NOAA Officially Closes Scallop Fishery in Northern Gulf of Maine

Effective today at 3:00 p.m. EST, NOAA Fisheries closed the Northern Gulf of Maine (NGOM) Scallop Management Area to all scallop vessels fishing under federal scallop regulations.

The closure applies to all scallop vessels fishing within the federally permitted limited access general category and prohibits such vessels from fishing for, possessing, or landing scallops in or around the fishing area specified above. This decision adheres to federal scallop regulations, which require NOAA to close areas projected to reach 100% of the annual NGOM Set-Aside, or until final 2025...

ANALYSIS: US Tariffs and Their Potential Impact on the Tuna Trade

On April 2, US President Donald Trump announced changes to tariffs affecting more than 180 countries, introducing a minimum 10% tariff that will take effect on April 5. Higher increases in reciprocal rates will come into effect on April 9. The US Trade Representative (USTR) has determined the elevated reciprocal tariff rates based on a formula that focuses on the trade deficit with its partners, along with each country’s monetary tariffs, non-monetary trade barriers, currency manipulations, and other factors...

FFAW Applauds Panel’s Decision on NL Snow Crab Price

According to a news release published yesterday afternoon by the Fish, Food & Allied Workers Union (FFAW), the Standing Fish Price-Setting Panel finally reached a decision on snow crab pricing for the 2025 season in Newfoundland and Labrador (NL), ruling in favor of the FFAW’s proposed floor price of $4.97 per pound.

Per the Panel’s decision, the FFAW’s starting price was approved across the board, with an adjustment at the end of the season based on market performance, says FFAW-Unifor President Dwan Street. The chosen floor price is...

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...

Russia to Continue Reorienting Fish Exports from EU to Alternative Markets

According to reports from local media and analysts in the Russian fishing sector, Russia will continue reorienting the flow of its fish exports, originally directed to the European Union (EU), to alternative sale markets, primarily those in Asia.

According to German Zverev, president of the All-Russian Association of Fish Producers (VARPE), the shift will lead to a shortage in certain fish species in the EU market, particularly for cod and pollock.

In an interview with Russian newspaper Ria Novosti, Zverev said that the current niche, which was previously...

Lineage Acquires New Cold Storage Facility in Bellingham

Earlier this month, refrigerated-storage company Lineage, Inc. acquired three warehouses from Bellingham Cold Storage (BCS) located on Washington’s west coast in Bellingham.

The acquired assets span approximately 24 million cubic feet and include 85,000 pallet positions across three warehouses: the Bellingham Waterfront Warehouse Center, the Orchard/I-5 Warehouse Center, and the Burlington Dry location.

The expansion creates a foothold for the cold storage company at the Port of Bellingham, thus building on Lineage’s network in the U.S. Pacific Northwest region, which now includes 40 warehouse facilities across Washington, Oregon, and Idaho...

SalMar’s Q1 2025 Results Show 19.3% Decrease Y-O-Y in Total Harvest Volume

Salmon aquaculture company SalMar recently released its financial results for Q1 2025, which showed a 19.3% decrease in the total consolidated harvest volume when compared to the same period last year.

The total consolidated harvest volume for Q1 2025 amounted to 42,700 tonnes gutted weight (tgw), therefore marking a decrease of 10,200 tgw compared to 52,900 tgw during Q1 2024.

For Q1 2025, consolidated harvest volumes were down for Farming Central Norway by 6,700 tgw from Q1 2024, for SalMar Ocean (previously SalMar Aker Ocean) by...

US Senators Introduce Bill to Combat Foreign Illegal Fishing

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Tim Kaine (D-VA), Bill Cassidy (R-LA), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), and John Curtis (R-UT) introduced the Protecting Global Fisheries Act, bipartisan legislation to combat illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing.

Predatory IUU fishing, particularly by China, disrupts international trade and undermines maritime security, marine ecosystems and biodiversity, and food and economic security. It often involves forced labor, human trafficking, unsafe working conditions, and other human rights abuses. IUU fishing directly harms the United States—a major harvester, importer, and consumer of seafood—by...

Ace Aquatec Appoints New CFO

Ace Aquatec appointed Alan MacLeod as its new Chief Financial Officer (CFO) on April 4, 2025, replacing the aquaculture company’s previous CFO, Duncan Montgomery, who was appointed back in 2021.

MacLeod has more than 20 years’ experience in various financial leadership roles across technology, construction, energy, and oil and gas settings. His most recent position was a director within the advisory section at investment firm N4 Partners. Before that, MacLeod was CFO and board director at asset management company Allrig.

“Joining Ace Aquatec at such a pivotal time in its growth journey is incredibly exciting..."

Les Hodges: Could Russian Crab Return to US Shores?

Diplomatic talks in Riyadh may signal the first steps toward reopening U.S. markets to Russian seafood. A recent meeting between Russian and U.S. officials aimed to lay the groundwork for ending the war in Ukraine and normalizing bilateral relations. On March 25, Moscow released a summary of the meeting's outcomes. Among them were the restoration of the Black Sea Initiative and to see renewed access to global markets for Russian exports of agricultural products and fertilizers -- specifically citing fish products currently restricted under food sanctions.

If Ukraine is able to achieve...

Russia is Increasing its Shrimp Catch This Year

This year, Russia is increasing its shrimp catch, thanks to an ever-growing demand for the shellfish species both globally and domestically.

According to latest data from the Russian Federal Agency for Fisheries, Russia’s volume of shrimp catch during the period of January-March 2025 amounted to 5,400 tons, which is 29% more than the same period last year. In 2024, the total volume of catch grew by 24%, amounting to 27,000 tonnes.

At the same time, according to data of the Russian Fish Union, shrimp imports to Russia in 2024 also increased...

Burnsed Trucking Responds to New Trump Tariffs with Strategic Focus on Seafood Import Shifts

FT. PIERCE, Fla., April 7, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The food supply chain is one of the most resilient and recession-resistant sectors in U.S.A, if not the world, and the seafood industry continues to grow in both volume and complexity— Burnsed Trucking today issued a strategic response to the sweeping import tariffs announced by former President Donald Trump on April 2, 2025.

The new tariffs are accelerating a major shift in global seafood sourcing and distribution headed into Florida.

"What we're seeing isn't just a tariff..."

Tariff Talks 2025: Expana's Weekly Rundown #3

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 #3."

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...

Pacific Seafood Acquires New Distribution and Processing Facility in Florida

Pacific Seafood recently acquired a 26,000-square-foot distribution and processing facility in Doral, Florida.

The new facility has 5,930 of square feet dedicated to office space across two stories, a refrigerated processing area to handle raw material and skin-pack processing, and three dock-height bay doors for improved logistics.

The property, which had recent renovations completed in 2023, will allow the seafood company to process its own seafood, increase efficiency, and reduce reliance on third-party suppliers, all while expanding value-added capabilities including skin-pack salmon...

ANALYSIS: Latest US Tariffs Place 54% on Groundfish Imports from China  

The US government announced the implementation of a universal 10% tariff effective April 5. This universal tariff will transition into a reciprocal tariff of 34% on imports from China starting April 9. Given the pre-existing 20% tariff on Chinese imports, the cumulative tariff on groundfish species such as cod, haddock, pollock, and flounder will escalate to 54% starting April 9...

Barclays Downgrades Salmar and Leroy Seafood to Underweight

Global financial services provider Barclays recently downgraded Salmar and Leroy Seafood to Underweight from Equal Weight status, thus indicating that the seafood companies’ stocks are currently underperforming in relation to their typical benchmarks.

This dip in price targets coincides with recently implemented U.S. import tariffs, which have spurred a decline in the global stock market. Tariffs have impacted exports of numerous countries including Norway and Chile, where the above companies are headquartered, amongst many others.

According to reporting by Theflyonthewall.com, Barclays analysts have indicated that Salmar’s price target dipped from NOK 530...

FDA Refuses Antibiotic-Contaminated Shrimp from Five Different Foreign Shrimp Exporters in March

On Friday, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) released detailed data regarding one hundred and nineteen (119) seafood entry line refusals in March, of which eight (6.7%) were for shrimp for reasons related to banned antibiotics.

Through the first quarter of 2025, the FDA has reported refusing just twelve total entry lines of shrimp for reasons related to veterinary drug residues. If this same level of refusals is maintained through the remainder of the calendar year, it will be the lowest total of such refusals since...

JBT Marel Appoints Two New Fish Division Directors

Global technology solutions provider JBT Marel recently announced two new appointments in its Fish division, including Diego Lages as the division’s new service director and Jón Birgir Gunnarsson as the new sales director.

Lages, who previously held the role of Global Sales Director within the Fish division, brings forth 26 years of experience working in the fish industry.

"I am incredibly excited to take on the role of Director Service, Fish at JBT Marel. This feels like a return to the days when I built strong sales and service organizations in several..."

Russian Fishermen to Significantly Increase Fish Exports to Brazil

This year, Russian fishermen plan to significantly increase their fish exports to Brazil, as part of their plans for market diversification.

For example, the local K-Flot, one of Russia’s largest fish holdings, has begun the procedure for certifying its fleet for the requirements of the Department of Inspection of Products of Animal Origin (DIPOA) of Brazil.

As an official spokesman of K-Flot said in an interview with the Russian Vedomosti business paper, the first shipments of cod to Brazil will begin already by the end of 2025...

Sluggish Prices for Russian Pollock Roe at Busan Auction; 10% Lower Than 2024

According to a report in the Minato Shimbun newspaper, the bidding for this season's new Russian pollock roe, currently being held in Busan, South Korea, has shown that STD (high-quality) grade roe for Japan has seen prices fall compared to the same period last year.

As of April 3, the highest successful bid price was $6.50/kg, 10% lower than the previous bid session. The average price per kilo was between $5.00 and $5.50, and in many cases, the Russian side's desired price...

Southern Shrimp Alliance Responds to “The Pause”

The Trump Administration announced a 90-day pause on shrimp and other tariffs, dropping the effective rate to 10% to allow for negotiations on trade, trade barriers, tariffs, currency manipulation, and non-monetary tariffs.

The Southern Shrimp Alliance responds:

“It is encouraging that the Trump Administration’s tariffs have prompted countries to show a new willingness to address trade policies disadvantaging American producers. We want to compete in a market where competitors cannot use intolerable practices like forced labor and banned antibiotics to undercut us,” said John Williams, executive director of the Southern Shrimp Alliance...

Reciprocal Tariffs Impact Japan's Yellowtail and Scallop Exports

On April 2, the White House announced it would impose reciprocal tariffs on imports worldwide. The first round of tariffs—a flat 10% for all countries—took effect on April 5 at 12:01 a.m. EST. The second round—targeting a total of 57 countries and regions, including Japan and the European Union—imposes different tax rates for each country and region effective today, April 9, at 12:01 a.m. EST. Japan's total tariff will be 24%, Minato Shimbun reported.

Per the tariff rules, any goods loaded onto a ship at the...

The Retail Rundown: Easter Momentum Builds

In the final full week of Lent, seafood accounts for 35% of all protein retail promotions, gaining ground on pork, which holds 23% of ad space. Beef promotions slipped to 20%, while chicken has 15%. Lamb and veal promotions, though still minimal, doubled from the previous week, rising to 2% ahead of Easter.

Notably, Easter falls late this year—on April 20—affecting year-over-year (YOY) comparisons. Ham promotions last week were offered at premium price points compared to 2024. Discounted boneless smoked hams averaged...

WA Gov. Ferguson Makes Changes to Fish and Wildlife Commission

The phrase, “out with the old, in with the new,” has a new twist in Washington.  

Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson asked the state Senate not to consider former Gov. Jay Inslee’s two recommendations for the Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission and instead, approve his own recommendations – two of whom are returning members.  

The Senate agreed.  

Last week, Ferguson re-appointed two returning members and appointed one new member to the Commission. 

Molly Linville was re-appointed and fills one Eastern Washington position. Jim Anderson was also re-appointed and fills...

ANALYSIS: Evolving Supply Dynamics and Terminal Pricing in the Whole Fish Market

Canadian wholesale pricing and Mid-Atlantic terminal prices tend to follow similar trends, as terminal markets represent the next step in the supply chain following wholesale distribution. Terminal buyers can source from the same upstream supply, primarily East Coast farms, so pricing movement between the two levels is often closely aligned. This relationship is especially evident during periods of steady harvest and consistent distribution, when values at both wholesale and terminal levels have moved in a relatively synchronized manner...

Japan: Price Will Surge by 40% for St. Lawrence Snow Crab

The domestic sales price of new snow crab from the southern Gulf of St. Lawrence (Gulf region) on the east coast of Canada is likely to rise significantly. According to a trading company that deals in Canadian products, the beach price (round basis) of crab from the same region at the beginning of this month was CAD 6.50-7.00/LB, 2.2 times higher than the same period last year. Converted into domestic sales prices (trading company prices), 5/8 ounce boiled brine bulk products are expected to be...

ANALYSIS: Blue and Red Swimming Crab Meat Market and Tariff Implications

Announcements from President Trump on universal tariffs starting April 5 at 10% and reciprocal tariffs beginning on April 9, 2025, could deeply affect both the red and blue swimming crab meat industries. Looking at the producing countries, most are in Southeast Asia, which got hit the hardest by the reciprocal tariffs. Observing the pie chart below, the only country with no tariff on this list is Mexico. Indonesia, who holds almost 50% market share has a 32% tariff on goods...

Canadian Snow Crab Fishery Updates: NB Open Now, NL Opening April 10

New Brunswick’s fishery is underway

The Canadian snow crab season is officially underway in the province of New Brunswick (NB). As of 6 a.m. on April 5, snow crab fishermen from NB's Acadian Peninsula were permitted to put their traps in the sea.

According to the Ministry of Fisheries and Oceans, this permission applied to zones 12 (12, 18, 25, and 26) and 12E in the Gulf of St. Lawrence.

NB’s fishing season will go until the end of the day on June 30, when all fishermen must...

Minister Byrne Launches Seafood Marketing Support Program for Global Market Diversification

The Honourable Gerry Byrne, Minister of Fisheries, Forestry and Agriculture, is launching the Seafood Marketing Support Program, to support global market diversification. The program will help proponents identify, assess, target and develop new market opportunities in response to tariff threats from the United States and recent tariffs from China. It will support market diversification and reduce reliance on traditional markets while capitalizing on new opportunities in domestic and international markets.

Funding is available to licensed Newfoundland and Labrador fish processors, aquaculture companies, seafood marketing firms, industry associations, research and...

Asian Markets Plunge as Trump's Global Tariff Turmoil Deepens

Hong Kong (CNN) — Asian markets plunged on Monday, deepening a global stocks rout triggered by US President Donald Trump's trade war and China's forceful response to unexpectedly high tariffs.

Japan's benchmark Nikkei fell by more than 8% shortly after opening, while the broader Topix index last traded more than 6.5% lower after recovering from its steepest losses.

In mainland China, where markets reopened after a public holiday, the Shanghai Composite Index was last trading 6.7% lower. The blue-chip CSI300 index lost 7.5%. In Hong Kong, the benchmark Hang Seng index...