Publix, Atlantic Sapphire Collaboration Offers Customers Salmon Raised "In Our Own Backyard"

Sustainably raised. Premium salmon. Fresh from Florida.

This November Publix shoppers in the Miami region will be able to get their hands on Atlantic Sapphire's Bluehouse Salmon… and the timing couldn’t be any better.

Studies related to the coronavirus pandemic show that Americans are consuming more seafood than ever before. And with so many people focused on eating healthy, local, and environmentally-friendly food, Publix's collaboration with salmon farming company Atlantic Sapphire is sure to have shoppers lined up out the door (six-feet apart, of course)...

State Legislator, Bristol Bay Groups to Dunleavy: “Please Listen to the People and Let Us Move On”

Yesterday Rep. Bryce Edgmon and four groups representing Tribal, economic and social stakeholders in Bristol Bay, sent a second volley to Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy for his public support of the Pebble Mine. 

"The letter speaks clearly to Bristol Bay's frustration and dismay that Governor Dunleavy continues to insist on promoting the Pebble Mine instead of listening to our People,” remarked Alannah Hurley, executive director of United Tribes of Bristol Bay on the letter. 

“His letter earlier this month was a slap in...

So Far, So Good: Early Tests Show Promise for California Crab Season

As the West Coast prepares for another winter Dungeness crab season with new rules, a little bright spot has appeared: very low domoic acid levels in California crab.

The California Department of Public Health released testing results last week that showed only one crab off of San Francisco with a level higher than 30 parts per million, at 46 ppm. More areas have yet to be tested.

Still, the results are good news for fishermen and processors hoping for a Nov. 15 start for the Central Califorinia or "San ...

LISTEN: Seafood Companies Sue Trump Administration; 2021 Food Trend Predictions and More

Join SeafoodNews Podcast co-hosts Amanda Buckle and Lorin Castiglione as they talk about three seafood companies who are suing the Trump Administration and USDA; shrimp landings for the Gulf of Mexico; expansion at Impossible Foods; and 2021 food trend predictions from Whole Foods.

This week's episode is brought to you by Urner Barry's COMTELL. Urner Barry continues to build upon the value COMTELL offers customers with new features and improvements consistently being added to the platform. We are excited to announce three new...

Salmon Permit Values Show Some Ups, Mostly Downs

This is Alaska Fish Radio. I’m Laine Welch –

The value of Alaska salmon permits is ticking up in two regions while toppling in others. The bellwether fishery at Bristol Bay is one of the uppers for drift permits.

Doug Bowen runs Alaska Boats and Permits in Homer.

“Probably the lowest asking price out there right now is $170,000. Of course, the next big news here for the Bay would be the forecasts for next year, which are not out yet, and they could certainly have an influence on...

Consumers Begin to Venture Back Out to Eat with Cost in Mind 

As we enter the eighth month of the coronavirus pandemic, there is some good news for the foodservice industry. According to Datassential, consumers have begun to venture back out to eat a little more. In a recent report, Datassential found that only 26% of consumers said they were using restaurants less to save money, down from 38% when asked the same question in April. However, Americans remain value conscious as ever, and find ways to keep their average spend in line with tighter budgets, which means paying close attention to prices.

To help consumers pressured to maintain a budget, Datassential suggests the food industry must make the value proposition transparent and compelling. Consumers will accept...

Fish Taco Chain Rubio’s Restaurants Files for Bankruptcy

The parent company of Rubio’s Coastal Grill, Rubio’s Restaurants filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on Monday. The company has about $82 million in debt and cited the COVID-19 pandemic as why it decided to take this path.

There are nearly 170 Rubio’s locations operating in California, Arizona and Nevada. In May and June, the company permanently closed 26 restaurants, wiping all locations in both Colorado and Florida. The company also received a $10 million Paycheck Protection Program loan from the CARES Act, which they have asked to be forgiven...

Mowi Appoints Villarroel as COO of Farming Americas Branch

Fish farming giant Mowi has appointed Fernando Villarroel as Chief Operating Officer Farming Americas. Villarroel is currently the Managing Director of Mowi Chile and has vast experience as an executive in the aquaculture industry, previously spending a decade as the Managing Director of Cermaq Canada.

“I am very pleased that Fernando has accepted this challenge. He is a very experienced farmer with 20 years’ experience from various key positions in the salmon industry. Fernando and his team have delivered stellar biological figures in Mowi Chile after he took the reins in 2017”, said Ivan Vindheim, CEO of Mowi...

Kerecis Fish-Skin Wound Care Technology to Help U.S. Veterans

MellingMedical, a veteran-owned company that provides veterans with better access to quality health care, has signed a Wound Care Blanket Purchase Agreement (BPA) that will provide Kerecis fish-skin wound care technology to veterans who are suffering from combat-related trauma, burns, diabetic ulcers and surgical wounds.

Kerecis is the creator, manufacturer and patent holder of fish-skin therapeutic products. The company has developed fish skin that, when grafted onto damaged human tissue, recruits the body's own cells and is ultimately converted into living tissue...

Check Out the Latest Updates to COMTELL! 

Urner Barry has developed a new feature in COMTELL! Subscribers now have the capability to bypass the chart preview flyout menu that appears when...

ANALYSIS: Early Look at Stone Crab as Shortened Season Begins

This year’s commercial stone crab season opened on October 15 under new regulations put forth by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission (FWC). The new measures are an attempt to help curb reduced harvest rates, increase survival of undersized crabs, and protect egg-bearing females. This year, crabbers will have to abide by the following: a shortened season by two weeks ending on May 2, an increase in the minimum claw size by a one -eighth inch, mandated use of escape...

Top Chilean Salmon Importer Launches Direct-to-Consumer Salmon Brand

Chile-based salmon importer BluGlacier announced it has launched a direct-to-consumer salmon brand, OSHĒN on November 1. The brand will offer a delivery service to bring both fresh and frozen Chilean salmon right to the doors of American consumers.

"With the need for easy, at-home solutions at an all-time high due to the pandemic, we are thrilled to deliver best-in-class salmon offerings straight from Chile to your kitchen," said Sebastian Goycoolea, CEO of BluGlacier...

Coast Guard Tows Disabled Fishing Vessel Off Kennebunk, Maine

Last week, the crews of Coast Guard Cutter Sitkinak and Coast Guard Station Gloucester, Mass., towed a disabled fishing vessel 65 nautical miles off of Kennebunk, Maine.

After receiving a call from the owner of the 77-foot fishing vessel Sea Farmer II, reporting the ship was disabled and crew was requesting assistance, the Sitkinak arrived on scene and the crew began to tow the Sea Farmer II at 5:30 p.m. on October 22.

The Coast Guard said after towing the boat 60 nautical miles over the course...

Four Manufacturers Sign Tender in Bid to Build Bakkafrost Workboat

A group of four manufacturers have submitted their bids to build an eco-friendly workboat for salmon farmer Bakkafrost.

Back in June Kaj Leo Holm Johannessen, minister of Nordic cooperation, and Regin Jacobsen, Group CEO at Bakkafrost, signed an agreement to build a new eco-friendly workboat for salmon farming operations.

The tender deadline was on October 12 and with four potential builders in the running, an assessment panel has been set up, and the four manufacturers will present their projects to the panel. Then, the panel will decide, who should win the tender...

Bristol Seafood, University of New England Partner to Create New Scallop Testing Technology

A partnership between Bristol Seafood and the University of New England (UNE) School of Marine & Environmental Programs and Seafood Analytics has resulted in the creation of a new piece of technology that can definitively identify a scallop as fresh (never frozen) or previously frozen. 

“We sponsor graduate-level research at the University of New England focused on the marine space, and this year we are proud of what student Joseph Ehrhard was able to accomplish,” said Bristol CEO and President Peter Handy...

Urner Barry's Market Briefing Brings You the Latest in Protein Pricing Insight

In this Market Briefing, Urner Barry reporters outline the latest action in the commodity protein markets, highlighting seasonal factors, disruptors, and current supply and demand fundamentals....

Another Month, Another Historic Low in Shrimp Landings in the Gulf of Mexico

Recent figures of shrimp landings for the Gulf of Mexico show more dismal news for shrimpers. Landings are down and ex-vessel prices for many sizes are down as well.

September data from the National Marine Fisheries Service reveal 6.1 million pounds of shrimp were landed in the Gulf, the lowest total reported for any September since 2002 in the historical database maintained by the Southern Shrimp Alliance. Prior to this year, the smallest amount of shrimp harvested in the Gulf was...

Massive, State of the Art Feed Barge Enroute to Arctic Offshore Farming’s Fellesholmen Site

The largest feed barge designed and built for the offshore farming industry is on its way from a shipyard in Estonia to northern Norway. Arctic Offshore Farming’s new purchase, an innovation in toughness, environmentally-friendly operation, and sheer size, will be used in the company’s new site in Fellesholmen west of Tromsø. 

Arctic Offshore Farming (AOF) is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Norway Royal Salmon ASA (NRS). In 2018, NRS/AOF licenses to develop semi-submersible steel cages for salmon farming in Fellesholmen. Two pens with ...

Photo courtesy AKVA Group

Cooke’s True North Brand Acquires Mariner Seafood

Cooke Seafood’s processing division and flagship brand True North Seafood acquired New Bedford, Massachusetts-based Mariner Seafood.

Mariner is an international fresh and frozen seafood company with a specialty in processing premium wild and farmed species including scallops, haddock, cod, salmon and shrimp.

Cooke noted Mariner’s key brands of GO WILD, which is in the packaged case-ready tray segments and MarSelect, a scallop entity. The company was created in 2001 and has since grown a strong retail presence with a trusted supplier network in both the U.S. and Canada...

Orca Bay Foods Issues Recall for Trader Joe’s Gluten-Free Halibut Products

Seattle-based Orca Bay Foods recalled 4,450 pounds of Trader Joe’s brand Gluten Free Battered Halibut because the product contains undeclared wheat and milk allergens.

The halibut products were sold in Trader Joe's stores in Connecticut, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New York, Ohio, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Vermont, and Wisconsin.

Trader Joe's brand Gluten Free Battered Halibut SKU 00503822 product is packed in 10 oz retail carton boxes, and...

Mediterranean Bluefin Tuna Fishery Achieves MSC Certification

The Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) announced a small-scale fishery based in the South of France achieved certification to its global standard for sustainable fishing.

According to the MSC, the fishery, which uses pole and line, handline and longline fishing gear, is only the second fishery in the Mediterranean Sea to demonstrate its commitment to sustainability by achieving MSC certification.

Senior Fisheries Manager at the Marine Stewardship Council France, Margaux Favret said: "The sustainable practices of SATHOAN's small-scale bluefin tuna fishery in the Mediterranean are a real sign...

Minh Phu Responds To CBP Determination That MSeafood Evaded Antidumping Duty Order on Frozen Shrimp

Minh Phu CEO Le Van Quang is speaking out following U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s (CBP) determination that the company, through their U.S. importer MSeafood Corporation, entered merchandise covered by an antidumping order on certain frozen warmwater shrimp from India into the U.S. through evasion.

“Although we actively cooperated and invited investigators from the CBP to visit us in Vietnam, they did not conduct field verification,” Quang told Viet Nam News. “This has led to the CBP’s inaccurate assessment of Minh Phu’s imported shrimp and...

ANALYSIS:  Frozen Salmon Fillets at All-time Lows

The frozen salmon fillet and portion markets have adjusted sharply lower on price over the past few weeks. Imports are at an all time high through August 2020.  

The market share in the frozen salmon fillet market is dominated by Chile, holding a 63 percent share. Norway’s market share is at 27 percent. Year-to-date Norway is up almost 20 percent, while Chile is up 19.6 percent YTD. Overall, the frozen salmon fillet market is up 24.8 percent YTD.  

Imports have...

Watch Us Eat! We Try Korean Seaweed and Abalone Products

SeafoodNews Weekly Video co-hosts Amanda Buckle and Lorin Castiglione are back with a new installment of "Watch Us Eat!" This week we're eating Korean seaweed and abalone products sent to us by the Korean Fishery's national brand, K-FISH.

Russia Hopes to Compensate Unsuccessful Salmon Fishing Season by Increase of Pollock Catch This Year

Russia hopes to compensate the unsuccessful salmon fishing season this year with the increase of production of ivasi sardine, mackerel and pollock, according to recent statements made by the head of the Russian Federal Agency for Fishery (Rosrybolovstvo), Ilya Shestakov, during his recent meeting with the Russian President Vladimir Putin.  

During the meeting, which was dedicated to the situation in the domestic fishing sector, Shestakov said despite the pandemic, the current situation in the industry remains stable...

Thai Union Pushes for Climate Change Cooperation on United Nations Day

Thai Union Group called for greater global cooperation to protect the planet from the impacts of climate change on United Nations Day this past weekend.

Currently, the company is designing new goals that deliver against the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs), including climate change as part of its efforts to safeguard oceans.

“Taking action to address climate change is becoming increasingly urgent, with the world’s temperatures and sea temperatures continuing to rise,” said Dr. Darian McBain, Global Director of Corporate Affairs and Sustainability at Thai Union...

Coast Guard Saves Two Fishing Vessels Last Thursday, More Than 4,000 Miles Apart 

In two rescue operations that unfolded on the same day on opposites sides of the continent, the Coast Guard brought both to safe harbor on Thursday, October 22, 2020.

Trouble started on the 77-foot fishing vessel Sea Farmer II when it became disabled 60 miles offshore of Platt's Bank. The captain requested assistance from the Coast Guard Sector Northern New England watch standers at 1:45 p.m. That’s when the Sitkinak, a 110-foot Island Class Patrol Boat based in Portland, Maine, was deployed...

Trio of Seafood Companies Sue Trump Administration, Argue USDA Payments Were Aimed at Re-election

Three seafood companies, who say they fell victim to the United States’ trade war with China, are suing the Trump Administration and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) arguing that the President focused on bailing out the farming industry to help his reelection efforts.

Houston Seafood Company, based in Texas and Louisiana-based Gulf Marine Product Co. and Ningbo Trading filed an eight-page complaint on October 21 in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas alleging the USDA violated the...

ANALYSIS: Downwards Pressure on the Mussel Market

The market for New Zealand and Chile origin mussels are seeing downwards pricing pressure. Discounts are emerging across all sizes of New Zealand Green Shell mussels where the supply of small-sized New Zealand mussels are the thinnest among all sizes.  Chilean mussel meat is also seeing some weakness as it is largely a foodservice item...

Capt. Neill’s Barred by FDA from Importing Food into US for 5 Years

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has barred Capt. Neill’s Seafood, a North Carolina based crab supplier from importing food into the country for five years. The company’s owner Philip R. Carawan, plead guilty to falsely labeled millions of dollars' worth of crabmeat last year.

“The Company (and Carawan) was given notice of the proposed permanent debarment and an opportunity to request a hearing within the timeframe prescribed by regulation. As of 30 days after receipt of the notice (July 13, 2020), Capt. Neill’s has not responded...