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...

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...

StarKist Teams up with TikTok Celebrity Chef to Unveil the ‘StarKist Mashup Challenge’

StarKist unveiled its “StarKist Mashup Challenge,” which challenges consumers to mix and match different StarKist Creations pouches and flavors to showcase the variety and inventiveness of healthy snacks and meals.

To help bring its challenge to the masses, StarKist has partnered with Celebrity Chef Nick DiGiovanni.

"We at StarKist are thrilled to partner with Celebrity Chef Nick DiGiovanni, whose culinary creativity and adventurous approach to food perfectly align with our mission to inspire bold flavor exploration," said Michael Merritt, Jr., Director of Marketing at StarKist...

Global Seafood Alliance Welcomes Two New Members to Board of Directors

Global Seafood Alliance (GSA) is pleased to announce the appointment of Michael Szemerda and Trin Tapanya to its Board of Directors. Their extensive expertise and commitment to the seafood industry will guide GSA as it continues to promote responsibility and innovation in global seafood production.

Michael Szemerda serves as the Global Chief Sustainability Officer at family-owned Cooke Inc., where he oversees environmental programs, regulatory compliance, industry certifications, and sustainability initiatives across Cooke’s global wild and farmed seafood operations...

Luke and VTT Develop Technology Solutions to Remove Off-Flavors and Water Mold in Aquaculture

Off-flavors in fish and water mold cause significant economic losses to fish farming globally. The Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke) and VTT have developed capture solutions based on chemically treated fiber materials to address these challenges in fish farming.

Unpleasant off-flavors can accumulate in fish and reduce the market value and consumer interest in fish products. Managing off-flavors is key to the profitability of sustainable fish production both in Finland and globally.

Water mold is also a common problem in fish farms...

GSMC 2025: Flexibility and Optionality Key to Scallop Market Amid Shrinking TACs

The headline for scallops in 2025 is the supply constraints facing the marketplace, particularly in many of the major production areas like the U.S., Canada and Japan.

This was the primary message showcased during a portion of the Shellfish Species Panel at the National Fisheries Institute (NFI)’s Global Seafood Market Conference in Palm Springs, California.

Marder added that the North Atlantic Total Allowable Catches (TACs) in the U.S. will be down by about 25%, Canada will see its...

Despite Sanctions, Russia Hopes to Maintain Fish Exports to Western Europe

Russia hopes to continue exports of its fish and seafood to Western European countries in 2025. The country is leaning on a stable demand picture and a lack of full-fledged alternatives to replace Russian supplies.

This is also reflected by the earlier decisions of the authorities of many EU states to continue such supplies. For example, at the end of last year, the UK authorities refused to introduce new duties on fish products made from Russian fish.

Commenting on this, German Zverev, head of the All-Russian...

Trump Orders Temporary Halt on Offshore Wind Leasing, Calls for Federal Review

President Donald Trump issued a memorandum that directed the temporary withdrawal of all areas on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) from wind energy leasing and called for a comprehensive review of federal wind leasing and permitting practices on January 20.

The memorandum, titled, “ “Temporary Withdrawal of All Areas on the Outer Continental Shelf from Offshore Wind Leasing and Review of the Federal Government’s Leasing and Permitting Practices for Wind Projects” goes into effect today, January 21, 2025, and Saving Seafood highlighted the following directives included in the document...

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...

GSMC 2025: The Growing Appeal of Seafood in Non-Traditional Restaurants

Circana’s SVP of Food and Foodservice, David Portalatin, highlighted that after two years of declines, restaurant seafood servings found positive momentum in the past year.

Notably, seafood has found success as a valuable add-on to dishes such as pasta and salads, witnessing growth rates of 8% and 4%, respectively, in 2023. Portalatin emphasized the potential for seafood beyond traditional restaurant formats, highlighting emerging chains like Playa Bowls, Cava, and sweetgreen as prime examples of venues where seafood can thrive...

GrubMarket Adds Advanced Catchweight Features to WholesaleWare for Seafood and Protein Industries

GrubMarket, the AI-powered technology enabler and digital transformer of the American food supply chain industry, as well as one of the largest private food eCommerce companies globally, today announced the launch of new Catchweight Management features for its cutting-edge and proprietary WholesaleWare platform. This innovative solution is set to transform the way food distributors and wholesalers manage variable-weight products such as seafood, proteins, cheeses, deli meats, and certain types of produce, offering unparalleled inventory precision, traceability, and operational efficiency through a uniquely customizable SaaS platform...

GSMC 2025: Balancing Act in Sight for the Shrimp Market in 2025?

Did you have an appearance from former NFL superstar Rob Gronkowski on your Global Seafood Market Conference (GSMC) 2025 bingo card?

Yes, the man known as Gronk made a quick video appearance in the middle of the GSMC Shrimp panel discussion, but let’s quickly shift focus to more pressing topics discussed by the panelists.

The National Fisheries Institute’s Richard Barry moderated the panel featuring Patrick Kraver of Fortune Fish & Gourmet, Gabriel Luna of Glunashrimp, Jamie Marshall of AZ Gems Inc. and Guy Pizzuti of Publix Super Markets, Inc...

GSMC 2025: Shellfish Panel Highlights the Lobster Meat Era

The lobster market has entered its ‘Lobster Meat Era.’ While the ‘era’ phrase may typically be found on TikTok, Expana’s Managing Editor Janice Schreiber summed up the lobster meat craze well during the Global Seafood Market Conference’s Shellfish Panel on January 21.

Owen Kenney, VP of Sales for Champlain Seafood, noted that until relatively recently, lobster meat was a byproduct as people searched for lobster tails and it was highly seasonal.

About a decade ago, lobster meat saw a massive increase in the usage of non-seasonal applications of lobster meat...

New Hampshire Rejects Federal Lobster Catch Restrictions, Aligning with Maine's Stance

New Hampshire Governor Kelly Ayotte sent a letter to the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) stating that the state would not comply with the new guidelines focused on increasing the minimum size of lobsters caught in the Gulf of Maine.

The move mirrors a decision made by the State of Maine earlier this month, as Expana reported.

“New Hampshire’s commercial fishing industry is a proud part of our heritage, and I have heard loud and clear from our lobstermen...

Acme Smoked Fish Foundation Announces Seafood Industry Climate Awards

Earlier this week, Acme Smoked Fish Foundation announced the three winners of its annual Seafood Industry Climate Awards (SICA).

Awards of $70,000 each went to the following recipients: the Council of Great Lakes Governors, Inc. (Great Lakes, which is pictured in photo), Oceans 97, LLC (Oceans 97), and the Gulf of Maine Research Institute (GMRI).

Launched in 2022, the SICA grant program helps to support early-stage efforts that reduce the carbon footprint and increase diversity within the U.S. seafood industry. This round, projects display a particular focus on circular...