Pacific Seafoods and Trident Close Kodiak Deal, Expect Smooth Transition to 2025 Season

Pacific Seafood Group and Trident Seafoods announced yesterday that the purchase of Trident’s processing operations in Kodiak by Pacific Seafood is now complete. The deal was first announced in mid-October, the last of a series of moves Trident made responding to persistent marketing and global financial conditions.

Oregon-based Pacific Seafoods has processed salmon, crab, and groundfish at it’s own plant in Kodiak for years. This acquisition will increase their production significantly.

The acquisition includes three well-established processing plants--Star of Kodiak, Alkod, and Kodiak ...

North Atlantic Right Whales Found Entangled, Bringing Mortality Event Toll to 150

A pair of endangered North Atlantic right whales were found entangled by a NOAA Fisheries aerial survey roughly 50 miles southeast of Nantucket, Massachusetts, on December 9.

The first whale was identified as juvenile male #5110. NOAA Fisheries scientists preliminarily determined that #5110’s entanglement was a “serious injury” case. Signifying that it will likely die from the injury. #5119 has a thick line that passes once across his head and once across his back. This whale was first spotted as a calf in 2021 and was...

WPRFMC Calls for Action on Fisheries Issues as 2025 Federal Transition Looms

The Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council (WPRFMC/Council) said it concluded its 201st meeting on an optimistic note ahead of the Federal administration change scheduled for January 2025. 

“The Council found that the incoming administration provides a chance to make U.S. fisheries in the Pacific great again,” it wrote in a December 18 press release. WPRFMC handles Hawaii, American Samoa, Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands. 

WPRFMC said that after it landed an increase in longline bigeye tuna quotas last year, US fisheries in the Pacific...

NSW Launches FADs for the 2024-2025 Fishing Season

On December 18, 2024, NSW’s Department of Premier and Cabinet announced this year’s deployment of Fish Aggregating Devices (FADs) ahead of the 2024-2025 summer fishing season.

The FADs are anchored to the ocean floor and tracked by GPS to provide reliable locations for fishers. NSW had deployed FADs, colloquially called ‘fish magnets,’ in 34 strategic locations along its coast.

The country’s FADs initiative was started in 2001 and is run by the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD) with support from the Recreational Fishing Trust...

ASC Hosts Retail & Foodservice Pros in Chile on Final Stop of 2024 Discovery Tour

The Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC) closed 2024 with a remarkable five-day exploration of Southern Chile’s salmon farming industry during the final leg of its ASC Discovery Tour, December 2-6.

What began in 2018 as a one-time trip to observe responsibly farmed Thai Shrimp has evolved into a multi-part educational “ASC Discovery Tour” series guiding major retail and foodservice companies to unique sites across the globe, where in-demand seafood species like salmon, shrimp and sea bass are being...

Colombia Will Host GSA’s 2025 Responsible Seafood Summit

The Global Seafood Alliance (GSA) recently announced that Cartagena, Colombia will host the 24th edition of the Responsible Seafood Summit, which will take place during the week of September 29, 2025, at the InterContinental Cartagena.

The event will be attended by seafood industry stakeholders from across the world.

“It is exciting for us at GSA to bring our signature event back to South America for the first time in seven years,” said Mike Kocsis, CEO of GSA.

GSA’s 2024 event was hosted by St Andrews, Scotland. The last Summit hosted in...

Oregon Crabbers Start Delivering Dungeness to Processors

This year’s Dungeness crab season is already one for the record books, even though the season opened only two days ago. The opening ex-vessel price, according to fishermen, is higher than last year’s average price.

According to the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, last year’s average price was $3.79 per pound. Fishermen said an agreement reached with at least one of the processors was $4.50 per pound.

Last year’s season was the second-highest on record for Oregon in terms of value, at $93.6 million...

The Retail Rundown: Robust Retail Spending This Holiday Season

Retail spending has been robust this year, with recent data released by the U.S. Census Bureau indicating strong retail sales as the holiday season kicked off in November.

According to the Census Bureau, overall retail sales in November rose 0.7 percent month-over-month (MOM) and increased 3.8 percent year-over-year (YOY) In comparison, October saw gains of 0.5 percent MOM and 2.9 percent YOY.

“Job and wage gains, modest inflation and a heathy balance sheet have led to solid holiday spending," said National Retail Federation Chief Economist Jack Kleinhenz...

US Releases Progress Report of Recent Efforts to Combat IUU Fishing and Fishing Labor Abuses

On December 13, 2024, the U.S. Department of State published a press release on U.S. Efforts to Combat Illegal Fishing and Associated Labor Abuses, detailing the State Department’s progress on actions taken thus far under NSM-11 and the National 5-Year Strategy.

The National 5-Year Strategy for Combatting IUU Fishing was published by the Interagency Working Group on IUU Fishing in 2022. Comprised of 21 U.S. government agencies and offices, the Interagency exists to coordinate and promote stronger fishing rules and stricter...

S&M Shellfish Co. Recalls Oysters Due to Potential Norovirus Contamination

On December 18, 2024, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) published an advisory to restaurants, retailers, and consumers about the potential norovirus contamination of certain oysters from British Columbia harvesting sites.

The oysters in question have been pinpointed to Canadian growing areas BC 12-8 and BC 14-15 and have been shipped to distributors and retailers in Arizona, California, Colorado, Washington D.C., Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Kentucky, Missouri, North Carolina, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, and possibly additional states.

This comes after S&M Shellfish Company...

FDA Releases Testing Results for PFAS in Clams

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) just shared its most recent testing results for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in clams.

According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), PFAS are chemical contaminants that are found in various consumer, commercial, and industrial products and which have been linked to harmful health effects in humans and animals. There are thousands of types of PFAS and can be found in water, air, fish, and soil worldwide.

The results follow the FDA’s 2022 findings, which presented information on eight of the National Fisheries Institute’s...

Thai Union Joins Hand to Support Flood-Affected Communities in Southern Thailand

Pattani, December 4, 2024 - Thai Union Group PCL, the world's seafood leader, has joined efforts to support communities devastated by floods in southern Thailand. Through its "Thai Union Cares for Flood Victims" initiative, the company donated 5,000 cans of SEALECT sardines in tomato sauce, 2,400 cans of SEALECT Tuna chili paste, 2,400 boxes of SEALECT Tuna spread with Crackers, 5,000 boxed meals, and also set up a relief kitchen in Pattani province...

Atlantic Natural Foods Returns to Private Ownership

Plant-based food manufacturing company Atlantic Natural Foods (ANF) has withdrawn from its pending transaction with food processing company Above Foods.

The mutual withdrawal—effective as of November 1, 2024—comes three years after ANF, headquartered in Nashville, North Carolina, partnered with Canadian food processor Above Foods in order to enter the public environment.

This decision marks ANF’s transition back to private ownership, thereby resuming direct fiduciary oversight of the company and its operations.

Doug Hines, ANF Chairman, commented "Operating in the industry's ever-changing landscape has not been 

Washington Recalls Oysters and Manila Clams from Rudy’s Shellfish, Potential Norovirus Contamination

According to an advisory posted yesterday by the U.S. Food and Drug Association, the state of Washington has recalled oysters and Manila clams from Rudy’s Shellfish in Pickering Passage, Washington, that were harvested between 11/15/2024 and 12/11/2024 due to a possible norovirus outbreak.

The FDA is currently advising restaurants and food retailers not to serve or sell the oysters and Manila clams in question. The FDA also advises immediate disposal of any products that were harvested in the designated time frame, as they might...

SZRK’s Barents Sea King Crab Quota Slashed by 62%, Impacting Japanese Imports with 2025 Price Hike

According to a report by Minato Shimbun, the total quota for king crabs by the Russian company operating in the Barents Sea, Russia, for 2025 has been halved to 6,484 tons, a 48% decrease from 2024. The North-West Fishing Consortium (SZRK), which previously held a quota of nearly 10,000 tons, has seen a significant drop of 62% to 3,741 tons. Japan imports more than 3,000 tons of frozen king crab produced by SZRK annually, which is likely to impact future prices and quantities...

Russia Boosts Global Frozen Fish Exports

According to the latest report of the Russian Association of Fishing Fleet Owners (AFFO), Russia currently accounts for more than 17.4% of global frozen fish exports, which is higher than the figure for 2023 (16.2%).

Over three-quarters of the current year, Russian frozen fish supplies amounted to more than 1 million tons. China (11.7%), the Netherlands (7.2%), Norway (7%), and the US (6.6%) are also prominent suppliers.

According to the AFFO, frozen fish remains the main product of Russian fish exports. Its supplies account for 50% of the value of fish exports...

Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources - Oyster Season Closes on December 31

Oyster Season Closes on December 31

Pursuant to Section 9-12-28, Code of Alabama 1975 as stated by Rule 220-3-.02, the Marine Resources Division (MRD) of the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (ADCNR) announces that all public water bottoms will close to the harvest of oysters at 2 p.m. on Tuesday, December 31, 2024.

Summary of Alabama's oyster harvest

Alabama's public oyster reefs opened for harvest on October 7, 2024, and will close for the season at the end of the harvest...