Alaska Seafood Launches Nationwide Lent Menu Promotion

Alaska Seafood recently launched a string of promotions in advance of Lent 2025, showcasing its products on multiple menus across the country, ranging from fast casual restaurants to more upscale café and dining locations.

Products being promoted include the following Alaskan fish staples: salmon, cod, pollock, flounder, and snow crab.

For the Lent promotions, Alaska Seafood partnered with big names like McDonalds, Popeyes, Jack in the Box, Dairy Queen, and Freddy’s Frozen Custard & Steakburgers, among others.

Below are Alaska Seafood’s fast casual dining menu collaborations:

-- Popeyes: Featuring the Alaska Flounder Fish Sandwich...

Seafood Set to Lead Global Protein Supply Growth in 2025: Rabobank

Seafood is expected to outpace poultry as the top contributor to global protein supply growth in 2025, according to Rabobank.

Rabobank’s ‘Global Animal Protein Outlook 2025’ highlighted the impact of geopolitics, economic conditions and supply availability on animal protein markets for the remainder of the year.

2025 was described as a “turning point,” with seafood leading the pact in terms of supply growth. The banking and financial services firm expects 2025 growth to surpass 2024, with farmed and wild-caught seafood, followed by poultry, leading the charge...

ANALYSIS: Scottish Salmon Witnesses Strong Export Growth Driven by US, EU Demand

Scottish salmon exports reported positive growth in the year to November 2024. In October 2024, the Scottish government disclosed its prediction of a 23% year-on-year (y-o-y) increase in total harvest for 2024. Scotland had 210 active salmon farms in November 2024, according to the report published in January 2025 by the Scottish Salmon Organization. The organization also reported a monthly mortality rate of 1.94% in November, a y-o-y decrease, reflecting improved health performance and supporting the good production level recorded in 2024...

Portuguese Tinned Fish Producer BELA Rebrands and Introduces Direct-to-Consumer Experience

Today, Portuguese tinned fish producer BELA revealed new branding and a revamped website for its hand-packed cod, mackerel, and sardine products.

The change is the first rebranding since BELA’s operations began in 1997, working with local European fishing communities to source sustainable cod, mackerel, and sardines.

To go with the company’s refreshed identity, BELA also introduced a new tagline, “Everyone’s Welcome to the Table™”, emphasizing the inclusivity and accessibility of BELA’s products.

As part of its new website formatting, the family-owned seafood cannery is now...

Better Seafood Board Debuts Third Edition of Best Practices for Addressing Seafood Fraud

The Better Seafood Board (BSB) released the third edition of its “/Industry Guidance of Best Practices for Addressing Seafood Fraud” this month.

The National Fisheries Institute (NFI) sponsored initiative includes a new principle in the new edition: “Products are correctly labeled for all added ingredients, including water.” This principle joins existing principles, “Products are correctly labeled for weights and counts”; “Products are correctly labeled for identity and species are not substituted in any manner”; “Products are correctly labeled for country of origin”; and “Product labeling...

GSMC 2025: Opportunities Abound for Under-the-Radar Salmon Species

At the Global Seafood Market Conference (GSMC) 2025, panelists spotlighted the growing potential of under-the-radar salmon species. Discussions centered on emerging trends in wild salmon catches and the rising momentum of alternative species in the farmed salmon segment, signaling new opportunities for the industry.

Lilani Dunn, Executive Director of the Bristol Bay Regional Seafood Development Association (BBRSDA), highlighted the dip in the wild Pacific salmon catch in 2024. Although the decrease fell in line with the typical two-year cycle of salmon catches...

Russia to Ramp Up State Fish Purchases for Schools and Military

The Russian government plans to stimulate further growth of domestic fish consumption by increasing its purchases for state needs. As part of these plans, state purchases of fish and fish products are expected to increase significantly for military and school needs.

Last year, such recommendations to the government were provided by the Council of Federation, the upper house of the Russian Parliament. In accordance with the proposal of senators, the existing "road map" for increasing fish consumption in Russia by 2030 will include a proposal to expand...

GSMC 2025: A Look at Crab Market Narratives Including Tariffs, Russia and Supply

As the seafood industry navigates uncertainty in 2025, the conversations at GSMC revealed how global events, market trends, and policy shifts are shaping the future of shellfish, including crab. From tightening quotas in key fisheries to geopolitical pressures and evolving consumer preferences, the GSMC Shellfish Panel provided some key insights into what’s in store for crab this year.

Snow Crab

Roman Tkachenko, CEO of Direct Source Seafood, believed that snow crab hit its stride during the second half of the year after witnessing some lackluster demand...

Seafood Nutrition Partnership Expands Fall in Love with Seafood Campaign with H-E-B

The Seafood Nutrition Partnership (SNP) announced it would renew its partnership with retailer H-E-B in January 2025 after a successful ‘Fall in Love with Seafood’ (FILWS) campaign that launched last year.

SNP said it worked alongside the retailer’s seafood and marketing teams to launch the marketing plan, which spanned social, digital, influencer, and retail marketing. The plan included in-store seafood cooking demos and integration into H-E-B Wellness team communications promoting the nutritional benefits of seafood...

Last Areas in Washington Will Open for Dungeness Soon

As Dungeness crab seasons go, this one has seen progressive openings along the West Coast that has kept crab in the marketplace but also created a convoluted overlay of regulatory boundaries, especially in Washington.

The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife announced this week that the coastal Dungeness crab fishery will open from Klipsan Beach, Wash., to the US/Canada border, including Grays Harbor to state crabbers on February 11, 2025. Special Management Areas, ...

Maine DMR Updates Bulletin on Right Whales and Pauses Two-Endline Gear Enforcement

On January 24, 2025, the Maine Department of Marine Resources (DMR) released an updated bulletin for lobstermen regarding the North Atlantic right whales recently spotted off the western edge of Jeffreys Ledge.

Over the last two weeks, up to 90 individual right whales have been identified in the area around Jeffreys Ledge. According to the DMR’s update, right whales may be feeding within this area at depths of around 300 feet or greater.

On January 17, the DMR issued a bulletin urging fishermen to remove their fishing...

Sysco Corporation Reports Strong Q2 Results

Sysco Corporation today announced its financial results for the second quarter, ending December 28, 2024, showing robust growth across key metrics.

Sales increased by 4.5%, reaching $20.2 billion, while gross profit rose by 3.9% to $3.7 billion, reflecting solid performance across the business.

The company met analysts' expectations for the quarter, driven by strong top- and bottom-line growth. International operations, in particular, delivered exceptional results, with operating income rising by 14.5% and adjusted operating income increasing by 26.5%.

"Second quarter results included improvements across the company's core financial drivers... 

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Raids New Jersey Seafood Distributor

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents raided a Newark, New Jersey seafood distributor on January 23, according to a statement from the city’s mayor, Ras Baraka. 

The raid took place at Ocean Seafood Depot in Newark’s Ironbound district. According to the company website, the family business has operated since 1998. It has served restaurants and has a retail location featuring fresh and frozen seafood. 

Local news outlet ABC 7 reported that the raid caught Ocean Seafood Depot’s owner, Luis Janota, by surprise...

Crabbers Keep Grinding on Dungeness Season as Weather Stays Mostly Clear

While stormy weather affected Dungeness crab quality and biotoxin testing in December on the U.S. West Coast, January’s seas have enabled more fishermen to get out on the water.

Oregon’s season south of Cape Falcon, which opened in mid-December, has wound down in some areas, especially those south of Newport, with a few fishermen reporting a significant drop in the number of crab per pot.

Meanwhile, crabbers north of Cape Falcon in Oregon and southern Washington have been fishing for less than two full weeks...

US Coast Guard Rescues Four Passengers After Boat Collision 10 Miles South of Block Island

On January 23, 2025, the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) rescued four individuals from a sinking fishing vessel approximately ten miles south of Block Island, Rhode Island.

Approximately 45 minutes earlier, at about 8:30 p.m., Coast Guard Sector Long Island Sound received a distress call indicating that two fishing boats had collided.

Watchstanders then issued an urgent marine information broadcast and dispatched both a 47-foot motor lifeboat (MLB) and a Coast Guard Air Station Cape Cod MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter...

ADF&G 2025 Forecast for Copper River Harvest is Mostly “Excellent” — 1.92M Sockeye Expected

Yesterday the Alaska Department of Fish. & Game released its forecast for returning salmon into the Copper River and Prince William Sound areas, noting “excellent” or “strong” returns for everything except Chinook salmon in the Copper River.

Chinook or king salmon, largest in body size and longest lived of Alaska’s five species of salmon, has been in decline across the state for many years. In the Copper River, Chinook returns exceeded forecasts in 2017, 2018, and 2019 with total runs of 55,000-65,000 each year. In 2020  ...

China's Russian Live Crab Imports Hit Record High in 2024, Up 17% to 35,000 MT

China's imports of live crab from Russia in 2024 set a new record for the fifth consecutive year. According to statistics from the General Administration of Customs of China, the quantity was 35,108 MT, up 17% or 5,000 MT, from the previous year. This trend is because live crabs are more expensive than frozen crabs, and Russian producers are focusing on exporting live crabs to China. A Japanese trading company said, "Not only land transport but also air transport has increased," Minato Shimbun reported...