The Winding Glass: Heavy Lobster and Crab Tariffs Could Cripple the US; Canadian Seafood Industry

Canadian lobster and crab industries face severe stress due to President-elect Trump’s threat to impose 25% tariffs across the board on all Canadian imports to the US.

Under the worst-case scenario, higher sale prices would cut demand to the extent that lobster and crab would be left in the water. For both exports, the Canadians have no replacement for the US market. To increase sales to China, Japan, and Europe, they would have to offer drastic price cuts...

Genetic Testing Reveals Mississippi Restaurants Misrepresenting Gulf Shrimp

A recent investigation found extensive mislabeling and misrepresentation of shrimp served at restaurants in the Mississippi Gulf Coast region.

SeaD Consulting, a firm focused on monitoring seafood mislabeling through genetic testing, said it found that many establishments in the area are misleading consumers by offering imported shrimp rather than locally caught fare.

Findings from SeaD Consulting indicated that restaurants in Biloxi, Gulf Shores, and surrounding areas featured marketing focused on “fresh local seafood,” but imported shrimp was frequently substituted for the local wild-caught shrimp, which remains a staple in the region...

The Retail Rundown: Diving into December Deals

With the year-end holidays soon approaching, shoppers are eagerly diving into December deals. Retailers aim to capitalize on the season's spending surge with enticing offers on everything from festive foods to decadent desserts, decor, and other holiday items. 

Consumer spending on winter holidays is projected to hit a record-breaking $902 per person this year, according to a survey by the National Retail Federation (NRF) and Prosper Insights & Analytics. This figure marks a $25 increase from 2023 and surpasses the previous record set in 2019 by $16...

Global Squid Supply Chain Roundtable Discloses Sourcing, Joining SFP’s Ocean Disclosure Project

On December 3, 2024, the Global Squid Supply Chain Roundtable (Squid SR) published details of its participants’ squid sourcing in the Ocean Disclosure Project (ODP), a global platform for voluntary disclosure of seafood sourcing.

Sustainable Fisheries Partnership (SFP) is a marine conservation organization that was founded in 2006. Supply Chain Roundtables (SRs) are pre-competitive, industry-focused discussions facilitated by SFP, which involve global seafood suppliers and focus on improvements in fishery and aquaculture practices, management, and policy.

The disclosure marks the first time a precompetitive collaboration participated with ODP since SFP established the transparency project in 2015. To date, 46 companies from around the world have participated in the project, including major retailers, fish feed manufacturers, suppliers and distributors, and meal kit and subscription food delivery companies.

Proximar Announces New Managing Director

Land-based fish farmer Proximar recently announced that Yoshihito Ito will join the Japanese team as Managing Director, effective as of December 2, 2024.

Ito, who holds a Master of Science in Fisheries from Kagoshima University in Japan, has been working for Nutreco and Skretting for the last 24 years. He has held the positions of General Manager of Skretting Japan since 2010 and General Manager of Nutreco Japan since 2021.

Prior to joining Skretting, Ito also worked for Nippon Roche K.K. and was a member of the global aquaculture expert team in the Roche...

ANALYSIS: EU Imports of Homarus Lobster Slightly Progress in Q3

The most recent data from Eurostat shows that the third quarter of EU Homarus lobster imports stood 4.2% higher than 2023, at 6064 MT of lobster traded in, which translates into a +2.2% rise in value. This gives a rather positive indication of the outcome for the whole year. Historically, EU imports of lobster Homarus spike during the third quarter, and on average, in the last five years, the second half of the year represents 69% of yearly imports...

2024 Pollock Harvest Highlights and a Look at 2025 Quotas

The Alaska pollock (Gadus chalcogrammus) B season officially finished on Nov 1, 2024.  The total catch for the A and B seasons reached 100% of the Total Allowable Catch (TAC) for the Bering Sea and the Aleutian Islands (BSAI), according to the National Marine Fisheries Service’s (NMFS) latest Seasonal Catch Report, including Community Development Quota (CDQ) published on Nov 16, 2024. Meanwhile, the Gulf of Alaska (GOA) harvest has shown a lower percentage due to the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS)...

Russian Fish Processors Plead for Relief Amid Investment Quota Struggles

Leading Russian fish processors have called on the state to ease the existing requirements of the investment quota program due to their inability to ensure the required output at present. Processors are also eyeing exemption from possible fines that would be levied due to not fulfilling the obligations.

So far, the "Russian Cod," one of Russia’s fish processors and producers, has already contacted the local Federal Agency with a request to ease the existing requirements for participants in the investment quota program and exempt them from fines in the...

Innovasea and Mowi Strengthen Partnership with Renewed Global Agreement

Innovasea and fish farming giant Mowi will continue to work together through a renewed global framework agreement, per a December 3 announcement.

The agreement builds on the collaboration between the two parties and officially makes Innovasea the preferred vendor of environmental monitoring equipment and software at all of Mowi’s farming sites.

Mowi has already implemented Innovasea's environmental monitoring systems at multiple locations and will continue to add new sites as part of their ongoing Mowi 4.0 Smart Farming initiative, Innovasea explained in a press release...

Eastern Fish to Handle US Sales and Marketing for Storm Seafood’s Norwegian Salmon Starting in 2025

Massive seafood importer and supplier Eastern Fish will handle all sales and marketing of Storm Seafood’s Norwegian salmon products in the US at the start of 2025, the companies announced on December 3.

Norsk Sjomat AS, the owner of Storm Seafood, which has a sales office in Connecticut, partnered with New Jersey-based Eastern Fish in hopes of reaching more customers and improving their service experience for current and future customers.

Eric Bloom, President of Eastern Fish, stated: “We are honored to take...

Russia: Bering Sea Pollock Catch to Drop by 25% in 2024 Amid Natural, Economic Challenges

The pollock catch in the Bering Sea, one of Russia’s major pollock-producing areas, will decrease by almost 25% in 2024 compared to 2023 to 475,000-480,000 tons, according to recent statements made by the president of the Association of Fishing Fleet Owners (AFFO) Alexey Osintsev at the Far Eastern Scientific and Industrial Council.

According to Osintsev, natural factors, including those affecting fish migration, have a negative impact on the dynamics of the catch. As he explained, the decline in pollock production is a consequence...

Red Lobster Launches New Happy Hour

National seafood restaurant Red Lobster recently announced the launch of Happy Hour, featuring $5 drink specials and $2 off select starters.

The special began Monday, December 2, 2024, and will be available each week Monday – Friday from 3 – 6 PM local time at participating restaurants nationwide.

The starter selection includes the following dishes:

• Lobster Flatbread
• Seafood-Stuffed Mushrooms
• Crab Queso
• Lobster Dip
• Mozzarella Cheesesticks

Nichole Robillard, Chief Marketing Officer at Red Lobster, expressed excitement for the recent launch, saying, “It’s the perfect way to take a break from the hustle and bustle..."

France, Italy, and Spain Request Delay of West Mediterranean Multi Annual Plan  

France, Italy, and Spain’s fisheries ministers have asked the European Commission to delay the implementation of the West Mediterranean Multi Annual Plan (WESTMED MAP) for demersal stocks. The new WESTMED MAP rules limit further the number of days fishermen can go out to sea and are scheduled to begin in January.  

The request comes after French, Italian and Spanish fishermen, joined by Croatian fishermen, signed a declaration calling for a moratorium, and to maintain the same levels of fishing effort and catch limits as in 2024...

Cooke CEO Urges NL Premier to Withdraw from National Marine Conservation Area Proposal

Canadian seafood company Cooke Inc. urged the government to rethink the creation of a National Marine Conservation Area in Canada’s Newfoundland and Labrador Province.

In a letter to NL’s Office of the Premier, Cooke Inc. CEO Glenn Cooke urged Premier Andrew Furey to withdraw from the Memorandum of Understanding to establish the conservation area in the South Coast Fjords region of the province.

Cooke argued that the conservation area, approximately 911,000 hectares (9,110 square kilometers) of provincial inshore waters, would “eliminate fisheries and...

Soaring Costs Squeeze Japan’s Surimi Producers, Industry Calls for Support

According to a press release on November 27 of the Japan Kamaboko Association, the manufacturing costs of fish surimi products are soaring. The price of surimi, the primary raw material, has risen significantly this year, and the cost of packaging materials, labor, logistics, and energy costs such as electricity and gas have also risen sharply.

In this harsh environment, member companies have been working to reduce costs as much as possible by streamlining and improving production efficiency and reviewing raw materials...

Dermo Detected in Nova Scotia Oysters: Canadian Food Inspection Agency Confirms

As of November 27, 2024, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) confirmed the presence of Dermo (also known as Perkinsosis) in oyster samples collected in Merigomish, Nova Scotia.

The disease, caused by the parasite Perkinsosis marinus, poses a threat to Nova Scotia’s oyster populations, with increased potential for oyster mortality and decreased growth rates among oysters.

This follows the CFIA’s recent detection of Dermo in New Brunswick oysters, which we reported on here, on November 25, 2024.

The detection in Nova Scotia marks the first confirmed case of Dermo...

China Lifts Final Market Bans for Two Australian Beef Plants 

As of December 3rd, 2024, two Australian beef plants (Plant 1620 Australia Country Choice Production Pty Ltd and Plant 243 John Dee Warwick Pty Ltd) were approved for export to China, according to the General Administration of Customs of the People’s Republic of China.

The plants were banned from China’s market from 2021 and 2020 amid strained relationships between the two trading partners. 

“This is great news for Australian exporters, producers, and farmers... it’s a win for trade and a win for Australian jobs – something my Government will always back,” said Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.