Fortune Sues Former Executive and Salmon Company Vikenco for Stealing Trade Secrets

Boston Sword & Tuna, LLC (BST) and Fortune International, LLC, (Fortune) recently filed a lawsuit against former employee Christopher J. Marchese and Norwegian salmon company Vikenco North America, Inc. (Vikenco).

The legal complaint, filed on April 29, 2025, argues that the defendants stole confidential and proprietary information and trade secrets, set up a competing business, and engaged in direct competition with the plaintiffs despite contractual and common law obligations that prohibited such activity...

Sullivan-Whitehouse FISH Act 2025 is Unanimously Passed by Senate Commerce Committee

On May 1, 2025, the Senate Commerce, Science & Transportation Committee unanimously passed the Fighting Foreign Illegal Seafood Harvest (FISH) Act, which seeks to combat illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing within the U.S. seafood market.

The bipartisan bill, also known as the FISH Act (or the FISH Act of 2025), establishes federal infrastructure and processes to blacklist offending IUU vessels from U.S. ports and waters.

In addition, the act will increase the U.S. Coast Guard’s enforcement capabilities and partnerships and advance international and bilateral negotiations to achieve enforceable...

Louisiana's Inshore Shrimp Season to Open May 8 in Some Parts

On May 1, 2025, the Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Commission published the opening dates for the state’s inshore shrimp fishing season.

The following dates were decided upon for Louisiana’s inshore shrimping areas, using information provided by Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) biologists as well as public comments:

* State inside waters from the Mississippi/Louisiana state line westward to the eastern shore of South Pass of the Mississippi River will open at 6:00 a.m. on Monday, May 19, 2025...

Japan’s Black Cod Imports Exceed 10,000 Tons 3 Years in a Row

Japan's 2024 imports of frozen cod from the United States amounted to 10,006 tons, down 16% from the previous year, though still exceeding the 10,000-ton mark for the third consecutive year.

Meanwhile, the import price rose 15% from 985 yen/kg ($6.83/kg) the previous year to 1,136 yen/kg ($7.88/kg). According to reporting from Minato Shimbun, the rebound in market price was due to producers suspending fishing due to fatigue from low prices.

In 2012, imports were over 8,000 tons, with an average...

Russia Hopes for Good Mackerel Catches This Year Despite Earlier Reports of Stock Decline

Russia is hoping for good mackerel catches this year despite some earlier reports about a significant decline of mackerel stock within domestic territorial waters as well as abroad.

According to recent statements from leading Russian fisheries scientists, the Atlantic mackerel stock continues to remain stable and is not at risk of decline due to overfishing.

Oleg Bulatov, Director of Research at the Russian State Research Center of Fisheries and Oceanography, explained how scientists monitor stocks and analyze mackerel catches every year. According to him, mackerel stocks in both...

ANALYSIS: Cod Retail Data Suggests Peak Promotional Efforts from New Year to End of Lenten Season 

The groundfish market has been under upward pressure for several months due to a shortage in raw materials and escalating tariffs on imports from China. This analysis examines the promotional activity of cod at retail level over the past four years and highlights seasonal trends in promotional efforts...

Sens. Booker and Sullivan Introduce Keep Finfish Free Act Banning Fish Farms in US EEZ

Yesterday, U.S. Senators Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Dan Sullivan (R-AK) introduced the Keep Finfish Free Act, bipartisan legislation that would prohibit federal agencies from issuing any permit or taking any other action to authorize or facilitate commercial finfish aquaculture operations in the U.S. EEZ, unless Congress passes future legislation explicitly authorizing such permits.

If the title sounds familiar, it’s because a near-identically titled House Resolution was introduced in early 2021 by Representative Don Young of Alaska, a Republican. It, too, was bipartisan...

FDA Finalizes “Healthy” Food Definition, Includes Nuts, Seeds, Eggs, Olive Oil, and Salmon Products

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently finalized its definition of ‘healthy’ for U.S. food products, thus allowing foods like nuts, seeds, higher-fat fish, and certain oils—which were previously not included in an earlier version of the rule—to bear the word “healthy” on their packaging and other food marketing materials.

As Expana reported in December 2024, varieties of these foods such as fresh, frozen, or canned options are also listed in the update, so long as they have no added ingredients...

Ocean Outcomes Announces $3M Push for Tuna Fleet Transparency in Northeast Asia

At this year’s Our Ocean Conference in Busan, South Korea, all eyes were on Northeast Asia’s distant water tuna fleets — the largest in the world, operating across the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Oceans. Yet despite their vast reach, these fleets remain among the least transparent, with average observer coverage hovering below 10%. For the remaining 90% of the thousands of vessels catching tuna on the high seas, little is known.

Ocean Outcomes (O2) and Global Fishing Watch (GFW) are leading the charge to modernize this high-risk...

GAPP Awarded Funds for Trade Missions, Research in Key Global Markets

USDA-FAS Awards Six Emerging Market Program Grants to Explore New Opportunities for Alaska Pollock Abroad

SEATTLE, Wash.— New research to understand market conditions, consumer perceptions and opportunities for Wild Alaska Pollock will be conducted this year thanks to a significant grant award, the Association of Genuine Alaska Pollock Producers (GAPP) announced today. Under the United States Department of Agriculture, Foreign Agriculture Service (USDA-FAS) Emerging Markets Program (EMP), GAPP was awarded funding to support six unique projects in three critical emerging markets: Brazil, Colombia and India...

Exclusive International Trade Centre Interview: Implications of Trump’s Tariff Regime

Julia Spies is the Chief of Trade and Market Intelligence for the International Trade Centre (ITC) in Switzerland. Spies and team analyze trade information and publish findings about market-specific trade intelligence on multiple online platforms, like Tradebriefs.intracen.org.

Recent shifts in the world of trade, including the latest round of United States tariffs and trade measures by other countries, has kept Spies and company busy, to say the least.

However, ITC members have watched trade measures, and in particular their impact on developing countries, long before these recent changes...

NMFS Issues Temporary Rule to Ensure Uninterrupted Northeast Groundfish Season; Fishery Opens May 1

On April 29, NOAA Fisheries (NMFS) signed a temporary rule to facilitate uninterrupted fishing for the Northeast Multispecies fishery, otherwise known as the Northeast groundfish fishery. The rule is effective May 1, the same day the fishery’s 2025 season opens up.

Per the emergency action, NMFS established interim specifications for Georges Bank haddock and two stocks of cod, as well as affirmed specifications for other Northeast Multispecies stocks previously set in Frameworks 65 and 66. As a result, the measure will allow the fishery to...

Russia Reduces Imports of Fish Products from “Unfriendly” States

Lately, Russia has been reducing its imports of fish products from so-called “unfriendly” states, according to recent statements from local fishermen and Russian media reports.

According to earlier data provided by the All-Russian Association of Fishery Enterprises, Entrepreneurs and Exporters (VARPE), which cites statistics from Trademap, Russia only imported 2.28%, or less than 6,500 tons, of frozen, smoked, and dried fish and seafood from “unfriendly” countries in 2024 was 2.28%.

Most of these imports were delivered from South Korea along with Taiwan and some other countries...

ANALYSIS: Unsettled Start for 2025 Snow Crab Market as Supply and Sectoral Pressures Mount

The U.S. snow crab market, particularly for product sourced from Newfoundland, has experienced a notably unsettled start to the 2025 season. While such early-season volatility is not unusual, this year’s market is exhibiting an especially wide range of offers and sales from seller to seller. As is typical, the market is expected to stabilize as more product flows into the U.S. and trading patterns normalize...

Kawasaki Heavy Industries Lands First Trout Salmon Harvest, Aims for Future Sales of JPY 10 Billion

According to a recent press release from Kawasaki Heavy Industries (KHI), the company has developed a sustainable aquaculture system that aims to contribute to food security, promoting the system as part of the "MINATOMAE" project.

As a step toward commercializing this project, KHI conducted the test landing of a trout salmon cultivation in the waters of Kobe Port on April 24. The landing was successful, and approximately 850 fish were cultivated (with an average size of two kilograms per fish)...

International Coalition of Fisheries Associations Will Host Global Affairs Panel in Barcelona

The International Coalition of Fisheries Associations (ICFA), building on its interactive presentation at Seafood Expo North America in Boston, is hosting another panel on May 6 at Seafood Expo Global in Barcelona, Spain. 

ICFA was formed in 1988 to build consensus among global fisheries organizations on international issues that nations and companies address. The group has special consultative status at the United Nation’s Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO).

Recently, ICFA Chair Ivan López Van der Veen took the group public with a website launched about a year ago...

Chicken of the Sea Reveals New Ghost Pepper Tuna Packet

Chicken of the Sea just announced the newest addition to its shelf-stable tuna packet line: Wild Caught Light Tuna with Ghost Pepper.

The spicy 90-calorie tuna product is available for a limited time only at retail locations where Chicken of the Sea tuna packets are sold. The company recommends trying it on its own, scooped with a tortilla chip, over rice, or paired with your favorite recipe.

The debut marks Chicken of the Sea’s hottest flavor offering.

"At Chicken of the Sea, we keep a close eye on..."

Texas House of Reps. Advances Legislation Supporting State Shrimp Industry

Earlier this week, the Southern Shrimp Alliance (SSA) issued a news release detailing the Texas House of Representatives’ recent advancement of two bills that stand to support the state’s shrimp industry.

The first bill, HCR 76, was authored by Representatives A.J. Louderback and Terri Leo-Wilson and unanimously approved by the Trade, Workforce & Economic Development Committee on April 23. The bill urges the federal government to address the domestic surge in cheap, farm-raised imported shrimp and to take measures to combat the negative impact that such imports have on...

Alaska’s Silver Bay Joins GSSI as Funding Partner

The Global Sustainable Seafood Initiative (GSSI) recently announced that Alaska-based Silver Bay Seafoods joined GSSI as a Funding Partner. 

“Sustainable fishery management is critical to the success of our fishermen, and company, and the enduring strength of our partnerships with fishermen, communities, and industry across Alaska,” the company said in a statement yesterday. “Silver Bay Seafoods is enthusiastic about this new partnership with GSSI. The GSSI benchmark plays a critical role in seafood certification by extending formal recognition to robust, effective, and credible seafood certification programs...

Navigating the Trump Tariff Turbulence: A Comprehensive Timeline

US President Donald Trump and his administration have paused reciprocal tariffs on most countries.

“Based on the lack of respect that China has shown... I am hereby raising the [tariff] charged to China by the [USA] to 125%, effective immediately,” wrote Trump on Truth Social at 1:18 pm ET. 

It’s not clear if this 125% is in addition to the 20% imposed on Chinese imports to the US. In early March, Trump noted that he would add another 10% tariff on Chinese goods...

Senate Markup of FISH Act Addresses IUU Fishing Concerns, Reauthorizes Sea Grant Program

At a Senate markup meeting on April 30, U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell, Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, delivered an opening statement in which she thanked fellow Senators Sullivan and Whitehouse for introducing the FISH Act of 2025.

She also thanked her colleagues for accepting her amendment to reauthorize the Sea Grant program, while also expressing her concerns about putting more requirements upon the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS, or NOAA Fisheries), especially “at a time when the administration is proposing to..."

Russia to Accelerate Domestic Fisheries Research in 2025

This year, Russia plans to accelerate research activities for its domestic fisheries sector, with the aim of increasing catch efficiency and creating sector conditions for further growth.

According to recent statements from Ilya Shestakov, head of Rosrybolovstvo, one of the country’s foremost goals regarding fishery science is to provide more accurate forecasts to domestic fisherman. Improvements in this area will then provide Russian fishermen with an opportunity to increase catch in particular fishing areas and zones.

Russia expects to utilize the resource of the Russian State Research Center (VNIRO)...

Tariff Talks 2025: Expana's Weekly Rundown #6

Expana’s global team of specialist reporters has been tracking every twist and turn in the fluid tariff situation.

Click to read "Tariff Talks 2025: Expana's Weekly Rundown #6."

This report allows the Expana community to see where key commodity markets stand as of this past week... Click the above PDF report, or keep scrolling to read in plain text...

Fisheries Council of Canada Congratulates Newly Elected Prime Minister Mark Carney

The Fisheries Council of Canada (FCC) recently released a statement congratulating Prime Minister Mark Carney and the Liberal Party of Canada on their re-election.

The election, which took place on April 28, saw the Liberal Party’s Mark Carney—Trudeau’s successor and Canada's newly re-elected Prime Minister—going up against the Conservative Party’s Pierre Poilievre.

In the end, the Liberal Party won 168 of the 172 parliamentary seats required to hold the majority. Therefore, while Carney and the Liberals did not win the outright majority of seats, they...

Japan’s March Seafood Exports Surged 63% in Quantity and 48% in Value

According to trade statistics released by the Ministry of Finance, Japan’s marine product exports (including fishmeal and fish and shellfish products) for March increased 63% in quantity compared to the same month last year, amounting to 57,522 tons. Imports also increased 48% in value to 33,080 million yen ($231.68 million).

While the volume of frozen scallops (combined shucked and with shells) decreased, the value increased. Meanwhile, frozen yellowtail fillets increased in both quantity and value.

Minato Shimbun highlighted key marine products that are important for Japan’s exports...

World’s First Wind-Aquaculture Platform Passed Acceptance

The world’s first integrated floating platform for wind power and aquaculture, Guoneng Sharing, independently developed by China Longyuan Power Group Corporation Limited, has recently passed acceptance by a panel of authoritative experts in Beijing.

Located in the waters off Nanri Island, Putian, Fujian Province, the project marks a significant breakthrough in China’s three-dimensional development of marine resources.

The innovative Guoneng Sharing platform combines a 4-megawatt floating wind turbine with an intelligent deep-sea aquaculture cage system capable of rearing 50,000 deep-sea fish. The project overcame multiple technical challenges, including performance...

Save California Salmon: Another Lost Season is a ‘Total Crisis, Not a Closure’

Recent notice of another complete closure for commercial salmon fishing in California this year means more must be done to save fish – and the fisheries – says a California non-profit working with tribes and Northern California fishermen.​ 

The Pacific Fishery Management Council’s April decision marks the third year in a row of no commercial fishing season in California, as well as the state’s first recreational salmon season since 2022.  

Tribal subsistence fishing allocations will also be limited. This decision was made due to extremely low returns...

Russia Aims for 89,000-Ton Catch from Faroese Waters This Year

This year, Russia plans to catch about 89,000 tons of fish in the waters of the Faroe Islands, which aligns with earlier forecasts made by experts of the All-Russian Association of Fishery Enterprises, Entrepreneurs and Exporters (VARPE).

The current catch is being conducted in the 200-mile exclusive economic zone of the Faroe Islands as part of an existing agreement between the Faroe Islands and Russia. This mutual fishing agreement, initially established in 1977, has been extended, despite previous protests from some Western countries, and is revised...

Bipartisan Bill Would Ban Offshore Drilling Off New England Coast and Gulf of Maine

U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Angus King recently cosponsored a bipartisan bill that would prohibit offshore drilling off the coast of New England, including the Gulf of Maine.

The legislation, titled the New England Coastal Protection Act, specifically stands to ban oil and gas leasing off the coast of Maine as well as in protected coastal areas spanning New England.

Together, these areas represent ocean and coastal resources that account for more than $17.5 billion in annual revenue for New England's tourism, fishing, and recreation...

Canadians Focused on Economy in Today’s Federal Election; Stakes High in Seafood Industry

The federal election in Canada will end tonight with final ballots cast no later than 7 p.m. local time in British Columbia. This comes after a month-long campaign marked by a rare flip in the polls, as voters reacted to U.S. President Donald Trump’s ‘retaliatory’ tariff policy against Canadian goods and a threat to annex the nation as the 51st state.

In early January, former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced he would be stepping down in March. At that time, Pierre Poilievre’s Conservative party had a...