Lawmakers Introduce New Legislation to Include US Fishing Industry in Federal Farm Credit Program

Yesterday, U.S. Senator Angus King (I-ME), Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-ME), U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), and U.S. Representative Clay Higgins (R-LA) introduced a bipartisan, bicameral legislation that would extend the Farm Credit System (FCS)—which was founded in 1916 and currently offers support to service providers for farmers, ranchers, and loggers—to fishing communities across the country, thereby allowing fishing businesses to access existing agricultural loan programs.

Currently, the FCS exists as a network of lending institutions, providing credit to the American...

Slight Lifting of US Sanctions Would Allow Russia to Resume Crab Supplies to US Market

Should the U.S. lift even a slight portion of its sanctions against Russia—which is a possibility currently being considered by the U.S. amid ongoing peace talks between the two nations—Russia will be able to resume its crab supplies to the U.S. market.

This has been recently confirmed by some well-known Russian senators, such as Alexander Shenderyuk-Zhidkov, a senator from the Kaliningrad Region.

According to Shenderyuk-Zhidkov and other senior Russian officials, one of the important conditions for entering into an agreement...

BioMar Costa Rica Obtains Country's First ASC Feed Certification 

BioMar’s production facility in Costa Rica recently obtained an ASC Feed Certification from the Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC), marking the first certification of its kind for the Central American country.

The facility is located in the city of Cañas in Guanacaste Province and produces feed for shrimp and tilapia, as well as a variety of marine species. The feed produced supplies fish farmers across North America, Central America, and the Caribbean.

The ASC Feed Standard requires facilities to meet a variety of criteria including meeting ASC standards of social and labor...

The Retail Rundown: Spring Sizzle Fuels Protein Demand

Spring promotions are in full bloom at retail, with holiday-themed ads ramping up. Circulars showcase produce and snacking items alongside grilling staples, aiming to entice shoppers with vibrant displays and seasonal appeal. Beyond holiday preparations, schools and universities are approaching spring break season, likely driving an uptick in foodservice in the coming weeks. 

In some regions, grocers are leveraging hams as loss leaders ahead of Easter. Last week, discounted bone-in ham averaged $2.56 per pound, while spiral-sliced varieties stood at $2.61 per pound—steady to lower than last year’s levels...

GAPP Reelects Chairman, Directs Record Investment into Fishery Reputation and Global B2B Marketing

SEATTLE, Wash.— Record investment will be made by the Alaska Pollock industry into defending the reputation of the fishery and boldly communicating about its impact in Alaska, through the industry’s leading trade group, the Association of Genuine Alaska Pollock Producers (GAPP). Meeting last week to set the budget for the organization for the coming year also directed a substantial shift in the organization’s marketing efforts—choosing to place an even greater emphasis on business-to-business marketing versus consumer marketing both in the U.S. and in promising...

Key NL Snow Crab Fishery Updates; ASP Clashes with NL Government Amid Season Delay

The season opening for Newfoundland and Labrador's (NL) 2025 snow crab fishery is still set for April 13, per a news release by the Fish, Food & Allied Workers Union's (FFAW), despite the Association of Seafood Producers (ASP) application filing on March 28 with the Supreme Court of Newfoundland and Labrador, seeking to revert the snow crab fishery’s season opening back to April 1.

In ASP’s same-day press release, ASP Executive Director Jeff Loder had called out the NL government for its political interference with the...

Seafood Giant Maruha Nichiro Will Be Umios, Signaling “Third Founding” Since 1880

Last Friday the board of directors of the world’s largest diversified seafood company, Maruha Nichiro, announced that they will change the company name to Umios Corporation, subject to shareholders approval in late June 2025.

“Umios” means “ocean” or “sea” in Japanese, an appropriate nod to the source of Maruho Nichiro’s products and to the global reach of the company’s customers and markets.

“The new company name reflects our commitment to solving global social issues through food, starting from the origins of our Group, the ocean [UMI],” the board explained...

Russia to Increase Total Allowable Catch for 2026

According to recent statements made by representatives of Russian Rosrybolovstvo, Russia will be increasing the total allowable fish catch for 2026. The increase will be based on recommendations prepared by industry scientists, particularly those at some of the country’s leading research institutions in the field of fisheries.

Ilya Shestakov, head of Rosrybolovstvo, said, “It is important that the total allowable catch is set using a precautionary approach, taking into account the recommendations of scientists. In 2026, the catch is planned to be increased by 61,100 tons—up to 3.65 million tons. Recent scientific expeditions have shown an increase in the stocks of a number of species, primarily pollock and herring. Thanks to this, Russian fishermen will be able to increase the volume of their catch.”

Norwegian Directorate of Fisheries Expands Protections for Wild Atlantic Halibut

Last week, Norway’s Directorate of Fisheries extended the winter closure of commercial fishing for Atlantic halibut by almost three weeks. Effective immediately, the new rule prohibits fishing for halibut from December 20 to April 20, rather than the previous opening date of March 31.

Per the new rule, fishing is allowed no earlier than April 21, 2025.

Exceptions to this rule remain very limited and in line with Section 44 of the Harvesting Regulations. The conservation closure applies to all gear throughout the country.

“This is an important measure to..."

ANALYSIS: Comparative Price Overview of Vietnamese Pangasius and Domestic Catfish (2015-2025) 

The US catfish market consists of both domestically produced catfish and imported pangasius from Vietnam. This analysis examines the price trajectory of frozen catfish fillets from the American South and their Vietnamese pangasius counterpart over the past decade. The two have exhibited divergent price trends. On the one hand ...

Japan Records All-Time High Prices for 2024 Chilean Coho; Sockeye Salmon Imports Fall by 40%

According to the Ministry of Finance's trade statistics, Japan's total salmon and trout imports for 2024 were 296,923 million yen ($1.99 billion), up 7% from the previous year. Although salted, smoked, and other prepared products were lower than the previous year, fresh and frozen imports exceeded those of the previous year, with the quantity increasing by 8% to 230,879 tons.

According to Minato Shimbun, Japan’s 2024 salmon import trends are explained accordingly:

Coho Salmon

The quantity of frozen coho salmon (dressed) for fillet...

Norway Reverses Unused Third Country Quotas for Cod and Haddock

According to a news release from Norway’s Ministry of Trade, Industry and Fisheries, Norway will be returning unused Northeast third-country quotas to the national quotas for both cod and haddock north of 62°N.

In total, 321 tonnes of cod and 1,229 tonnes of haddock were returned to the national quotas, which together represent a small increase in the cod and haddock quotas allotted to Norwegian fishing vessels, as stated by the Ministry.

Of the total cod quantity, 100 tonnes will be distributed to conventional...

Navigating the Trump Tariff Turbulence: A Comprehensive Timeline

Today, the White House Press Conference will air at 4PM where US President Trump will make an announcement regarding immediately-effective reciprocal tariffs on countries who trade with the US.

"Too many foreign countries have their markets closed to [US] exports," said White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt when referring to trade deficits and non-monetary trade barriers.

The message that has been consistent: "If you make your product in America, you will pay no tariffs," said Leavitt.

Auto tariffs have been scheduled for April 3, according to an April 1 press...

Analysis: US Shrimp Imports; Beyond the Headlines

Upcoming trade figures will provide critical insights into the dynamics of U.S. shrimp imports. The market has recently shown signs of stabilization after a prolonged downtrend since the second half of 2022, occurring amid rising overseas prices. This shift reflects intensified global competition from China and Europe, strategic inventory building ahead of potential tariff changes, and adjustments to the countervailing duty determinations from October 2024...

ANALYSIS: The 2025 Pacific Halibut Season Begins Amid Quota Reductions and Tariff Uncertainty

The 2025 Pacific halibut fishery officially opened on March 20^th, launching under a cloud of challenges that continue to shape the market. The season begins amid concerns over low recruitment and a smaller exploitable biomass compared to 2024, prompting the International Pacific Halibut Commission (IPHC) to implement significant quota cuts. Adding to the uncertainty, the industry is closely watching the potential impact of new tariffs and concerns over a possible looming recession—both of which could influence trade flows and pricing in the weeks ahead...

Japan's 2024 Frozen Surimi Imports Fall to Two-Thirds of Peak Level, Fourth Lowest Level in 35 years

According to the Ministry of Finance, Japan’s 2024 import volume of frozen surimi was 212,061 tons, down 2% from the previous year. It marks the fourth lowest import volume in the past 35 years, falling to two-thirds of the peak level. This is due to decreased imports from the main production areas of the United States and India. Of these, the import volume of surimi made with Alaska pollock, which was the largest by fish species by volume, was 87,795 tons...

Viciunai Group Invests €100M in Lithuanian Salmon Processing Facility

The Viciunai Group recently began construction of a €100 million salmon processing facility in Plungė, Lithuania, as the Lithuanian seafood processor stated in a March 28 LinkedIn post.

Once completed, the solar-powered facility—which will have state-of-the-art automation and robotics—will have an annual processing capacity of 50,000 tons of salmon, which is an increase of 32,000 tons, or 4.5 times more, than the current production capacity.

The new facility is being constructed next to Viciunai’s existing production and warehouse facility and will span more...