Shell-ebration: US and China Crab Markets Soar in 2025

At first glance, 2025 appears to mark a recovery year for global crab markets, with higher volumes, improved availability, and prices that largely held firm. A closer look, however, reveals a market that has become more fragmented and more strategic than at any point since sanctions reshaped global trade.

Demand from the United States and China continues to dominate global flows, pulling supply away from secondary markets and rewarding only those origins able to deliver at scale, in compliance, and with certainty. U.S. imports from Canada and Norway reached...

ANALYSIS: Argentina's Red Shrimp Faces Market Shifts as Exports Slide

Argentina’s shrimp exports remain under pressure despite strong seasonal sales in September and October.

November volumes fell 34.8% year‑on‑year, according to the Argentinian National Institute of Statistics, leaving the January–November year‑to‑date volume down 22.0% and export value down 12.0% in USD. Disruptions since March — notably strikes in the sea‑frozen fishing sector tied to broader social unrest — have disrupted monthly shipments: every month this year stands below 2024 levels except April, which was flat...

ANALYSIS: US Shrimp Imports Contract Sharply as Tariff and Certification Issues Reshape Supply

Official US shrimp import figures for October aligned closely with our segmented estimates, revealing pronounced contractions across key product categories and supplier countries as regulatory and market factors continued to reshape import flows.

By Product Type: Estimates vs Official Figures

- Peeled shrimp imports registered 57.4 million pounds, matching the midpoint of our forecast range. Year-to-date (YTD), peeled volumes remain at record highs — roughly 10–11% above last year. However, October’s year-over-year (YoY) contraction was steep at 30%, deeper...

High Liner Foodservice Launches Fully Cooked Whitefish Line Targeting C-store, QSR Operators

Value-added frozen seafood company High Liner Foods has debuted a brand-new portfolio of fully cooked offerings via its Foodservice division.

The new product line includes fully cooked whitefish items, providing solutions for foodservice operators and distributors.

“High Liner Foods has over a century of expertise in seafood excellence, and innovation is at the forefront of everything we do,” said Anthony Rasetta, Chief Commercial Officer at High Liner Foods. “Our new line of responsibly sourced, fully cooked products opens up opportunities for operators and distributors...

Kura Sushi USA Serves Up Strong Sales Growth in Q1, Gears Up for Strategic Expansion

Known for its innovative revolving sushi service model, Kura Sushi USA has reported promising results for the first quarter of Fiscal 2026.

“We’re making great progress towards the goals we laid out in our annual guidance,” said President and CEO Hajime Uba.

Despite a 2.5% decrease in comparable restaurant sales, attributed to negative foot traffic, total sales saw a robust 14% year-over-year (YOY) increase, reaching $73.5 million.

The net loss expanded to $3.1 million...

Trump Administration Releases New Dietary Guidelines Centered on 'Real Food'

A sweeping reset of federal nutrition policy aims to put real food at the center of the American diet, with a blunt call to cut back on highly processed foods and added sugars. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2025–2030, released today, marks a significant departure from past recommendations, redefining expectations for how Americans eat and creating new challenges — and opportunities — for farmers, manufacturers, and retailers. Although the guidelines are reviewed every five years, they have been largely stable since 1980...

Acme Smoked Fish Corporation Announces Official Leadership Transition

Acme Smoked Fish Corporation announced the official appointment of Rob Snyder as the incoming CEO following the retirement of Eduardo Carbajosa after 18 years with the company. 

Expana first reported Carbajosa's retirement in July. The report stated that Rob Snyder would assume a long-term strategic planning role until he formally assumed the role of CEO on January 1, 2026, Carbajosa’s official date of retirement. 

Snyder’s appointment ushers in a new period of investment and innovation, positioning Acme for continued long-term growth as a global leader in ready-to-eat seafood.

Nueva Pescanova Advances AI in Surimi Production Optimization

Grupo Nueva Pescanova has entered the validation phase of new artificial intelligence (AI)-based prototypes aimed at optimizing surimi production. These prototypes are scheduled for implementation at the Chapela factory in January.

The initiative is part of the PremIA project, a research and development (R&D) effort to develop an AI predictive system for enhancing efficiency and quality in the manufacturing of fish, seafood, and related products. The system analyzes large data volumes to detect patterns and generate statistical models for forecasting production behavior, aiding strategic...

SalMar Q4 Harvest Climbs 7% Year-on-Year; Lerøy Drops 13% as Regional Volumes Shift

Leading Norwegian salmon producers SalMar and Lerøy Seafood Group released Q4 2025 trading updates highlighting divergent quarterly results and contrasting regional performance.

SalMar reported a consolidated Q4 harvest of 84,100 tonnes gutted weight (GWT), driven by strong production in Central Norway (43,400 t) and Northern Norway (36,900 t). Its full-year 2025 harvest reached 284,500 t GWT. Meanwhile, offshore unit SalMar Ocean registered no harvest in Q4 but contributed 7,200 t for the year...

Alaska Pollock Processors Drop Foreign Worker Program, Citing Uncertainty

Some of Alaska's largest pollock processors are abandoning a foreign worker visa program that once supplied up to half their workforce, citing rising costs and uncertainty under stricter immigration policies.

Tom Enlow is the president and CEO of UniSea Seafoods, Unalaska’s largest seafood processor. He said the company is moving away from the H-2B visas to save money on an inconsistent system.

“The H-2B program, I think was good for Alaska at a time when we really needed them, you know, during the pandemic...

Snow Crab Price Dispute Continues As Rebate Calculation Divides Newfoundland Industry

The end‑of‑season settlement payment for the Newfoundland and Labrador snow crab season was announced yesterday, and harvesters reacted with disappointment.

FFAW‑Unifor, the union representing the province's harvesters, said auditors from Deloitte completed their analysis and set a final rebate of $0.28, yielding a total price of $5.25/lb.

“Based on the available market information, the calculated rebate amount is far below what the Negotiating Committee expected,” FFAW said in a news release. “Today's rebate results are the final straw for fish harvesters who are...

AK Delegation Introduce Bycatch Reduction Act to Address "Unprecedented Challenges"

As promised, Alaska’s Congressional Delegation has followed up on 2022’s Alaska Salmon Research Task Force Act with a broader approach to benefit other commercial species caught in Alaska. 

Senators Lisa Murkowski, Dan Sullivan, and Representative Nick Begich introduced the bill earlier this week in both houses of Congress. 

“In recent years, Alaskans have witnessed unprecedented declines among some fish and crab species in parts of the state while, in other parts, runs have been strong and historic,” said Sullivan...

Samherji Expands into Fish Oil Processing with 49% Purchase of Berg LipidTech AS

Iceland-based seafood firm Samherji acquired a 49% stake in Norwegian fish oil producers Berg LipidTech AS.

Samherji said the company produces fish oil products for the wholesale markets primarily from cod liver and salmon, selling to markets across the globe.

“The acquisition creates opportunities for further processing of Samherji's byproducts while strengthening Berg LipidTech's competitiveness through a more stable supply of quality raw materials,” Samherji said in a press release. “The investment will move Samherji further up the seafood value chain...

ANALYSIS: Indonesian Shrimp Exports Rebound Amid Volume Shortfalls and Price Divergence

Indonesian exports rebounded in November following the massive disruption experienced in October. Despite the recovery, November shipments remained nearly 20% below year‑ago levels and roughly 5 million pounds under the 3‑year average, indicating an incomplete normalization of volumes.

Data show a substantial reallocation of shipments away from the US and into alternative markets, which absorbed much of the lost US volume. That destination shift moderated global supply pressure but altered traditional demand channels for Indonesian suppliers.

Contrary to expectations, unit export prices rose to their highest levels...

Trade Associations Praise Trump Administration’s New Nutritional Guidelines

Following Wednesday’s release of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2025–2030, several trade associations welcomed the updated federal nutrition guidance, which places protein back at the center of the plate.

“Thanks to the bold leadership of President Trump, this edition of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans will reset federal nutrition policy, putting our families and children first as we move toward a healthier nation,” US Department of Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said.

“We are realigning our food system to support American farmers, ranchers, and companies that grow and produce real food. Farmers and...

Salmon Farmers Expand Production in Northeastern Japan Amid Wild Fishery Staggering

Salmon farming production is expanding in Tohoku. Amid declining catches of traditional major fisheries, such as fall chum, local fishermen and distributors are turning their attention to fish farming more than ever before. Tohoku faces cold waters ideal for salmon farming, and is home to many manufacturers with advanced processing technologies. Inland water fishers handling intermediate seedlings are also concentrated here, leveraging the region's geographic characteristics to make it one of Japan's leading salmon production areas. Efforts toward mass production and brand...

Russian Government May Consider Selling Historical Fish Quotas Via Actions This Year

The Russian government will consider the beginning selling the so-called historical fish quotas through the auctions, in a move that will allow to attract additional revenues to the state budget.

Last year such a proposal has been put forward by some senior state officials in the Russian government, but was criticized by representatives of the local fish community. Still there is possibility that the government may once again consider this proposal later this year.

In accordance with the current Russian practice, certain fishing companies...