ANALYSIS: US Shrimp Imports Land On Target in July, but Country and Product Splits Diverge

July US shrimp imports came in at 168.5 million lbs, almost exactly matching the Expana model estimate of 167.3 million lbs and landing comfortably inside the 157.4–177.2 million lb range. The total told a clean story. The composition underneath it did not.

By product type, peeled cleared the top of the estimate range at 94.9 million lbs against an upper bound of 90.0 million lbs. Shell-on landed within range at 42.2 million lbs. Cooked ran below range at 16.2 million lbs...

UK Air Traffic Control Meltdown Disrupts Key Export Gateway for Scottish Salmon

A nationwide air traffic control failure that grounded more than 1,000 UK flights this week briefly disrupted one of Scottish salmon's key export gateways. Heathrow suspended arrivals as the outage — traced to a technical fault at UK air traffic control provider NATS — hit airports across the country on Tuesday, September 8. NATS said it fixed the issue and operations returned to normal, though disruption continued into Wednesday as airlines worked to reposition aircraft and crews. The Guardian noted it marked Britain's third major NATS stoppage in just...

Chicken of the Sea Frozen Foods Taps Former Cox's Seafood Exec Bedi to Lead Business Development

Chicken of the Sea Frozen Foods has appointed Vnay Bedi as Senior Vice President, Business Development, tasking him with leading strategy and innovation for the company's value-added seafood portfolio, according to a LinkedIn announcement from the brand. Bedi will focus on building strategic partnerships and driving new commercial opportunities across retail, foodservice, and other channels.

"I am thrilled to join Chicken of the Sea and to be part of such an iconic, trusted brand," Bedi said in a statement. "Chicken of the Sea...

Russia Cuts 2027 Pollock Quota by 2.7% Amid Stock Decline

Russia has set new total allowable catch (TAC) quotas for pollock and other species for 2027, according to the Russian Federal Agency for Fisheries (Rosrybolovstvo).

Russia's overall 2027 catch quota was set at 3.6 million tonnes, about 4% lower than 2026 figures. The pollock quota specifically was reduced by 2.73% year-over-year to 2.53 million tonnes. Rosrybolovstvo did not disclose specific reasons for the reduction, though it is likely linked to declining stocks in some of Russia's major pollock fishing areas...

SARIA to Acquire Stake in Chilean Salmon By-Product Firm Fiordo Austral

Germany's SARIA has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire a 36.45% stake in Fiordo Austral, a leading Chilean marine ingredients company, it said in an announcement.

Founded in 1995, Fiordo Austral operates six production sites with around 800 employees and specializes in processing salmon by-products for the aquaculture sector.

The partnership combines Fiordo Austral's operational expertise in Latin America with SARIA's technical capabilities and European commercial reach through its Bioceval business unit, SARIA said. The collaboration will also include product development and seek to expand

BPA Reverses Decision to End Funding for Oregon’s Salmon SAFE Program, At Least for the Next Year

Last Friday, Oregon Governor Tina Kotek announced that Bonneville Power Administration will reverse its decision to end funding for the Select Area Fisheries Enhancement (SAFE) Program immediately and will fund the program for one additional federal fiscal year. 

The decision followed discussions with Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) Administrator Travis Kavulla. 

The SAFE program raises millions of salmon each year, supporting recreational and commercial fisheries in the Lower Columbia River.  BPA’s unexpected decision in June...

Circana, DoorDash Partnership Aims to Measure Incremental Value of Retail Media

Circana has entered into a new partnership with DoorDash to provide independent measurement of advertising performance on the delivery platform, giving consumer packaged goods (CPG) brands a way to assess whether Sponsored Products and Sponsored Brands are generating incremental sales.

The collaboration comes as retail media advertisers increasingly look for standardized measurement that connects ad exposure with actual purchasing behavior.

"As retail media matures, most networks offer incrementality solutions for their own ecosystem, but marketers also need measurement they can compare and contrast across networks...

Fortifi Expands Separation Portfolio with SEPAmatic Acquisition

Fortifi Food Processing Solutions is widening its processing technology lineup with the acquisition of Germany-based SEPAFood Solutions GmbH, known in the market as SEPAmatic.

The deal adds a well-established supplier of separation and processing equipment for red meat, fish, fruit, vegetables, cheese and dairy to Fortifi’s portfolio. For seafood processors, the move strengthens Fortifi’s position in a key part of the value chain: recovering more usable product while protecting quality.

SEPAmatic is best known as a global supplier of low-pressure belt...

American Seafood Partners Acquires Cal Marine Fish Co., Building Coast-to-Coast Platform

American Seafood Partners (ASP) has acquired Cal Marine Fish Co., LLC, a West Coast commercial fishing, export, and vessel management company, in a move that extends the Rhode Island-based seafood platform from the Atlantic to the Pacific.

The deal brings Cal Marine's fishing fleet, cold storage infrastructure, and multi-species processing capabilities into ASP's portfolio, with the California company's proximity to Pacific ports seen as a strategic complement to ASP's existing East Coast processing and distribution operations...

USDA Finalizes $22.9 Million in Catfish, Atlantic Pollock Awards for Child Nutrition Programs

The US Department of Agriculture has awarded contracts worth nearly $23 million for frozen catfish and Atlantic pollock fillets, closing out two Section 32 solicitations that Expana has been tracking since USDA returned to the seafood market in mid-August.

Catfish awards fall short of original ask

Under solicitation 12-3J14-26-B-0396, USDA's Agricultural Marketing Service awarded contracts for 3,952,000 pounds of catfish fillets, unbreaded and raw, packaged 20/2 lb, at prices ranging from $4.58 to $5.38 per pound...

HF Foods Closes $35M Acquisition of Canadian Seafood Distributor Searay

HF Foods has closed its acquisition of Searay Foods Inc. and related entities, completing the company’s first expansion outside the United States and entry into the Canadian market.

The company announced the deal in July. The CAD$47.9 million (about US$35 million) transaction includes 100% of Searay’s issued and outstanding equity interests and represents approximately 5.0 times Searay’s 2025 Adjusted EBITDA.

HF Foods paid CAD$38.4 million (approximately US$27.8 million) in cash and 1.7 million shares...

Eleventh Circuit Upholds Gag Grouper Rules Challenged by Alabama Fishermen

In an appeal of a 2024 case, Russo v Raimondo, a 3-0 decision from the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals supported the lower court, upholding a rule to lower gag grouper catch limits and agreeing with other jurists that a part of the Magnuson-Stevens Act is unconstitutional.  

The part that concerns courts is a rarely used veto authority given to the members of the eight regional fisheries management councils. In determining cases brought by fishermen unhappy with council decisions affecting their livelihood, detailed analyses of the process...

The Retail Rundown: Meat Case Momentum Meets Football Season

Labor Day has come and gone, but summer is still lingering in much of the country. Warm temperatures are keeping grills in use even as consumers turn their attention to football, back-to-school routines, and heartier fall meals. 

For retailers, that overlap creates an opportunity to keep grilling staples prominent while gradually introducing the roasts, chops, and other cuts that typically gain momentum as temperatures drop. 

The 2026 NFL season officially starts today, putting game-day favorites such as wings, burgers, hot dogs, and ribs in the spotlight. Football promotions...

Hoopa Valley Tribe and CDFW Join Forces for Salmon Restoration Partnership on Trinity River

In an historic collaboration, the Hoopa Valley Tribe and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) have replaced two weirs with one on the Trinity River, a place where Hoopa have caught salmon for centuries. Both authorities — the tribe and the state — used their weirs for separate purposes.  

For CDFW, the Willow Creek Weir has provided critical information used to evaluate long-term salmon and steelhead population trends since 1978. They also collect data to make annual run size estimations, species composition, age structures...

Norwegian Mackerel Returns to Japan as Saba Nouveau Season Begins

Fresh Norwegian mackerel will arrive in Japan on Sept. 11 for the sixth annual “Saba Nouveau” launch, a seasonal promotion highlighting Japan’s importance to Norway’s mackerel trade.

The first catch of the season will be flown to Tokyo through a partnership among the Norwegian Seafood Council, Japan Airlines and JALUX. The launch coincides with the Norway Seafood Festival, scheduled for Sept. 11–13 at Tokyo Solamachi’s Sky Arena.

Modeled on France’s Beaujolais Nouveau tradition, Saba Nouveau taps into Japan’s appreciation for hatsumono...

Hodges: Crab Inventory Is Committed. Demand Is Not.

The outlook entering fall is better than headline supply figures suggest, but the risks have changed. Much of the Canadian snow crab harvest has already been contracted or shipped, and major processors report little uncommitted inventory. This reduces the threat of widespread discounting, but it does not mean the crab has been sold through to the consumer.

Snow crab’s strongest demand period is normally during the summer, supported by crab boils, tourism, and foodservice activity. Foodservice movement has remained relatively good, particularly in the Southeast, but retail demand has been soft...

ANALYSIS: Scottish Salmon Exports Down 31%, Prices Up Despite Record Survival

Production health in Scotland continues to point to a positive year for Atlantic salmon producers, with Salmon Scotland reporting that the survival rate reached a record high of 99.2% in June 2026 (Figure 1). This exceptional farming performance has not boosted salmon availability, because cumulative exports of Scottish Atlantic salmon dropped by 31.3% year to date (YTD) from January to June 2026. Even with the drop in trade volume, market share distribution continues to be similar to that observed in 2025...