Alaska's 2026 Salmon Season Ends as Lowest Harvest Since 1987

Alaska-wide salmon harvests totaled 87.2 million fish as of the first week of September, about 70% of the pre-season projection of 125.5 million. It's the first time in 39 years that the state's overall harvest has fallen below 100 million fish.

According to the McKinley Research Group, which publishes weekly updates on behalf of the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute (ASMI), every species of salmon underperformed this season. Sockeye landings came in at 84% of the projected catch statewide, while pink and Chinook followed at 68% and 67%...

NFI Rebrands as National Seafood Association, Launch Set for Monday

The National Fisheries Institute (NFI) is changing its name to the National Seafood Association — the first name change in the trade group's 80-year history — with an official launch planned for Monday, September 14, according to a statement provided to Expana/SeafoodNews.

"Our name has changed but our mission hasn't," the association told Expana. NFI's mission remains getting more people eating more seafood by advocating for a regulatory environment that allows its members to run successful seafood businesses...

Shinkei's Seremoni Grade Salmon, Red Snapper Head to Whole Foods Market

Seremoni, the premium seafood brand created by seafood robotics company Shinkei Systems, has announced a partnership with Whole Foods Market that will bring its Seremoni Grade Sockeye Salmon and Red Snapper to select store locations across Austin, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago and Denver.

"Launching Seremoni Grade fish in Whole Foods Market has been a huge goal for our team," the company said in a LinkedIn post announcing the deal, calling Whole Foods a retailer that "shares our commitment to quality, sustainability, and delicious food." Seremoni said the launch...

Seafood Scores Big on NFL Stadium Menus for 2026 Season

Seafood is carving out real concession space as NFL teams roll out their 2026 season menus, with at least seven franchises adding new crab, shrimp, salmon or lobster items and one team striking the league's first dedicated seafood restaurant partnership.

The headline move came in Foxborough, where Legal Sea Foods was named the Official Seafood Restaurant and Official Clam Chowder of the New England Patriots and Gillette Stadium beginning with 2026 — the chain's first-ever official NFL stadium deal in its 70-year history. Fans can buy Legal's award-winning...

Expana Expands Japan Fish & Seafood Coverage with New Surimi Price Series

Expana today announced the addition of a new Japan surimi price series to its platform, expanding coverage with average wholesale prices for Alaskan pollock surimi. The series (TW43) is classified under the Fish & Seafood > Alaska Pollock category. The series is available immediately to Expana subscribers...

USDA Announces $6 Million Cost-Share Grant Program to Help Processors of Wild-Caught Catfish

"Wild-caught catfish processors on the Eastern Shore are playing a vital role in transforming an invasive species challenge into a growing commercial market that supports rural economies," said Maryland Representative Andy Harris. "By developing processing capacity for wild-caught catfish, these businesses contribute to job creation, expand opportunities for watermen and seafood suppliers, and strengthen the broader food and agricultural supply chain."

Harris was referring to a new grant program announced by US Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins on Wednesday...

Expana's Weekly Top 10

Supply is getting tighter, and the knock-on effects are showing up everywhere. This week’s Top 10 tracks how weather disruption, geopolitics and stubbornly high input costs are rewriting sourcing playbooks and keeping pricing power elevated, from farm inputs through to finished goods. As companies pivot procurement from savings to security, markets are flashing warning signs with delayed harvests and constrained availability, that could force firms to make tough choices on production and margins.

The Supply Squeeze Intensifies: from fertilizer and procurement to grains and sugar...

Japan’s Fisheries Agency Calls for 82% Cut to Pacific Sardine Catch by 2027 vs. 2025

Minato Shimbun reports that the Pacific stock of Japanese sardine, overfished by Japan, China, and Russia since 2023, is expected to see spawning biomass drop below the level needed for reproduction by 2025. An assessment released Sept. 2 by Japan’s Fisheries Agency and the Japan Fisheries Research and Education Agency (FRA) says the 2027 catch must be cut 82% from 2025’s 911,000 tons to 162,000 tons or less. The report also warns the stock could fall further if environmental...

Restructuring, Expansion and Fall Menu Innovation Take Center Stage in Foodservice

Over the past two weeks the foodservice sector has been defined by strategic reshuffling and targeted growth moves, with operators pruning portfolios and investing in efficiency while franchise and international expansion continue apace. At the same time seasonal promos and menu innovation are ramping up, compliance actions are reminding operators of labor risks, and seafood is surfacing as a prominent, high-visibility category.

Restructuring and compliance drive industry moves

Sysco reaffirmed its fiscal 2027 guidance, projecting net sales growth of about...

Lineage Opens First Bonded Warehouse in Spain With Murcia Customs Authorization

Lineage, Inc. (NASDAQ: LINE) announced that its Murcia facility has been authorized as a Customs Bonded Warehouse (Depósito Aduanero), marking the company's first bonded warehouse in Spain and extending its network of customs-enabled facilities across Europe.

The bonded warehouse designation allows import customers to store temperature-controlled food products under customs supervision at the Murcia facility until they're ready for release to market. That gives importers more flexibility in their go-to-market strategies, including the ability to hold inventory while awaiting duty...

ANALYSIS: Tight Norwegian Cod Supply Continues to Drive Higher Prices

The European whitefish market has remained active throughout 2026, with Norwegian cod prices holding above 2025 levels. This firm market sentiment has been sustained by tighter Norwegian supply, following the lowest total allowable catch (TAC) set for the Barents Sea since 1999. At 285,000 metric tonnes (mt), the TAC represents a 16% year-on-year (YOY) reduction, with Norway's share of the quota standing at 139,827 mt...

Expana Expands Global Seafood Coverage with 5 New Algorithmic Tilapia Forecasts

Expana today announced the addition of five new tilapia algorithmic forecasts to its platform, linked to the UB Frozen (IVP) Shallow/Standard Skin Moisture Added, Tilapia, Fillet, China, 5-7 oz EBP (3870) parent series. The forecasts cover China and the United States and are classified under the Seafood category. The forecasts (14284, 14283, 14285, 5420, 3871) are available immediately to Expana subscribers...

Faroese PM Presses Von der Leyen on Salmon Tariffs, Comes Away Empty-Handed

The Faroe Islands' push for better EU market access for processed seafood ran into diplomatic reality this week, as Prime Minister Beinir Johannesen's face-to-face appeal to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen produced no concrete movement on the tariff structure Faroese industry says is holding back domestic salmon processing.

The meeting took place in Nuuk, Greenland, on September 7 — not Brussels — on the sidelines of von der Leyen's two-day visit to sign a new EU-Greenland partnership declaration alongside Danish Prime Minister Mette...

BioMar Completes Global ASC Feed Certification Pipeline With Greece Milestone

BioMar has finished rolling out ASC Feed Certification across its entire global production network, with its Greek facility becoming the latest — and final — plant to achieve the standard.

The certification in Greece caps a multi-year process that saw BioMar progressively bring its production facilities in Europe, Latin and Central America, Australia and Asia into compliance with the Aquaculture Stewardship Council's feed standard. With Greece now certified, every BioMar plant where the ASC program is currently available holds the certification...

Cousins Maine Lobster to Take Dallas Food Truck on West Texas Tour

Cousins Maine Lobster is taking its Dallas food truck on a five-day tour of West Texas, with stops planned in Midland, Odessa, Lubbock and Amarillo from Sept. 9-13.

The regional tour marks the Dallas-based team's return to West Texas following time away from the market. The company said the truck will serve its core menu of wild-caught Maine lobster products, along with newer offerings.

"West Texas has always shown tremendous enthusiasm for Cousins Maine Lobster, and our Dallas team...

Kura Sushi Spotlights Black Cod, Anago in Limited-Time Fall Menu

US revolving sushi resturant Kura Sushi USA is leaning into seasonal premium seafood with the debut of four limited-time menu items featuring flame-seared black cod and authentic Japanese anago.

Available through Sept. 24, while supplies last, the promotion spotlights Alaskan black cod, also known as sablefish, and saltwater eel prepared in traditional Japanese style. The limited-time lineup is designed to bring rich, comforting flavors to the chain’s revolving sushi format as the industry transitions into fall...

Two Charged in West Haven Harbor Illegal Net, Undersize Fluke Bust

Connecticut DEEP Environmental Conservation Police arrested Qidong Chen and Yuqing Lin, both 53, of Meriden, following a West Haven harbor operation prompted by boater complaints about illegal nets posing a fouling hazard. Charges include commercial fishing without a license, fishing for summer flounder without the required endorsement, possession of 15 undersize fluke (smallest measured 3.5 inches against a 14-inch minimum), illegal harvest of 99 eastern oysters, shellfishing after sunset, and possession of 51 undersize blue crabs. Seized fish were donated to a raptor rehabilitation center...

Red Lobster Closes Dozens More Restaurants in Post-Bankruptcy 'Right-Sizing' Push

Red Lobster has trimmed its US footprint to 484 locations as of this week, down 36 units — or 7% — from the 520 it operated at the end of 2025, according to Technomic data cited by Restaurant Business. The chain has closed several long-running locations in recent months, including a 55-year-old Columbus, Georgia restaurant last month and its 23-year-old Times Square outpost in June, with additional closures in Alabama, Illinois and California in recent weeks...

21 State Attorneys General Sue Two Federal Agencies Over Endangered Species Act Rollback

The US Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) and the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) are targets of lawsuits brought by a coalition of states’ Attorneys General, co-led by AG Nick Brown of Washington state. 

The suits challenge new rules under the Endangered Species Act that make it easier for the federal government, private companies or individuals to modify or degrade the habitats of listed threatened and endangered species. That leaves threatened species without core protections, undermining Congress’ mandate when it passed the law. It also increases...

Trans-Ocean Products Announces Leadership Promotions

Trans-Ocean Products, a retail brand of surimi seafood, has announced several leadership promotions across its operations, accounting and supply chain functions.

“At Trans-Ocean Products, we have cultivated a team of employees who strive daily to find new solutions to deliver an exceptional customer experience and the highest quality surimi seafood products on the market today,” said Chris Cameron, president of Trans-Ocean Products.

Scott Rogers, who has been with Trans-Ocean for 11 years, has been promoted to customer service and supply manager. He will oversee customer...

NOAA Selects Mississippi State to Lead New Gulf Cooperative Institute

NOAA has selected Mississippi State University to host the Cooperative Institute in the Gulf of America (CINGA), a new research partnership focused on better understanding the region’s ecosystems and the social and economic forces shaping the Gulf. The five-year award is valued at up to $100 million, with the potential for a five-year renewal based on performance. Mississippi State was selected through an open, competitive evaluation, and CINGA will be affiliated with NOAA’s Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory in Miami.

“This collaboration builds on...

Ace Aquatec's Biomass Tech Hits 97% Accuracy for Iceland's Matorka Arctic Char

Icelandic land-based aquaculture producer Matorka has achieved more than 97% biomass measurement accuracy using Ace Aquatec's A-BIOMASS® camera system, according to a release from the Scottish technology company, marking a milestone in adapting salmon-focused monitoring tools to a different species.

Founded in 2010, Matorka is a vertically integrated land-based operation producing approximately 1,800 tonnes of Arctic char annually. The company controls its full production cycle, from broodstock and hatchery through juvenile production, grow-out and processing...

Middle East Market Intelligence Brief: Week Ending September 11, 2026

US President Trump said he expects the US-Iran war to end after the November midterms, while tensions continue to disrupt energy routes.

Iran-aligned Houthis have advanced to Perim Island and Dhubab near the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, following their seizure of Mocha and the Hanish Islands, raising risks to Red Sea shipping and Saudi oil exports.

Meanwhile, Brent crude has topped $100/barrel amid growing concerns over prolonged supply disruptions. 

Below is Expana’s weekly summary of the war’s most significant effects on global commodities. For the latest real-time updates, follow the Middle East Conflict tag...

Dunleavy Pressed on PWS Salmon, SE Alaska Dungeness Crab Disaster Declarations

The City and Borough of Wrangell has asked Governor Mike Dunleavy to declare a disaster emergency over the "significant decline of the Southeast Alaska commercial Dungeness crab fishery and its impacts on local fishermen, families and businesses."

A day later, on September 4, state Representative Sarah Vance sent two letters to Dunleavy requesting disaster declarations for this year's Cook Inlet and Prince William Sound/Copper River salmon runs.

In her letter, published on her Facebook page, Vance described a severe shortfall in Prince William Sound...

Court Upholds Shrimp CVDs on India, Ecuador, Vietnam in Trilogy of Rulings

The US Court of International Trade sustained the International Trade Commission's finding that subsidized shrimp imports from India, Ecuador, and Vietnam materially injured the domestic shrimp industry, rejecting exporter challenges from all three countries in a trio of opinions issued September 4. The rulings keep countervailing duties in place on shrimp from all three nations, covering an investigation period from January 1, 2021, to March 31, 2024.

India (Seafood Exporters Association of India): Indian exporters argued the Commission wrongly folded frozen cooked shrimp into the same...

Sysco Reaffirms 2027 Guidance, Raises Mid-Term Growth Targets

Sysco is reaffirming its fiscal 2027 guidance while raising its mid-term growth targets, citing momentum in the business and a new multi-year AI-powered efficiency program. The company delivered solid results in fiscal 2026, helping set the stage for the reaffirmed outlook.

According to Expana’s report, Sysco’s sales rose 3.9% to $84.7 billion in 2026, while US Foodservice sales increased 4.4% to $15.4 billion and International Foodservice sales grew 6.7% to $4.2 billion.

"We finished fiscal 2026 with momentum, and that...

US Labor Department Recovers $732K for Florida Seafood Restaurant Workers in Wage Case

The US Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division has recovered $732,976 for 31 workers at Miyako Japanese Buffet, a Pompano Beach seafood restaurant operated by Lucky King LLC.

Investigators found the employer paid staff flat monthly sums of between $1,000 and $3,000 regardless of hours worked, failing to meet minimum wage and overtime requirements under the Fair Labor Standards Act.

The case is the latest in a string of DOL wage-recovery actions against restaurant operators this year, following an August settlement...

Wagamama Revamps US Menu with Customizable Formats and Expanded Drinks Lineup

Wagamama is overhauling its US menu, adding 26 dishes, 15 Asian-inspired beverages and more customizable formats as the pan-Asian chain looks to widen its appeal with American diners.

The rollout includes several seafood additions, among them Thai Chili Shrimp Bao Bun Tacos, poke bowls with fresh ahi tuna and Thai Chili Shrimp, and Salt + Pepper Calamari as a new shareable item. The company is also expanding its ramen and salad offerings, giving guests more ways to tailor meals...

Santa Barbara Fishermen Land $500K State Grant to Build Ocean Collective Career Hub

The Commercial Fishermen of Santa Barbara (CFSB) has secured $507,500 from the California State Coastal Conservancy to launch the Ocean Collective, a partnership aimed at building career pathways and shared infrastructure for the region's blue economy. The funding comes from the Safe Drinking Water, Wildfire Prevention, Drought Preparedness, and Clean Air Bond Act of 2024 — the voter-approved measure known as Proposition 4 or the "2024 Climate Bond."

The award marks a major step forward for...

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...