FDA Warns California Seafood Processor Over Repeat HACCP Failures

The US Food and Drug Administration has issued a warning letter to Ocean Pride Seafood Inc. of Ventura, California. It cites repeated seafood HACCP violations, nearly three years without sanitation-monitoring records, and insanitary conditions found during a spring inspection.

The letter, dated Sept. 11 and posted Oct. 13, followed an inspection of the company's processing facility from March 23 through April 1, 2026. It went to CEO and owner Thomas G. Moore. FDA found the facility's ready-to-eat products adulterated because they were prepared, packed... 

NOAA Fisheries Awards 14 Projects Over $25M in 2026 Sea Scallop Research Set-Aside Program

NOAA Fisheries has made 14 new grant awards through its Scallop Research Set-Aside (RSA) Program, funding research that will shape management decisions for the largest wild scallop fishery in the world.

This year's projects were awarded more than 1.5 million pounds of Atlantic sea scallops rather than federal dollars. Under the RSA model, researchers partner with the fishing industry to harvest the awarded pounds, with proceeds funding the work. At an estimated $16 per pound, the 2026 awards are expected...

Japan’s August Marine Products Exports Plummeted by 22% in Volume; Value Increased 18%

According to statistics released by the Ministry of Finance on September 29th, exports of fishery products (including fish, shellfish, prepared seafood products, and fish meal) totaled 39,357 tons in August, down 22% year-on-year (YOY), and 31.67 billion yen ($201.30 million), up 18%. Minato Shimbun reported that scallop exports declined in both volume and value, falling 23% to 4,608 tons and 23% to 6.651 billion yen ($42.28 million). Conversely, yellowtail exports rose 62% to...

Salmon, Tuna, Lobster Among Seafood on New US-China Tariff Reduction List

A broad range of US seafood exports — from Alaska pollock and Pacific cod to Maine lobster, Gulf of Maine shrimp, Atlantic sea scallops, and sea cucumber — stands to benefit from a new tariff-reduction framework unveiled by the United States and China on September 28, following last week's summit between President Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping in Washington, D.C.

Under a document titled "Terms of Reference for the '30-for-30' Framework," dated September 27, the two countries agreed to reciprocal lists of goods...

New England Council Leaves Scallop Permit Stacking to NOAA, Pushes Northern Edge Access to December

The New England Fishery Management Council worked through a list of management priorities at its September 2026 meeting that NOAA laid out in a July 2 letter tied to Executive Order 14276, "Restoring American Seafood Competitiveness," with outcomes ranging from deferral to outright rejection ahead of a formal Council response due to NOAA by September 30.

The most consequential decision came on scallop permit stacking, which would let vessels combine multiple permits' allocations onto a single boat. Despite NOAA tasking the Council with pursuing action...

Aquamar Brings New Convenience Seafood Lineup to Retail

Aquamar is moving its latest seafood push from the trade show floor to supermarket shelves, rolling out a refreshed brand identity and a lineup of convenient products aimed at making seafood an easier choice for everyday meals.

The rollout is underway in the Southeast, with West Coast and Midwest distribution expected to follow in the coming weeks. The products were first introduced earlier this year at Seafood Expo North America and include Pan-Seared Pacific Cod varieties, Crispy Scallop Bites and Salmon Wellington with Cheddar...

Canada Pulls Seafood From Counter-Tariff List After Industry Pushback

Canada's Department of Finance has reversed course on one of the more contentious elements of its retaliatory tariff package, removing fish and seafood products from its list of US goods facing counter-tariffs, less than 24 hours after the measures were announced.

The department said it made the adjustment based on feedback from Canadian industries, citing a commitment to continually assess the effectiveness of its counter-tariff measures, with a primary focus on sectors that have themselves been targeted by US tariffs. Seafood, notably, has not been...

Japan's H1 Seafood Export Value Rose 24% Driven by a 69% Increase in Yellowtail

According to trade statistics released by the Japanese Ministry of Finance on July 30 and published by Minato Shimbun, seafood exports, including finfish, shellfish, processed products, and fishmeal, for the first half of the year (January–June) totaled 256,494 tons in volume, down 9% year-on-year (YOY), and 203.114 billion yen ($1.29 billion)) in value, up 24%. Scallop exports saw a 3% drop in volume to 21,063 tons but a 6% rise in value to 41.841 billion yen...

Landing Prices of Hokkaido Okhotsk Scallop Soar Due to High Prices for Frozen Adductors

Driven by high market prices for the region's frozen scallop adductor muscles, the price of whole scallops along Hokkaido's Okhotsk coast has reached "unprecedented highs," according to fisheries cooperatives in the Southern district.

Meanwhile, according to a Minato Shimbun report, although scallop growth was better than the previous year during the early stages of the season, growth has slowed in some coastal areas ahead of the summer peak. There is also a noticeable lack of inquiries for the "5S" size category...

Japan's May Fishery Product Exports Fell 2% in Volume, Value Surged 41%

Trade data released by the Ministry of Finance on June 26 show Japan’s seafood exports in May totaled 42,716 tons, down 2% year-on-year (YOY), while export value rose 41% to 33.582 billion yen  ($207.8 million). The divergence between slightly lower volume and much higher value suggests higher prices and a favorable product mix drove the gain in dollar terms.

Scallops remained a major contributor: exports totaled 3,845 tons, down 7%, but value increased 13% to 5.779 billion...

Newsan Completes Glaciar Pesquera Acquisition, Adds Patagonian Scallops

Argentine conglomerate Newsan has acquired Glaciar Pesquera from Canada's Clearwater Seafoods, adding Patagonian scallops to its seafood portfolio along with two factory vessels, Ushuaia operations, and a French logistics base. The deal was announced Thursday, according to Mar y Pesca Noticias Patagónicas.

Newsan said in a statement that the addition of Glaciar Pesquera, which was founded by Canada-based Clearwater Seafoods and Eduardo Gonzalez Lemmi, an Argentine fishing entrepreneur, will add Patagonian scallops to its product portfolio, per Infobae. The acquisition also adds an operations center in France, strengthening its global distribution...

Hokkaido Okhotsk Scallop Production Projects 220,000 MT, a 15% Down YOY

In the Okhotsk region of Hokkaido, full-scale scallop fishing operations began in mid-May at some fishing cooperatives in the northern area. The scallop catch plan for fiscal year 2026 (April 2026 to March 2027), including fishing ground development and farmed scallops, is projected to decrease in both the northern (Soya-Esashi) and southern (Omu-Utoro) areas, falling 15% further from the previous year's figure of 220,250 tons—the first time in seven years that the catch has fallen below 300,000 tons. However, signs of improved scallop growth...

Japan's Marine Product Exports Rose 16% in Value in March, Volume Fell 20%

According to trade statistics released by the Ministry of Finance, exports of marine products (fish and shellfish and their preparations, and fish meal) in March were down 20% year-on-year to 45,779 tons in volume, but up 16% in value to 38.446 billion yen ($240.02 million). Scallops were down 22% to 3,364 tons and down 10% to 7.436 billion yen ($46.43 million). Yellowtail exports were up 61% to 3,804 tons and doubled to 8.941 billion yen...

NOAA Closes Northern Gulf of Maine Scallop Area After Quota Reached

NOAA Fisheries announced that the Northern Gulf of Maine Scallop Management Area will close to all federally permitted Limited Access General Category scallop vessels effective April 13, 2026.

The closure follows NOAA's projection that 100% of the 2026 Northern Gulf of Maine Set-Aside allocation will be harvested, according to an April 10 bulletin. The area will remain closed through the end of the fishing year on March 31, 2027.

Vessels that declared trips in the area and crossed the Vessel Monitoring System demarcation...

Framework 40 Sets Atlantic Scallop Target at 17M Pounds; Public Comment Period Open Until April 27

NOAA Fisheries has published an interim rule for the harvest, bycatch, and research removals for Atlantic Scallops in the Federal Register. They want public comment on these management measures under the new Framework 40 for the Atlantic Scallop Management Plan, and those comments should be submitted by April 27, 2026.

The new framework is the result of survey data showing a recent downturn in abundance and projects landings for the 2026 season at 17 million pounds...

Global Bivalve Sector Expands Amid Ongoing Challenges

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) released its bivalve trade analysis, showing expansion despite ongoing challenges.

Mussels

Global mussel trade recorded 8.8% year-over-year growth in the first nine months of 2025, despite a continued decline in production from Italy driven by invasive blue crab.

Spain experienced reduced production volumes but higher market values during the same period.

In France, strong domestic demand and the appeal of Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) products—such as mussels from Mont Saint Michel Bay—helped keep...

Aquamar's 'Chickensanity' Campaign Pits Scallops Against Wings for Game Day

Aquamar is using National Seafood Month to pick a fight with chicken — a fight the company has actually been teasing since the spring.

The seafood company has launched a campaign called "Chickensanity," built around a new product, Crispy Scallop Bites, designed to compete directly with wings, tenders and other snackable chicken formats at tailgates and on game day. Chef Brad Barnes, Aquamar's chef and President of Pure Food Consulting, says the pitch isn't about seafood already winning share from chicken. It's about closing what he calls an "occasion problem...

US Scallop Imports, Chilean Mussel Exports Fell Sharply in Q1

The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations reported today that mussel and scallop trade weakened in the first quarter of 2026, while oyster and clam flows changed little.

Mussel shipments returned to around 2024 levels after an exceptionally strong first quarter in 2025. Chile remains the world's largest mussel exporter, but its shipments fell to about 22,000 tonnes during January-March, down 6,000 tonnes year-on-year. Spanish exports also declined as harvesting closures and mortality events in Galicia reduced available supply...

Bendito Mar Becomes First Mexican Farm to Join ASC Improver Program

Bendito Mar, a Mexican cooperative that farms bivalve molluscs in Bahía Magdalena, Baja California Sur, has become the first farm in Mexico to join the Improver Programme by the Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC), the organization announced. The move marks Bendito Mar's entry into an Aquaculture Improvement Project (AIP) designed to strengthen its environmental and social performance and move it toward eventual ASC certification.

Bendito Mar, established in 2018, is a cooperative focused on regenerative cultivation of bivalve mollusks, including oysters, Catarina scallops, chocolate clams and pen shell...

Scallop Production in Hokkaido May Fall Below 300,000 Tons for the First Time in 9 Years

Hokkaido's scallop landings for the current harvest year are projected at 298,200 tons — a 15% decline from a year earlier and the first time in nine years the total has dipped below 300,000 tons, the Hokkaido Federation of Fisheries Cooperative Associations (Hokkaido Gyoren) said at its autumn trade meeting in Tokyo on Aug. 27.

Landings from the Sea of Okhotsk, currently underway, are dominated by smaller sizes, primarily the "5S" grade. As last year, large scallops...

Japan’s July Seafood Export Volume Fell 35%, Value Rose 15% as Yellowtail Jumped and Scallops Slid

According to trade statistics released by the Ministry of Finance, exports of fishery products (including seafood, prepared seafood products, and fish meal) in July totaled 38,597 tons in volume, down 35% year-on-year (YOY), and 30.532 billion yen ($191.15 million) in value, up 15%. Scallop exports declined in both volume and value, falling 33% to 3,849 tons and 10% to 6.145 billion yen ($38.47 million). Yellowtail exports performed strongly, rising 45% to 2,727 tons and 68%...

Clearwater Scallop Shortfall Weighs on Premium Brands' Seafood Results as Parent Posts Record Q2

Clearwater Seafoods delivered a difficult second quarter, with total revenue falling $46.4 million year-on-year to $91.7 million as a combination of asset sales and weak Canadian scallop catch rates dragged on performance — even as parent company Premium Brands Holdings Corporation posted record overall results for the period ended June 27, 2026.

Three factors drove Clearwater's revenue decline: the sale of its Macduff land-based operations in Q3 2025, the divestiture of its Argentine scallop business during the latter...

Federal Judge Rejects Arbitration Push in Marder Trawling Wage Theft Case

A federal judge has denied attempts by New Bedford seafood processor Marder Trawling and its staffing agency to force a wage theft lawsuit into private arbitration, keeping the case on track in court and leaving unresolved questions about how workers were signed up for arbitration agreements in the first place.

US District Judge Leo T. Sorokin issued the July 10 ruling in the case of Diaz Perez et al. v. Marder Trawling, Inc. et al. (Civil No. 25-13129-LTS), which was filed in October 2025...

Sustainable Scalloping Fund Applauds Trump's National Scallops Day, Northern Edge Opening

The Sustainable Scalloping Fund (SSF) applauded President Trump's declaration of National Scallops Day, marking NOAA Fisheries' move to open the Northern Edge of Georges Bank to the scallop fleet.

According to the SSF, the decision now allows for Scallop Permit Stacking, a move the group has pushed for since its inception. This will allow scallop permit holders to see several benefits, including operational consolidation, cost-cutting, and safer fishing, per the SSF.

"We are grateful to President Trump and his team...

United Taps Chef’s Table and 11 Global Chefs to Redefine Polaris Inflight Dining

United Airlines is sharpening its premium product strategy with a new chef-driven dining program for Polaris international business class, launching August 1 in partnership with Chef’s Table, the Emmy Award–winning brand behind the Netflix series. The rollout introduces 30 new dishes across select long-haul routes, developed by 11 chefs from four continents and paired with exclusive inflight storytelling.

Rather than a one-size-fits-all menu, each chef designed a three-course experience inspired by the United...

Japan’s April Marine Products Exports Up 6% in Volume, Soared 37% in Value

According to trade statistics released by the Ministry of Finance and reported by The Minato Shimbun, April exports of marine products (fish and shellfish and their preparations, and fish meal) increased by 6% year-on-year (YOY) to 54,968 tons and by 37% to 41.138 billion yen ($258.28 million). Scallop exports decreased by 8% to 4,876 tons but increased by 8% to 8.471 billion yen ($53.18 million). Yellowtail exports increased by 26% to 3,502 tons and doubled to 9.751 billion...

Premium Brands Holdings Posts Record Q1 Results Despite Clearwater Seafoods Challenges

Premium Brands Holdings Corporation reported record first-quarter revenue of $2.1 billion, up 24.6% year-over-year, though its Clearwater Seafoods investment continued to face headwinds from asset divestitures and lower scallop catch rates.

The Vancouver-based specialty food company posted adjusted EBITDA of $171.2 million, a 26.7% increase, and adjusted earnings per share of $0.83, up 18.6% from the prior year. Premium Brands maintained its 2026 guidance ranges and reaffirmed its expectation to exceed its five-year sales targets of $10 billion...

NOAA Enforcement Nets New Jersey Captain, Seafood Dealer in Illegal Scallop Scheme

NOAA Fisheries' Office of Law Enforcement highlighted its successful prosecution of a New Jersey fishing captain and seafood dealer who operated an illegal scallop harvesting conspiracy from October 2017 to April 2021.

While NOAA's announcement omitted the defendants' names, court records and DOJ Environmental Crimes Bulletins identify them as Captain Darren McClave and seafood dealer Antonio Pereira. The sentencing details and timelines in DOJ notices precisely match NOAA's case summary.

McClave was sentenced to a $10,000 fine, two years' probation, and six months of home detention...

Mersey Seafoods Acquires Nova Scotia's Comeau's Sea Foods

Nova Scotia-based Mersey Seafoods has struck a deal to acquire fellow provincial seafood firm Comeau's Sea Foods, the companies announced April 8.

Comeau's said day-to-day operations will remain unchanged, and the company will continue operating from its Southwest Nova Scotia locations under the same name. The scallop and herring processor serves foodservice and retail sectors and also handles Atlantic salmon, haddock, halibut, and Alaska pollock.

"We have a strong foundation in the Clare community and have been a staple employer in the region," Comeau's stated. "We believe this...

Despite 20% Volume Drop, Japan’s Feb Fishery Export Value Rises 6% to ¥30.6B

According to trade statistics released by the Ministry of Finance, February exports of marine products (fish and shellfish and their preparations, and fishmeal) were down 22% year-on-year (YOY) to 35,730 tons in volume, but up 6% in value to 30.642 billion yen ($191.16 million). Scallop exports increased by 59% to 3,527 tons and 10% to 7.643 billion yen ($47.68 million). Frozen scallops in their shells saw significant increases in both volume and value. Yellowtail exports were down 14% to 2,758 tons but increased 30% to 5.839 billion yen ($36.43 million). Frozen fillets increased in value due to higher unit prices. The Minato Shimbun reported this.