One Year Into The Ban On Russian King Crab And Snow Crab -- What Now?

Inflation is weighing on Americans across income levels. Customers are clearly feeling cautious and making trade off decisions. Private label sales are soaring as consumers trade down on goods. Consumers are still spending money however. Airlines and cruise ships are booked at capacity. But they are still concerned about inflation and cutting back on expensive food items.

According to a Bloomberg survey of economists the odds of a U.S. recession in 2023 are as high as 65%. Consumers still have some stimulus savings...

Norway's Resource Rent Tax on Aquaculture Passed By Parliament

On Thursday the Norwegian Parliament officially passed the additional resource rent tax on aquaculture in Norway.

As SeafoodNews reported late last week, a new agreement had finally been made lowering the resource rent tax in Norway to 25%. The initial proposal had been at 40% before being lowered to 35% earlier this year. 

“After a long process, we are now ensuring that the Storting [parliament] adopts the principle of ground rent in aquaculture,” Geir Pollestaf of the Centre Party said in a press release at the time. “The parties to the...

Further Closures of Salmon Farms in BC Put Surrey’s Economy and Indigenous Reconciliation at Risk

Surrey, B.C. – The Surrey Board of Trade is concerned to hear the news that the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO), the Honourable Joyce Murray, intends to propose additional closures of salmon farms as part of her British Columbia salmon farming transition plan.

Surrey is the hub of salmon farming in Metro Vancouver, home to numerous operations in salmon feed milling, fish processing, trucking, packaging, and the provision of goods and services, and is already experiencing negative...

Major Japanese Fish Feed Manufacturers Decide to Withdraw From Feed Production Certified by ASC

Minato Shimbun revealed in an interview that major domestic fish feed manufacturers have effectively decided to withdraw from the production of feed for farmed fish certified by the Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC). ASC established feed certification, effective in February. It will be officially enforced from February 1, 2025, and is transitioning. According to an interview, only one company in Japan, Skretting, is engaged in ASC feed production. The Minato Shimbun reports that the government has set a goal of turning farmed fish into a growth...

Blue Star Foods to Supply Crab Meat to Bloomin’ Brands For Outback Steakhouse Locations

Blue Star Foods has entered into a $1 million supply agreement with Bloomin’ Brands, the restaurant holding company that owns Outback Steakhouse, Carrabba’s Italian Grill, Bonefish Grill and Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar. As part of this agreement, Blue Star will deliver approximately 115,000 pounds of pasteurized crab meat to Bloomin’ Brands for Outback Steakhouse’s crab related menu, including their new Crab-Topped Barramundi. 

“We are very excited to enter into this new relationship with Bloomin’ Brands for its Outback Steakhouse locations...

Former Stonewall Kitchen Exec Joins Atlantic Sea Farms as VP of Operations

Dean Frost, who most recently served as the Chief Operating Officer at Stonewall Kitchen, has landed at Atlantic Sea Farms as their new Vice President of Operations. Briana Warner, the CEO of the regenerative seaweed aquaculture company, made the announcement on LinkedIn this week. 

“As a completely vertically integrated company, we produce our own seeds, we have built our own farming network, we do our own transportation, logistics, manufacturing, sales and marketing (just to name a few areas of our work!),” Warner shared...

Read President Joe Biden's Proclamation on National Ocean Month 

National Ocean Month is celebrated in June every year. Ahead of the first day of the month, President Joe Biden released a Proclamation on National Ocean Month for 2023, addressing the climate crisis and the impact that it has on marine life, coastal communities, and the ocean economy. You can read President Biden’s Proclamation on National Ocean Month in it entirety below:

The ocean makes life on Earth possible — feeding us, sustaining livelihoods, and connecting economies across the globe. It bonds us as a source of recreation and rejuvenation for our...

Norwegian Government Warns Of Potential Reduced King Crab Quota Next Year

The Norwegian government is warning fishermen that damaged king crab could potentially lead to overfishing – and in turn, a reduced quota in 2024.

The Norwegian Ministry of Industry and Fisheries set the 2023 king crab quota for male crabs at 2,375 tonnes, an increase of 530 tonnes from 2022. Female crabs have a quota of 120 tonnes for 2023. But that quota is now at risk due to damaged crab.

According to the government, “in the quota-regulated area east of the Nordkapp, 10% damaged male crab is...

Jumping on June's Next Retail Occasion 

Now that June is within reach, grocers are preparing for the next major grilling event—Father's Day, which is just over two weeks away. 

Consumers often seek out premium cuts of meat like steaks for Father's Day as opposed to lower-cost options such as burgers, which are typically favored to feed large gatherings during Memorial Day.

This could provide a needed boost for the steak complex, which saw a slowdown in total sales dollars last week. According to the latest Circana data, fresh beef loin retailed at $13.54 discounted (up 39 cents from last week)...

Cooke Employees Assisting in Battle of ‘Out of Control’ Saint Andrews Wildfire

Cooke Aquaculture said it had sent trucks, a side-by-side ATV, a support trailer with a trio of high-pressure water pumps, 60 radio batteries and more supplies to assist local first responders battling a wildfire near Saint Andrews, Canada.

The company also noted that almost a dozen employees, who also serve as local volunteer firefighters, are fighting the blaze.

“We thank the brave local fire fighters and first responders, including nearly a dozen Cooke Aquaculture employees who are volunteer fire fighters battling the intense...

Marine Reserves Staff Tackling Ocean Temperature, Hypoxia Research in Oregon

While some sport and commercial fishermen were wary of Oregon Marine Reserves' value when first implemented more than 20 years ago, ongoing studies are showing their importance to fisheries.

For example, recent monitoring for ocean temperature changes and hypoxia are proving useful for potential changes to adapt for the future, especially as they relate to groundfish and Dungeness crab.

On-going ocean monitoring in Oregon’s Marine Reserves is unlocking secrets about temperatures and oxygen levels known to impact groundfish and invertebrate ... 

Cooke Continues to Provide Support In Battling Nova Scotia Wildfire 

A fire is ravaging thousands of acres in Nova Scotia, forcing more than 18,000 Canadians to evacuate their homes. Cooke Aquaculture revealed earlier this week that they sent trucks, a side-by-side ATV, a support trailer with a trio of high-pressure water pumps, as well as 60 radio batteries and other supplies to aid local first responders who are near Saint Andrews. 

The company released another update on Wednesday, confirming that they dispatched a convoy of equipment and supplies from New Brunswick to support the first responders...

Cousins Maine Lobster Appoints Wendy’s Veteran Angela Coppler As Head of Development

Angela Coppler, formerly of The Wendy’s Company, has joined the team at Cousins Maine Lobster as their new Head of Development. In her new role, Coppler will be responsible for accelerating growth of the company’s food truck and brick and mortar business.

“Angela brings an incredible skill set ranging from real estate to brand strategy, and financial acumen to talent development to our Cousins Maine Lobster system,” said CML co-founder Jim Tselikis. “Her leadership and expertise are critical for us as we are...

This First Half of the Year Looks Rewarding for White Shrimp in Chinese Market

China’s domestic white shrimp prices have ballooned during mid-April under the influence of factors like weather, shrimp diseases and insufficient supplies. Those weighing at 50 shrimps/jin (1 jin=0.5 kilo) were sold at 29 yuan/jin at that time, which increased by 21% from that during this Chinese New Year, while the 18-shrimps-per-jin ones were priced at 48 yuan/jin, according to Agricultural Wealth.

Though shrimp prices have contracted after Workers’ Day on May 1st, they remain at high levels...

Fortune Fish Exits: 3 Leave As Imports Division Shifts to New Department

Fortune Fish & Gourmet is ending the month with a big shakeup. Three execs have left following the company’s decision to change oversight of their imports division.

Founder and CEO of Fortune International, Sean O’Scannlain, confirmed to Undercurrent News that Jeff Goldberg, President of Fortune Imports; Sean Burke, Chief Financial Officer; and Ian Navarro, Chief Marketing Officer; are no longer with the company.

Goldberg had been with Fortune since 2016. He shared on LinkedIn that he’s now a “free agent, looking for a new role in...

USFWS Notification Forces Biden Administration To Act On Mexico’s Illegal Totoaba Trade

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), under the U.S. Department of the Interior, announced late last week that they have notified Congress that “Mexican nationals are violating the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) by engaging in trade or taking of totoaba and vaquita, pursuant to the Pelly Amendment to the Fishermen’s Protective Act.”

While the illegal trade of totoaba, and its impact on the endangered vaquita porpoise, is not a new piece of information, the Pelly Amendment requires that the...

Ecuador’s Shrimp Sector Continues Fight Against Organized Crime

The Ecuadorian shrimp industry continues to battle organized crime attacks, with the latest incident leading to one man being sent to the hospital.

According to Ecuador’s National Chamber of Aquaculture (CNA), criminals intercepted a boat working in the shrimp sector in the Gulf of Guayaquil. The attack led to the vessel's operator to a medical facility after receiving first aid from local community members.

The CNA immediately called upon the Ecuadorian Navy in hopes of finding the suspects of the attack but there has been no results as of this writing...