ANALYSIS: US Sockeye Prices Closed 2026 Season at Multi-Year Highs Amid Broader Alaska Shortfalls

Fresh wild sockeye (H&G, 4-6 lb., FOB Seattle) closed out its 2026 season at some of the highest levels seen in at least three years. The weekly average price finished at $8.425/lb, near the top of its 52-week range ($6.25–$8.75), and had climbed roughly 10.5% over the trailing month heading into the close. Year over year, the series ended up about 35% higher than the same point last year...

Ecuador's Shrimp Industry Sounds Alarm as Power Rationing and Tariff Hikes Squeeze Supply Chain

Ecuador's shrimp industry is mounting a two-front warning to the government this week, with both the national hatchery association and the broader aquaculture chamber saying electricity rationing and a steep tariff increase threaten the country's top export commodity from the larvae tank through to the packing plant.

The trigger was an October 1 reform by Ecuador's electricity regulator, ARCONEL, raising rates for high-voltage industrial users — the AV1 and AV2 categories covering most shrimp processors and feed mills...

Supreme Court Won't Hear Maine Lobsterman's GPS Tracking Challenge, Ending Multiyear Fight

The US Supreme Court declined Monday to hear a Maine lobsterman's Fourth Amendment challenge to the state's electronic vessel-tracking requirement, leaving a lower-court ruling in place and closing out a multiyear legal battle, Maine Morningstar reported.

Frank Thompson, a Vinalhaven lobsterman, brought the case, arguing that Maine's requirement to install a government GPS tracker on his boat amounted to unconstitutional continuous surveillance as a condition of holding a fishing license. Expana reported that the case is heading to the Supreme Court in September, after justices agreed...

QSR Report Finds that AI Boosts Drive-thru Efficiency, but Slips on Hospitality

Artificial intelligence is playing a bigger role in quick-service restaurant drive-thrus, but new research suggests operators may be sacrificing parts of the guest experience as automation takes over more of the ordering process.

The 2026 QSR Drive-Thru Report, produced by QSR in partnership with Intouch Insight, found that hospitality-related employee behaviors declined when AI handled the ordering interaction. The findings point to a potential trade-off for restaurant operators looking to improve efficiency...

Loblaw Recalls SeaQuest, President's Choice Shrimp Cocktail Products Over Undeclared Mustard

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency issued a national recall on October 6 for two shrimp cocktail products sold by Loblaw Companies, citing undeclared mustard — an allergen not listed on the label.

The affected products are President's Choice Black Tiger Shrimp with Mild Cocktail Sauce (568 g, UPC 0 60383 18048 5, best before October 6-7, 2026) and SeaQuest Shrimp Ring with Mild Cocktail Sauce (454 g, UPC 0 60383 18047 8, with best-before dates ranging from November 2026 through July 2027)...

Publix Donates Nearly $100,000 to Sustainable Fisheries Partnership, Marks 16 Years of Collaboration

Publix is highlighting its partnership with the Sustainable Fisheries Partnership (SFP) for National Seafood Month, donating nearly $100,000 to the nonprofit in 2026 and pushing its total contribution to the organization past $1.2 million since the relationship began 16 years ago.

SFP works with the seafood industry to rebuild depleted fish stocks, reduce the environmental impact of fishing and fish farming, and sustain economic opportunities for fishing communities worldwide. Publix has used the partnership to evaluate its seafood sourcing and fund projects that address environmental...

Hodges: Fall Crab Supply Improves. Buyers Remain Selective

October’s National Seafood Month provides a timely opportunity to promote seafood and begin planning holiday purchases. For the crab industry, the fall outlook brings encouraging news from Alaska, limited uncommitted Canadian snow crab inventory, and continued growth in Norwegian snow crab shipments to the United States. The opportunity is there, but consumer response to current prices will determine how much additional business develops.

Alaska’s new allocations are a particularly positive development, led by a major increase in Bering Sea Tanner crab. The combined eastern and western allocations total 32.1 million pounds...

NOAA Confirms 76 US Large Whale Entanglements for 2025; 2026 Expected to Break All-time Record

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has just confirmed 76 large whale entanglement cases in 2025, a decrease from 2024. But according to a press release from the Center for Biological Diversity (CBD), public data from May showed that at least 51 whales died on the U.S. West Coast so far this year.

NOAA’s National Report on Large Whale Entanglements Confirmed in the United States in 2025 states that entanglements in 2025 were lower than the 95 confirmed large whale entanglement cases in 2024...

Commerce Finalizes AD Review on Thai Frozen Shrimp, Keeps Thai Union Rate at 1.76%

The US Department of Commerce has finalized its administrative review of the antidumping duty order on frozen warmwater shrimp from Thailand, confirming that select Thai producers and exporters sold the product below normal value during the review period and leaving margins unchanged from its preliminary findings.

Commerce determined that certain producers/exporters subject to this administrative review made sales of certain frozen warmwater shrimp from Thailand at less than normal value during the period of review...

Thai Express: 2025 Lobster LTO 'Sold Through Faster Than Anticipated,' Paving Way for Calamari

Thai Express is framing its new Crunchy Calamari launch as a deliberate second act in a seafood strategy that began with a 2025 lobster limited-time offer (LTO) — one the Canadian quick-service chain says performed well enough to justify building on it, even as the brand declines to commit to seafood as a permanent fixture just yet.

Expana reported on the calamari launch when it debuted in September, noting Thai Express was betting on the dish as Canada's next premium QSR protein...

Datassential Sees Familiar Flavors, Global Specialties Shaping 2027 Food and Beverage Innovation

Some of the food and beverage trends expected to shape 2027 are not entirely new. According to Datassential, several familiar menu items that have already reached broad adoption are gaining renewed momentum as operators find new ways to use them.

In highlights from its 2027 Trends Report, the market research firm said items such as banana, anchovy, mango, deli salads and the old fashioned are seeing a comeback, even though they are already well established. The company said these concepts are being refreshed through...

FDA Cites Star Ocean Wholesale Foods for Repeat Seafood HACCP Importer Violations

The US Food and Drug Administration issued a warning letter dated September 1 to Star Ocean Wholesale Foods, addressed to company president Che Ku, citing the importer for serious violations of the seafood Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) regulation under 21 CFR Part 123.

The letter, assigned CMS Case #736562 and issued by FDA's Office of Inspections and Investigations, followed a seafood HACCP inspection conducted August 4-6. FDA found that Star Ocean, as an importer of fish and fishery products, did not have...

TUNACONS Brings Together Vessel Owners from Several Countries to Discuss the Challenges BBNJ Poses

During the CONXEMAR trade fair, TUNACONS invited vessel owners from several countries to a meeting to discuss the scope of the Agreement on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biological Diversity of Areas beyond National Jurisdiction, known as the BBNJ Agreement, and its potential implications for high-seas fisheries.

The meeting provided an opportunity to exchange views on the actions the fishing sector should pursue globally with governments in order to prevent negative impacts on responsible fishing activities while contributing to the conservation...

ANALYSIS: Record Peeled Volume Drives August US Shrimp Import Total, Closes Year-to-Date Deficit

August imports totaled 175.7 million lbs, close to the 176.0 million lbs estimate and the Expana projection at the aggregate level. The composition differed from expectations: peeled imports reached 97.3 million lbs, above the estimated range's upper bound of 93.3 million lbs.

This is the largest peeled volume recorded in a single month in the available data. July's total of 94.9 million lbs was the second-largest on record, behind August 2021's 96.6 million lbs; August 2026 surpassed that figure...

ADF&G Sets 2026/27 Bering Sea Crab TACs: Tanner Crab Nearly Triples to 32.1 Mlbs as Snow Crab Dips

The Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G) announced the Total Allowable Catches (TACs) for the 2026/27 Bering Sea crab season, with tanner crab significantly up from last year and snow crab down. Bristol Bay Red King Crab (BBRKC) TAC is also up from last year, to 3.41 million pounds.

Snow Crab

The 2026/27 Bering Sea snow crab fishery has a total TAC of 5.1 million pounds, comprised of 4.59 million pounds in the...

Norwegian Seafood Exports Flat in September Despite Record Salmon Volumes, US Sales Keep Sliding

Norway exported seafood worth NOK 17.8 billion ($1.9 billion) in September, down NOK 27 million from the same month last year — essentially flat, even as the country shipped more salmon in a single month than ever before.

"Norway has never exported a higher volume of salmon in a single month than it did in September," said Christian Chramer, CEO of the Norwegian Seafood Council. "At the same time, prices have risen in both euros and US dollars...

Japan Kamaboko Association Warns of Surimi Price Spike; Pangasius Demand May Boost Supply

On Sept. 30 in Osaka, the Japan Kamaboko Association held its first West Japan Block Meeting—drawing 43 attendees, including executives from member surimi-product companies—to share updates on surimi raw materials and discuss challenges facing manufacturers, the Minato Shimbun reported. Presentations covered production trends and processing systems for pollock surimi from the US and Russia and for farmed pangasius surimi from Vietnam, and also included a lecture on the health benefits of fish protein aimed at supporting...