance of causing major injuries or...

Japan’s November Seafood Exports up by 49% Y-O-Y; Scallops up 85% at 3,365 MT

According to trade statistics released by the Ministry of Finance, November's fishery product exports increased 49% in volume compared to the same month last year to 33,306 MT and increased 35% in value to 30,083 million yen ($191.01 million).

According to Minato Shimbun, the increases are a rebound from the embargo on Japanese seafood products imposed by China, the leading destination for frozen scallops, in late August last year, and since September, both volume and value have been significantly higher than the same...

California Governor Requests Fishery Disaster Relief for Albacore Industry

California Governor Gavin Newsom requested a federal fishery disaster declaration to support the albacore fishing industry. 

Newsom’s office explained that last year marked the worst season for the West Coast North Pacific pole and troll albacore fishery in over three decades. The fishery declined in volume and value by 71% and 65%, respectively. 

Newsom joined the governors of Washington and Oregon and submitted the request to U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo. 

“To the California communities that rely on albacore fishing: we’re working to get you the relief you need...

WPRFMC Calls for Action on Fisheries Issues as 2025 Federal Transition Looms

The Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council (WPRFMC/Council) said it concluded its 201st meeting on an optimistic note ahead of the Federal administration change scheduled for January 2025. 

“The Council found that the incoming administration provides a chance to make U.S. fisheries in the Pacific great again,” it wrote in a December 18 press release. WPRFMC handles Hawaii, American Samoa, Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands. 

WPRFMC said that after it landed an increase in longline bigeye tuna quotas last year, US fisheries in the Pacific...

Japan’s Seafood Industry Pushes for Precautionary Tropical Tuna Management

On November 25, 22 companies and organizations, including Seafood Legacy, WWF Japan, Maruha Nichiro, Nissui, AEON, and Mitsubishi Corporation, submitted a letter of request to the Fisheries Agency and the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC) to manage tropical tuna fisheries according to the precautionary principle, reported Minato Shimbun. 

The letter requested that during the WCPFC annual meeting, which begins on November 28, parties should aim for sustainable use and conservation of tuna resources according to the precautionary principle. It was pointed out that while catches...

Strong Middle Eastern Demand Boosts Thai Tuna Export Figures

The export of Thai tuna increased by 33.27% y-o-y in September, as Global Trade Tracker informed. The increase in export levels was linked to a strong rise in demand led by Middle Eastern markets such as Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Israel, with a growth in exports of 10.84%, 129.93%, and 120.36% YTD, respectively.

Thailand’s Office of Trade Policy and Strategy (OTPS) under the Ministry of Commerce credited Middle East nations behind Thailand's strong canned tuna exports in an update published earlier this month. OTPS pointed towards stockpiling...

41 Taiwanese Tuna Longline Vessels Now Seeking Marine Stewardship Council Certification

Ocean Outcomes (O2) and the Taiwan Tuna Longline Association (TTLA) just implemented its first Fishery Improvement Project (FIP), which involves 41 tuna longline vessels with a combined catch of 3,500 metric tons of Albacore, Bigeye, and Yellowfin tuna.

As part of the FIP, vessel owners will work with the TTLA and various stakeholders to advance sustainability initiatives in the fishery while also working towards achieving Marine Stewardship Council Certification by October 2029. Sustainability initiatives will include advocating for and supporting the development of science-based fishery management strategies, expanding...

A Look at the Top 10 Most Consumed Seafood Items in 2022

The National Fisheries Institute (NFI) debuted its annual Top 10 List of the most consumed seafood in 2022. NFI’s list comes shortly after NOAA Fisheries unveiled its Fisheries of the U.S. 2022 Report, which saw Americans consume roughly 19.7 pounds of seafood, a slight downturn from the 20.5 pounds seen in 2021.

Shrimp topped the Top 10 List once again despite a minor decrease in consumption. Salmon finished in second place, and it also witnessed a slight drop in consumption. In third place was canned tuna, which saw...

Chicken of the Sea Expands On-the-Go Lineup with New Tuna, Salmon Packets

Chicken of the Sea expanded its on-the-go seafood options with its Packet Up! Tuna and Salmon Salad Kits.

The company said the introduction of the new items helps bolster its on-the-go seafood options at retailers across the country with customizable kits.

The Packet Up! options include a full-size, wild-caught tuna or salmon packet along with an accompaniment to create a tuna or salmon salad.

- Chicken of the Sea Packet Up!...

WCPO Skipjack and North Pacific Albacore Tuna Fisheries Achieve Major Sustainability Milestones

The Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) said that two key tuna fisheries, the Western Central Pacific Ocean (WCPO) skipjack and North Pacific albacore, achieved a major milestone by implementing “rigorous harvest strategies that ensure the long-term health of these tuna stocks.”

After the fisheries implemented a harvest strategy in December 2023 and the discussions that followed between Conformity Assessment Bodies (CABs) in August, WCPO skipjack, the world’s biggest tuna fishery, has now addressed all associated conditions required for certification to the MSC Fisheries Standard...

Spain’s AGAC Becomes First to Land MSC Certification for All Tropical Tuna Stocks

The Association of Large Freezer Tuna Vessels (AGAC), a Spain-based tuna association, has obtained Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certification for all tropical tuna in the Pacific, including bigeye, yellowfin, and skipjack tunas from the western and eastern Pacific.

The MSC said the total volume of AGAC-certified tuna for all species reaches 312,000 metric tons, with a fleet of 43 certified purse seine vessels. The volume of certified bigeye tuna in the entire Pacific is approximately 18,000t...

Fisheries Agency of Japan to Implement Strict Management of Tuna Sport Fishing

There is a move to apply stricter regulations to tuna fishing for leisure. According to a Minato Shimbun report, to grasp the actual situation of bluefin tuna catches by recreational fishing boats and pleasure boats, the Fisheries Agency plans to introduce a notification system for applicable boats by FY 2026 and then move to full-scale total quantity restrictions at an early stage.

For recreational bluefin tuna catches, an annual quota of 40 tons is set for each period from the "reserved quota," Japan's total catch volume minus...

NOAA Fisheries Denies Port Privileges to Fishing Vessels from 17 Nations

NOAA Fisheries denied U.S. port privileges to various vessels hailing from 17 nations, effective October 10, 2024.

NOAA said the denials are linked to involvement in illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing or fishing practices that harm protected marine life.

The affected vessels include:

- People’s Republic of China-flagged longline fishing vessels authorized under several international commissions

- Russian-flagged fishing vessels authorized under the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources to target toothfish.

- Mexican-flagged vessels operating in...

ANALYSIS: Frozen Tuna Demand is Flat While Rising Freight Costs Loom

According to the latest U.S. Census import data, year-to-date (Jan-May) 2024 frozen tuna imports from all countries total 31 million pounds, marking a 6.1% increase compared to the same period last year and trending 6.31% higher than their 10-year year-to-date average of 29.1 million pounds. Import trends turned positive for the first time in March 2024, following a slowdown in 2023.

Indonesia leads in year-to-date (Jan-May) imports with 12.2 million pounds, marking a slight 0.2% increase...

Acme Smoked Fish Acquires Fellow Brooklyn-Based Business Banner Smoked Fish

Acme Smoked Fish, a fourth-generation, family-owned and operated smoked fish company based in Brooklyn, confirmed on Monday that it has acquired their competitor, fellow Brooklyn-based and family-owned business Banner Smoked Fish.

“We’re thrilled to bring two family business together on a shared mission to make exceptional smoked fish,” said Adam Caslow, managing partner at Acme Smoked Fish and a member of the fourth generation of the business. “It’s an exciting time to work together with the Attias family -- our shared...