House Agriculture Panel Weighs USMCA Future as July 1 Deadline Expected to Pass

The House Agriculture Committee will hold a hearing on Wednesday titled "Agricultural Perspectives on the Future of the USMCA" as the US, Mexico and Canada are expected to blow past the July 1 deadline to renew the trade agreement, according to Bloomberg. The missed milestone will trigger rolling annual reviews instead of a 16-year extension, creating extended uncertainty for agricultural trade across North America.

The June 10 hearing comes as agriculture emerges as a major factor in the USMCA review process...

Bipartisan Senate Bill Targets Flag of Convenience Loophole in Illegal Fishing

Senators Jeff Merkley (D-OR) and Roger Wicker (R-MS) introduced bipartisan legislation last week to close vessel-flagging loopholes that enable illegal fishing operations to flood US markets with untraceable seafood.

The Protecting US Fishers from Illegal Foreign Flags Act would hold illegal fishers accountable for using "flags of convenience" – registering vessels in countries with weak oversight to avoid environmental and labor standards while operating in international waters.

"Flags of convenience enable IUU fishing by allowing vessels to dodge oversight, further exposing American consumers...

Norway Scraps Aquaculture Price Council After Industry Pressure

Norway's parliament voted to abolish the Aquaculture Price Council last week, ending a controversial taxation mechanism that the salmon farming industry had long criticized.

Seafood Norway CEO Geir Ove Ystmark called the Storting's decision "correct and long-awaited," arguing the council applied petroleum and hydropower tax models unsuitably to aquaculture. The council set theoretical monthly benchmark prices for determining taxable revenues, but Ystmark said this created a "theoretical average tax that attempts to find a market price that does not actually exist...

UNFI Posts Higher Profitability and Cash Flow in Fiscal Q3 Despite Sales Decline

United Natural Foods, Inc. (UNFI) reported third-quarter fiscal 2026 results showing improved profitability, stronger cash flow and continued progress on operational initiatives, even as net sales declined year over year (YOY) due largely to ongoing optimization efforts.

For the 13-week period ended May 2, 2026, net sales totaled $7.7 billion, down 4.2% YOY. The company said the result included an approximately 450-basis-point impact from optimization actions.

Net income reached $33 million, or $0.52 per...

House Passes Larsen Bill to Reauthorize Northwest Straits Commission

The US House has overwhelmingly passed legislation to reauthorize the Northwest Straits Commission for another seven years, backing a long-running, community-driven effort to restore marine habitats in Puget Sound. The bill, led by Rep. Rick Larsen (D-WA), cleared the chamber on a 374–49 vote.

“The Commission’s bottom-up approach has ensured that local communities have the resources and expertise they need to keep marine habitats healthy,” Larsen said, noting its role in recovering threatened species “including Southern Resident Killer Whales...

Japan Kamaboko Association Petitions Fisheries Agency on Surimi Supply Stability

According to a report from Minato Shimbun, the Japan Kamaboko Association's Chairman, Kazuo Abe, visited the Fisheries Agency on June 4th and submitted a petition to Director-General Hitoshi Fujita, strongly urging the maintenance of a stable supply of surimi products. The petition requested comprehensive support from the government due to supply constraints in both surimi and packaging materials resulting from the situation in the Middle East. The request also included a temporary relaxation of labeling rules due to changes in the fish species used as raw material for surimi...

UMass Dartmouth Survey Find Promisings Early Signs for Gulf of Maine Cod

Researchers from the UMass Dartmouth School for Marine Science and Technology have returned from a 10-day Spring 2026 Gulf of Maine video trawl survey with encouraging preliminary indications for Atlantic cod, a species that has long been central to New England’s fishing heritage.

The Spring 2026 video trawl survey, conducted in partnership with commercial fishermen and supported by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, collected roughly 65 hours of underwater footage that will now be analyzed to identify and count fish species across...

Newsan Completes Glaciar Pesquera Acquisition, Adds Patagonian Scallops

Argentine conglomerate Newsan has acquired Glaciar Pesquera from Canada's Clearwater Seafoods, adding Patagonian scallops to its seafood portfolio along with two factory vessels, Ushuaia operations, and a French logistics base. The deal was announced Thursday, according to Mar y Pesca Noticias Patagónicas.

Newsan said in a statement that the addition of Glaciar Pesquera, which was founded by Canada-based Clearwater Seafoods and Eduardo Gonzalez Lemmi, an Argentine fishing entrepreneur, will add Patagonian scallops to its product portfolio, per Infobae. The acquisition also adds an operations center in France, strengthening its global distribution...

Russia's Pacific Capelin Catch Surges 62% Above Entire 2025 Total

Russia is experiencing a Pacific capelin catch boom this year, with January–May catches exceeding 2025 totals by more than 62%.

Catch volumes reached 13,000 tons, according to the All-Russian Association of Fishery Producers (VARPE). By comparison, 2025's total catch was 7,600 tons, down 23% year-on-year and marking a ten-year low.

Aleksandr Savelyev, head of the Russian Fisheries Information Agency, told Russian business paper Kommersant the catch increase stems primarily from growing capelin stocks. He noted that capelin populations fluctuate annually depending on natural and...

Commerce Amends Thai Shrimp Dumping Duties After Ministerial Error Claims

The Commerce Department has amended its final results in the 2023-2024 antidumping review of frozen warmwater shrimp from Thailand, correcting ministerial errors that affected dumping margin calculations for major Thai exporters.

Thai Union Group's weighted-average dumping margin was adjusted to 1.24%, while the adverse facts available rate for Charoen Pokphand Foods increased to 26.66% from 17.38%. The errors involved omitting the programming language for importer-specific assessment rates and assigning incorrect surrogate costs to certain control numbers...

Norwegian Seafood Council Pushes Street Food Innovation for UK Fish and Chip Shops

The Norwegian Seafood Council is encouraging British fish and chip shops to embrace street food trends as a growth strategy, showcasing globally inspired Norwegian whitefish dishes at a recent London Inspiration Day for National Fish & Chip Awards winners.

Michelin-starred chef Simon Hulstone demonstrated recipes, including crispy haddock hot dogs, poppadom-encrusted saithe, and nori-wrapped tempura cod, designed to complement traditional menus without replacing core offerings. The initiative targets changing consumer preferences, with 54% interested in unique dining experiences and 75% describing themselves as...

Nomad Foods Appoints Dior Decupper as President of Central Europe

Europe’s frozen food company, Nomad Foods, has appointed Dior Decupper as President Central Europe, effective immediately. Decupper joins the company’s Executive Team and will report to Chief Executive Officer Dominic Brisby.

In the role, she will oversee Nomad Foods’ commercial operations across Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Sweden, Finland, Denmark and Norway. The portfolio includes the company’s flagship frozen food brands iglo and Findus. Her mandate will center on strengthening local market performance, sharpening commercial execution and advancing the company’s broader strategic priorities across the...

ANALYSIS: Norwegian Atlantic Salmon Exports Surge Amid Harvest Declines

Norwegian Atlantic salmon harvest dropped 6.6% year-over-year (YOY) in April 2026, according to the Norwegian Directorate of Fisheries. The harvest level through April was 2.6% higher year-to-date (YTD). Continuing recent trends, stock biomass remained 1.7% lower YOY (Figure 1). Despite the slowdown in harvest compared to the previous month, down 4.2% month-over-month (MOM) in April, market participants reported adequate to fully adequate supply levels...

Chile Posts 13% Fisheries Growth in 2025 as Jack Mackerel, Sardine Surge; Salmon Dominates Farming

Chile's National Fisheries and Aquaculture Service (Sernapesca) reported total sector landings of 4.51 million tons in 2025, marking a 13% increase from the previous year as both wild-capture and farmed production expanded across major species categories.

The annual statistics, released on June 3, show that industrial fishing contributed 1.27 million tons, while artisanal operations landed 1.72 million tons. Aquaculture harvests reached 1.53 million tons, with the combined sectors reflecting broad-based growth across Chile's fishing regions...

House Bill Would Subject Marine Monument Fishing to Magnuson-Stevens Rules

The House Subcommittee on Water, Wildlife and Fisheries examined legislation on June 3 that would require fishing in marine national monuments to follow federal fisheries management standards, along with measures expanding Alaska Native sea otter harvesting rights and Gulf state waters.

Rep. Amata Coleman Radewagen's (R-American Samoa) H.R. 8904 would codify that fishing in marine national monuments designated under the Antiquities Act must be regulated under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act. The measure aims to maintain US fisheries management standards while ensuring responsible access to resources...

Nissui Raises Shipping Prices Up to 30% on Frozen Foods, Fish Products

Japanese seafood giant Nissui announced June 1 that it will increase shipping prices on household frozen foods, processed fish products, and commercial frozen foods effective September 1, 2026.

The price increases range from 2% to 30%, depending on product category, with household processed foods, including chikuwa, crab-flavored kamaboko, and fish sausage, seeing 5-17% increases. Household prepared frozen foods and frozen agricultural products will increase 2-17%, while some commercial frozen foods face increases of up to 30%...

European Commission Approves €25 Million Spanish Fuel Aid for Fishing Companies

The European Commission approved a €25 million ($29.9 million) Spanish state aid scheme to support fishing companies facing increased fuel prices due to the Middle East crisis.

The scheme was approved under the Middle East Crisis Temporary State Aid Framework (METSAF) adopted by the Commission on April 29, 2026, the EC said in a press release Tuesday.

Under the Spanish program, companies engaged in primary fishery production can receive direct grants of €0.20 for each liter of diesel purchased from March 22 through June 30...