USDA Announces Winners Of Section 32 Farm Raised Catfish Solicitation 

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has announced the contract winners for the Section 32 farm raised catfish products solicitation.

The USDA released an invitation in late May for 4,940,000 lbs of unbreaded raw catfish fillets (20/2 lb) for use in the domestic food distribution programs. Bids were due by June 13, and acceptances were announced by the USDA late last week. The USDA awarded contracts for the full solicitation with a purchase total of $22,864,985.48. Deliveries of the product are to be made from...

Shrimp Is The Star Of The Show This Summer

Summer is the perfect season to enjoy seafood. And while seafood boils and lobster rolls are always popular menu items, it wouldn’t be summer without a sizzling shrimp dish. And based on seasonal promotions it seems that all different types of restaurant chains agree. 

Brazilian Steakhouse Texas de Brazil, which serves all-you-can-eat grilled meat, does not typically offer seafood. However, the restaurant, which has 54 locations, has added two shrimp dishes to their third quarter menu.

For a limited time guests will be able to...

ANALYSIS: Farmed Salmon Complex Looks Weak Heading into July

Heading into the week of Fourth of July, the farmed salmon complex in the U.S. market looks to be feeling more of the “heat” of the summer doldrums. All origins — Canada, Chile, Norway, and Scotland — saw readily available supply this week, coupled with a fair to at times report of lackluster demand.

From a historical perspective, the farmed salmon complex in 2024 was ahead of the curve for most of the month of June. The farmed salmon index was above the 5-year average for most of the month, ranging...

Norwegian Food Safety Authority Confirms New Detection Of Infectious Salmon Anemia 

Norway’s Food Safety Authority has confirmed the positive detection of Infectious Salmon Anemia (ISA) at yet another sea location; this time in Bømlo municipality in Vestland county.  Varde Fiskeopdrett AS, Tombre Fiskeanlegg AS and Lingalaks AS are all engaged in farming salmon at the 11513 Andal site.

The Norwegian Food Safety Authority was first alerted to a suspicion of ISA at 11513 Andal on June 18. The diagnosis was confirmed on June 28 following histopathological findings that were compatible with ISA. With ISA...

Red Lobster’s Crabfest Menu Features “Secret” Flavor Flav Entree 

Red Lobster’s Crabfest menu is expanding with yet another new addition to the lineup: “Flavor Flav’s Faves.” Say that 10 times fast. But there’s a catch. It’s an “off-menu meal,” meaning that it’s a secret menu item that you have to specifically ask your server for. 

In honor of the rapper/ reality TV star and his public devotion for the struggling seafood restaurant, Red Lobster has dropped its limited time “secret menu meal.” The Flavor Flav’s Faves entree features a Maine lobster tail, paired with...

Steakholder Foods® Reports H1 2024 Strides in Protein Printing of Shmeat™ and Shfish™ Products

Steakholder Foods® released the company’s financial highlights in the first half of 2024 and the commercial strategy for the second half of 2024.

CEO Arik Kaufman noted “significant strides” in creating the new firms “first revenue streams” by entering a royalties and raw materials supply agreements with three leaders in alternative protein production: Wyler Farm, the Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) in Taiwan, and Sherry Herring, a gourmet fish delicacies brand.

The terms of the May 2024 deal involved Wyler Farm acquiring ...

Above Food And Bite Acquisition Corp Complete Business Combination

Innovative plant-based food company Above Food is kicking off the month of July by officially beginning trading today on the Nasdaq Stock Market. 

“We are thrilled to begin trading today under ticker ABVE and look forward to demonstrating the value of our unique seed-to-fork platform with investors, which brings together regenerative agriculture, value-added ingredients manufacturing, and consumer products into one differentiated solution,” said Lionel Kambeitz, the Founder, CEO and Executive Chairman of Above Food Ingredients.”

The entry into the...

Commerce Stands By Preliminary Determination For Frozen Shrimp From Ecuador

Despite pushback, the U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC) has confirmed that they will not be adjusting preliminary antidumping rates for Ecuador’s Industrial Pesquera Santa Priscila and Sociedad Nacional de Galapagos (SONGA). 

The DOC announced its preliminary determination in the antidumping duty (AD) investigation of frozen warmwater shrimp from Ecuador and Indonesia in late May. The determination was a result of a trade petition that was filed by the American Shrimp Processors Association (ASPA) in October 2024. Looking solely at Ecuador, SONGA was...

Amendments to the Magnuson-Stevens Act Introduced in Bipartisan House Bill

Yesterday, U.S. House Rep. Jared Huffman (D-CA), James Moyland (R-Guan), Ed Case (D-HI) and Mary Peltola (D_AK) introduced Sustaining American's Fisheries for the Future Act, legislation aimed at updating and reauthorizing Magnuson-Stevens Act (MSA), the primary law governing federal fisheries management.

Huffman, ranking member of the Natural Resources Subcommittee on Water, Wildlife, and Fisheries, led the effort to update MSA since 2020, when he launched a nationwide listening tour to foster a transparent, inclusive, science-based approach to...

Fresh Catch Yellowfin Tuna Recalled In California Due To High Histamine Levels

High histamine levels found in Fresh Catch’s yellowfin tuna loins have prompted the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to issue a recall.

The recall was initiated on June 12 in the state of California. Products have a code of #461079 or #111097 with an expiration date of April 5, 2024. A total of 716 lbs of yellowfin tuna are impacted as part of the recall. 

Fresh Catch’s recall is listed as a Class II, meaning that there is a “lower chance of causing major injuries or...

Da Yang Seafoods, Astoria Pacific Seafoods Fined By Oregon Department of Environmental Quality 

The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) issued 12 penalties in May for “various environmental violations.” Of those 12 penalties, two were issued to seafood companies: Da Yang Seafoods and Astoria Pacific Seafoods.

Da Yang Seafoods was hit with the largest penalty of all those fined by the state’s DEQ in May. The company must pay $150,000 for discharging wastewater from its processing facility on Pier 2 at the Port of Astoria to waters of the state without a permit on 33 occasions between...

Commerce Announces Council Appointments to All Councils But North Pacific and Pacific

The U.S. Department of Commerce on Friday announced 22 new and returning regional fishery management council members — that is, for all but two of the Councils.

"Appointments to the Pacific and North Pacific fishery management councils will be announced later this summer," the notice on the NMFS website stated, noting that the Secretary of Commerce made appointments for open council seats from the governors’ lists of nominees.

The open seats on both the North Pacific Fishery Management Council and the Pacific Fishery Management Council have been ...

Conagra Brands’ Evol Foods Adds First Seafood Dish To Frozen Single-Serve Meal Offerings

Conagra Brands’ Evol Foods, which is known for its wholesome frozen single-serve meals, has introduced its first seafood offering: Garlic Shrimp Cavatappi.

Evol prides itself in being “forward thinking” about frozen food, which to them means “freezing fresh, simple ingredients in order for busy people to eat better, healthier food whenever they want.” The brand’s single serve meal line has a handful of chicken products, like Chicken Adobo and Hot Honey Chicken, as well as red meat options, like...

Marine Court Inc. of Tokyo Imports 1000 Tons of Russian Roe Herring

According to the report by Minato Shimbun, Marine Court Inc. of Tokyo, an importer specializing in Russian seafood, began importing roe herring from Russia in 2023. In 2024, it will import and sell 1,000 tons of female roe herring for the Japanese market. The company promotes the herring roe for use in salted roe, seasoned herring roe, and sushi toppings.

Roe-bearing herring produces herring roe. Roe herring fishing in the Russian Far East is conducted only in two areas: near the Okhotsk Sea in the...

The Rise of Ocean Freight Costs And How It’s Impacting Seafood  

We all remember how the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted maritime and air freight services. And while those days are behind us, disruptions are once again causing ocean shipping prices to rise to record highs. Expana’s Seafood Market Reporters share how the ocean freight situation is impacting different species:

Tilapia

Expana Senior Seafood Market Reporter Lorin Castiglione says that the tilapia frozen fillet market from China is facing significant turbulence due to ongoing supply challenges, rising freight rates, container shortages, and supply chain disruptions. Freight...

ANALYSIS: China Slowing Shrimp Buying from Ecuador

Despite being the top importer, and still the number one partner with Ecuador, China shrimp imports continue to lag this year, putting pressure on shrimp producers from the region.

In 2023, total exports to China accounted for nearly 59%, with the United States a distance second at 17%. With the new data released from Camara Nacional de Acuacultura (CNA), exports to China in May 2024 were 153.419 million pounds. But the overall share has dropped to just over 53% through May, highlighting the shifting dynamics in the market. Exports shifted to...

Entangled North Atlantic Right Whale Spotted In Gulf of St. Lawrence

An entangled North Atlantic right whale (NARW) has been spotted by research scientists in the Gulf of St. Lawrence. According to reports, the whale, identified as a calf named War (#1812), is said to have fishing gear through its mouth, across its back, and around its right flipper.

War (#1812) is a female yearling born in 2023. The whale was last sighted in February off the southeast United States. At that time she was not entangled.

“On her first surfacing there was just enough...