USTR Extends Section 301 Exclusions for 10 Seafood Tariff Lines, Keeps Chinese Vessel Fees on Hold

The Office of the US Trade Representative (USTR) has pushed back two China-related Section 301 deadlines by two months. The extensions keep a set of seafood tariff exclusions in place and extend the suspension of fees on Chinese-built and Chinese-operated vessels.

In one Federal Register notice, USTR extended all 178 existing product exclusions from the Section 301 tariffs on Chinese imports. Ten of them cover seafood tariff lines. The exclusions had been set to expire today...

ANALYSIS: Atlantic Halibut Finds Seasonal Support, but Still Trails Recent Benchmarks

Atlantic halibut remains a volatile market, but it is still showing some familiar seasonal patterns. Prices are moving into the typical late-year upswing, a period when reduced fishing activity and a modest holiday demand lift often combine to support the market.

Even with that seasonal firming, the current market sits below both year-ago levels and the three-year average for this point in the calendar. That suggests the market is following a recognizable seasonal path, but from a lower base than in recent years. In other words, the direction is familiar even if the price level is...

BioMar Ecuador Inaugurates Shrimp Feed Production Expansion

BioMar Ecuador announced on November 9 that it has inaugurated the first phase of its production expansion project for shrimp feed.

BioMar Ecuador plans to increase production capacity from 300,000 to 410,000 tons during 2026 through operational improvements and a new production line, supplemented by external capacity arrangements, the company said.

"Ecuador is one of the most important shrimp markets globally, and we see strong potential for continued growth," said Henrik Aarestrup, VP LATAM Shrimp & Hatchery at BioMar.

BioMar Ecuador Managing Director Andres Rivadulla noted that the inauguration

Sri Lankan Blue Swimming Crab Fishery Earns MSC Certification After Decade of Work

The North-Western Sri Lanka blue swimming crab fishery has achieved Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certification, making it the first fishery in the country to meet the MSC Fisheries Standard for environmental sustainability. The milestone follows more than a decade of work by fishing communities, exporters, government and other stakeholders to protect the country's blue swimming crab stocks.

The certification covers two units of assessment off the north-western coast: Palk Bay and the Gulf of Mannar. Small-scale fishers use bottom-set gillnets from traditional boats...

Kura Sushi USA Posts Fiscal Q4 Comp Decline as Tariffs Weigh on Imported Ingredient Costs

Kura Sushi USA reported a 5.7% drop in fiscal fourth-quarter comparable restaurant sales on Nov. 5. The decline was driven by an 11.5% fall in traffic, partly offset by a 5.8% rise in price and mix.

Sales rose 12% to $88.9 million from $79.4 million as new restaurants opened. The company posted an operating loss of $0.6 million, versus operating income of $1.5 million a year earlier. Adjusted net income was $0.9 million...

ANALYSIS: Fewer Fish and Falling Biomass Reshape Norway’s Salmon Outlook 

Norwegian Atlantic salmon harvest increased 3.2% year over year (YOY) in September 2026, according to the Norwegian Directorate of Fisheries. The harvest through September was 5.0% higher year-to-date (YTD). However, alive biomass has been declining since August and fell 2.9% YOY in September (Figure 1)...

Norway's Salmon Exports Hit Record, but US Sales Slip 11%

Norway's salmon exports reached a record value in October, even as shipments to the US fell. Salmon exports totaled 159,810 tonnes, worth NOK 13 billion, up 6% in value and 9% in volume from the previous year, according to the Norwegian Seafood Council (NSC). October set a record monthly salmon export value, NOK 264 million above September's record.

The US did not share in that growth. Norway's exports to the US fell 11% in October, to NOK 1.2 billion, driven by...

For Second Year in a Row, No Tanner Crab Season in Kodiak, Chignik or South Peninsula Districts

The Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G) announced on Tuesday that, for the second year in a row, there will be no tanner crab (also called bairdi) fishery in the Kodiak, Chignik or South Peninsula districts in 2027.

The last year crab fishermen landed product from those areas was 2025. Surveys showed 560,000 pounds available for harvest in Kodiak and 210,000 pounds open in the South Peninsula. The Chignik area was closed...

UK Seafood Imports Reach £4.1 Billion as Ecuador and China Climb

The UK imported £4.1 billion of seafood in 2025, with imports rising 6% in value and 1% in volume to 1,180,000 tonnes, according to Seafish's Seafood in Numbers 2026. The UK remains a net buyer of seafood, and the report says it "buys the bulk of its seafood."

China is the largest source by volume, at 189,067 tonnes, up 4% from the previous report. Ecuador's imports reached 86,410 tonnes, up 23% year on year. Tuna is the UK's most imported species, at 235,120 tonnes...

Alaska Salmon Harvest Halves in 2026, but Ex-Vessel Value Rises 20%

The Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G) has released preliminary figures for the 2026 statewide salmon season. The commercial harvest was 99 million salmon, down from 195 million in 2025, while the estimated ex-vessel value rose 20% to $648 million from $541 million.

The value gain came from higher prices. ADF&G says the 2026 statewide average ex-vessel price per pound for all salmon species improved considerably on 2025, offsetting the lower harvest volume...

USDA Seeks Wild Salmon Fillets and Shrimp for Federal Food Programs

The US Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Marketing Service has issued a combined solicitation for wild frozen salmon fillets and peeled and deveined shrimp for federal food and nutrition programs. Solicitation 12-3J14-27-B-0091 was posted November 4, and bids are due November 17 at 1:00 p.m. Central Time. Awards will be announced by 5:00 p.m. Central Time on November 30...

Russian Capelin Catches Face Steep Fall, Halibut Quota Rises

Russia may see a serious drop in capelin catches in the Barents Sea in the coming years, as the state of the stock remains complex. Konstantin Drevetnyak, general director of the Union of Fishing Producers of the Russian North, has raised serious concerns about future capelin catch trends in Russian waters. He said that both this year and next, only scientific catches of the species are permitted, with no commercial quota...

DFO Opens Consultation on Listing 12 Atlantic Salmon Populations Under Species at Risk Act

Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) is consulting on whether to list 12 Atlantic salmon populations under the Species at Risk Act (SARA). Fisheries Minister Joanne Thompson announced the move Nov. 5.

The populations span Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, and Newfoundland and Labrador. They include the Gaspé Peninsula, Outer Bay of Fundy, Southern Gulf of St. Lawrence and Cape Breton, and Southern Labrador populations...

Vietnam Shrimp Antidumping Duties Reshuffle as Commerce Finalizes Review

The US Department of Commerce has issued final results in the 20th administrative review of the antidumping order on frozen warmwater shrimp from Vietnam, covering entries from February 1, 2024, to January 31, 2025. Commerce found that sales were made below normal value and set margins of 10.71% for the Fimex Group, 6.36% for STAPIMEX and 7.59% for 17 separate-rate exporters. The notice is dated November 2 and was published in the Federal Register on November 6 (91 FR 70048)...

Expana's Weekly Top 10

From global commodity markets to restaurant dining rooms, developments across industries are reshaping the business landscape. Shifting trade relationships, supply constraints, market volatility and changing consumer demand are creating new challenges and opportunities, while companies across the supply chain continue to adapt and position themselves for growth.

Find archived recaps here.  

Agricultural Markets and Supply Chain Pressures

10. PODCAST: Episode 49 - Ammonia, CO2, and Sulfur: The Supply Chain Risks Facing Agrifood by Simon Duke

This episode of Agrifood for Thought examines tightening ammonia, CO2 and sulfur supplies and the potential impact...

Premium Brands Posts Record Q3 as Clearwater Volumes Fall 9%

Clearwater Seafoods' loss before shareholder-related expenses narrowed sharply in the third quarter, helped by the absence of a large 2025 write-down. Clearwater's revenue from continuing operations was C$103.2 million ($73.2 million), down from C$106.9 million a year earlier.

Sales volumes fell 9.3% on normal volatility in catch rates and the timing of sales, partly offset by higher selling prices for most species. Its loss before shareholder-related expenses was C$1.4 million, against C$39.9 million in the third quarter...

Norcod Posts First Profitable Quarter as Cod Biomass Hits Record

Norcod, the Norwegian cod farmer listed on Oslo's Euronext Growth market, reported its first profitable quarter in Q3 2026, with EBIT of NOK 23 million and net profit of NOK 8.5 million, according to its quarterly report. Operating revenues rose to NOK 89 million from NOK 37 million a year earlier.

CEO Christian Riber called the quarter a significant moment for Norcod, adding that it is "only the beginning of cod farming realizing its potential...