Middle East Market Intelligence Brief: Week Ending August 21, 2026

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Iran has warned that any new US threats will trigger a "devastating” response, while Washington prepares what Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent calls the toughest sanctions in history in an effort to pressure Iran’s leadership.

Bessent said details will be announced on Monday and suggested the measures are intended to avoid a renewed large-scale military escalation.

Meanwhile, oil prices have risen amid concerns over disruptions to Gulf energy exports, with the US blockade reportedly reducing Iranian oil shipments to China, Tehran’s largest buyer. China has opposed further sanctions and...

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ANALYSIS: June EU‑UK Shrimp Import Volumes Dip but Value Holds Steady

According to Eurostat, the EU and the UK together imported 58,378 MT of shrimp in June (wild and farmed, cold‑ and warm‑water species). That volume is 4.6% below last year but 5.7% above the five‑year average. Just under half (47%) of June shipments came from Ecuador, with India supplying 13% and Vietnam 10%.

Cold‑water shrimp from Greenland, Norway, Iceland and Canada made up 9% of June volumes, and 3% for Argentina’s wild red shrimp (Pleoticus muelleri)...

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Lee Fish USA Acquires Seattle's Dawsco Meat & Seafood in Pacific Northwest Expansion

Lee Fish USA has acquired Dawsco Meat & Seafood, a Seattle-based wholesale protein distributor with approximately 25 years of experience serving foodservice operators from Oregon to Canada, the companies announced this week.

The deal marks Lee Fish's first significant foothold in the Pacific Northwest and adds a multi-protein distribution platform to the company's largely seafood-focused operation. Dawsco, a family-owned business headquartered on South Hanford Street in Seattle's Industrial District, supplies pork, beef, poultry, and seafood to restaurants, hotels, and foodservice buyers throughout the region...

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Scott & Jon’s Goes Chainwide at Food Lion With Four Single-Serve Seafood Meals

Frozen seafood brand Scott & Jon’s has expanded its partnership with Food Lion chainwide, making four of its single-serve meals available in more than 1,000 stores across the grocer’s footprint.

The move comes as Scott & Jon’s continues to outpace the broader frozen meal category. The company cited SPINS data showing its dollar sales grew 15% in Total US MULO for the 52 weeks ending July 12, 2026, while single-serve frozen meal sales fell 1% over the same period...

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New Civil Liberties Alliance Wants WA State to End Electronic Monitoring of Crab Fleet

Last week, the New Civil Liberties Alliance sued the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife for its Electronic Monitoring Program, claiming it “violates the Fourth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution and its counterpart in the Washington Constitution, which prohibit unreasonable and warrantless searches,” according to a statement released by the NCLA on August 14, 2026.

NCLA’s clients are three crab vessel captains, Sarah Franey, Brent Young and Mark Young, who claim the program does not protect wildlife and costs the fishermen too much...

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El Niño Puts Pressure on Global Marine Ingredient Supply

El Niño is putting pressure on global marine ingredient production, with reduced raw material availability in Peru and Chile expected to drive much of the decline in 2026, according to IFFO.

Peru has been hit particularly hard. The country typically accounts for about 20% of global fishmeal production, but only around 25% of the 1.91 million-metric-ton quota for the first 2026 North-Central anchovy season was caught before fishing was suspended June 10. Production has remained well below historical levels, with...

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Topsail Steamer Reports 12% Sales Growth in 2026, Driven by New Customers Not Price Hikes

Topsail Steamer, the North Carolina-based brand behind the ready-to-cook seafood "Bay Bucket," says sales are up 12% so far in 2026 — and the company is quick to point out the growth is coming from more families ordering, not higher prices.

The timing is telling. As restaurant costs continue to bite, Topsail Steamer is positioning its at-home seafood boil concept as an accessible alternative. Each Bay Bucket ships packed with fresh shrimp, crab, smoked sausage, corn, potatoes and house seasoning — steam...

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40,000 Pounds of Squid Spill Onto Rhode Island Roadway After Tractor-Trailer Rollover

A tractor-trailer hauling approximately 40,000 pounds (roughly 18 metric tonnes) of squid overturned at the intersection of Point Judith Road and Galilee Escape Road in Narragansett, Rhode Island, on Sunday, August 17, spilling its entire load onto the roadway and triggering an hours-long cleanup operation.

Narragansett police said the fully loaded trailer was en route to a processing plant when the truck failed to negotiate a turn onto Point Judith Road. The trailer tipped onto its side, blocking all lanes of travel...

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Oregon Adopts Electronic Monitoring Rule for Commercial Dungeness Crab Fleet

Oregon’s Fish and Wildlife Commission has approved new rules for the commercial Dungeness crab fishery, including mandatory electronic vessel monitoring starting Feb. 1, 2027, as the state steps up efforts to reduce whale entanglement risk.

Under the rule, commercial crab vessels must install devices that transmit location and other data at set intervals. The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) said the system will improve near-real-time tracking of fishing activity, help identify overlap with whales and support enforcement of season openings, area closures...

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Bumble Bee Adds Single-Serve Tuna as On-the-Go Demand Grows

As the season shifts and demand for convenient meal solutions ticks up, Bumble Bee Seafoods is leaning further into portable protein options with the recent launch of Bumble Bee Snackers, a new line of single-serve, wild-caught tuna products positioned for lunches, snacks and other on-the-go eating occasions.

The rollout ties into the company’s broader “Bee You” campaign, which encourages flexible, personalized use occasions for tuna as consumers look for easy, mindful meals and snack options that fit increasingly busy...

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Eastern Hokkaido Sardine Fishery Faced No Landings After the Season Opened Two Months Ago

The Minato Shimbun reported an unusual situation regarding the Japanese sardine fishery conducted by purse seine vessels off the coast of eastern Hokkaido: even by mid-August, two months after the season opened, no landings had been recorded.

The fishing season runs from June 16 to the end of October. In recent years, fleets have typically begun operations immediately after the season opens, landing their catches at Kushiro Port or Tokachi Port in Hiroo Town. This season, one fleet scouted the...

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Lerøy Posts Lower Q2 Earnings on Harvest Shortfall, but Raises Wild Catch Guidance

Lerøy Seafood Group reported a 16% year-on-year decline in operational EBIT to NOK 574 million in the second quarter of 2026, as lower harvest volumes and downstream margin pressure outweighed improving biological performance and a sharp uptick in Wild Catch profitability.

Group revenue fell 11% to NOK 7.9 billion, reflecting both the volume shortfall and a stronger Norwegian krone. Operating cash flow rose to NOK 1.35 billion from NOK 1.03 billion a year earlier, with year-to-date free cash flow...

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Russia Eyes India as a Top Growth Market for Fish and Seafood Exports

Russia is increasingly looking to India as one of its most promising future seafood markets, with Russian industry leaders pointing to rising local fish consumption and the country's growing potential as a processing hub.

Herman Zverev, head of the All-Russian Association of Fish Producers (VARPE), said in an interview with Russian business newspaper Rossiyskaya Gazeta that fishermen and processors see significant opportunity in expanding into the Indian market. Zverev noted that India — now the world's most populous country...

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Pink Salmon Surge Gives Alaska's Statewide Salmon Harvest a Boost — But Season Remains Below Pace

Through August 17, Alaska's statewide salmon harvest continues its lackluster performance, with total catch at 72.14 million fish — led by sockeye at 36.63 million and pink salmon at 26.13 million.

The numbers got a boost roughly ten days ago when pink salmon surged during Statistical Week 33 (August 9–15), with nearly 13 million fish landed that week. Almost half came from Kodiak, where the cumulative harvest is now up 63% from the 2024 benchmark...

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Mowi Posts Record Revenues and Volumes in Q2 2026

Salmon farming giant Mowi delivered record-high revenues of EUR 1.6 billion ($1.9 billion) and operational EBIT in the second quarter of 2026, driven by strong biological and operational performance and record harvest volumes.

Operational EBIT reached EUR 231 million ($268 million), up 23% from Q2 2025, supported by lower costs across the business.

"Farming operations continue to deliver very strong biological and operational results. In particular, our Norwegian and Scottish operations are performing strongly, with record volumes and reduced costs, which is very encouraging," said Mowi CEO...

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RAS Company Oceanloop Raises Up to $44.8M to Build Europe's First Commercial Giant Grouper Farm

German aquaculture technology company Oceanloop has secured up to €38.5 million ($44.8 million) to scale its recirculating aquaculture system (RAS) platform and expand production of Giant Grouper—a species it has already begun selling commercially, making it the first company to farm the fish in Europe.

The financing combines new equity from Hatch Blue's Blue Revolution Fund and Stolt Ventures, the venture arm of Stolt-Nielsen, with a €32 million venture-debt facility from the European...

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NOAA Increases Bluefin Tuna Quota Following Historic ICCAT Negotiations

NOAA is moving to increase US bluefin tuna quotas following what the agency described as historic negotiations at the 2025 annual meeting of the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT). The move is expected to dramatically expand opportunities for US fishermen.

The move boosts the US quota for Atlantic bluefin tuna while also providing additional quota for several other key fisheries. Negotiations at the ICCAT meeting also secured increases for North and South Atlantic swordfish and North Atlantic albacore.

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ILO, Thai Union Launch Pilot to Strengthen Seafood Sector Supervisory Skills

The International Labour Organization (ILO) and Thai Union Group have launched a pilot training program aimed at strengthening frontline leadership across Thailand’s seafood processing industry, with a focus on workplace communication, labor practices and decent work.

The two-day Supervisory Skills Essential Training, held June 24–25 in Samut Sakhon, brought together supervisors from Thai Union Group, along with representatives from the Thai Tuna Industry Association, the Thai Frozen Foods Association and their member companies.

The pilot is part of the...

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Expana's Weekly Top 10

This week’s Top 10 spotlights how supply constraints and regulatory decisions, not so much demand, are steering markets. Tyson is overhauling its beef footprint as cattle supplies tighten, ICCAT-driven rule changes have pushed up Atlantic bluefin quotas, and sugar and dairy moves are being driven more by policy, logistics and weather risk than by volume. Expect price action to stay volatile as capacity and trade rules set the tone. Read more about this hot topics this week and more, below. This list is in no part...

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Suempol Breaks Ground on 50,000-Tonne Salmon Plant That Would More Than Double Capacity

Suempol, Poland's oldest and one of the world's largest producers of smoked salmon, has announced plans to build a new fish processing center in the Pełczyce municipality of West Pomeranian Voivodeship. The facility is expected to become operational in Q4 2027 and will employ approximately 300 people.

The company said the investment is part of its long-term growth strategy, with the new center set to significantly expand Suempol's production capacity. Trade reports indicate the plant could handle up to 50,000 tonnes of salmon annually, more...

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ANALYSIS: The Expana Shrimp Demand Index Returns to Steady Territory — What the Data Shows

When prices fall and more shrimp moves through the market, it can appear that demand is strengthening. The distinction matters: more consumption at a lower price is a price effect. Genuine demand growth requires either more consumption at the same price, or higher prices holding alongside higher volumes. Those are different mechanisms, and they resolve differently. The current environment reflects the former.

The Expana Shrimp Demand Index reached 95.95 in June–July, returning to the Steady band after an extended period in contraction territory...

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86-Year-Old New Brunswick Seafood Co-op Seeks Creditor Protection With Nearly CAD $25M in Debt

Island Fisherman's Co-operative Association Limited, one of the largest snow crab and lobster processors on New Brunswick's Acadian Peninsula, has filed for protection under Canada's Companies' Creditors Arrangement Act (CCAA). The Lamèque-based co-operative — founded in 1940 — obtained a temporary protection order effective August 12, 2026, granted by a Saint John judge, shielding its assets from creditors for an initial ten-day period while it works to stabilize its finances, CBC News reported...

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Conservation Groups Sue NOAA Over California Longline Permits, Alleging Buried Data on Sea Turtles

Two conservation organizations have filed a federal lawsuit challenging the Trump administration's decision to grant longline fishing permits for California waters, alleging NOAA used a cherry-picked dataset that made the permits look far safer for endangered sea turtles and marine mammals than the agency's own data warranted.

The Center for Biological Diversity and the Turtle Island Restoration Network filed the complaint on August 14 in the US District Court for the Northern District of California (Case No. 3:26-cv-08429)...

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Multi X and BioMar Launch Chile's First Regenerative Agriculture Pilot for Salmon Feed Supply Chain

Chilean salmon producer Multi X and aquaculture feed company BioMar have signed a collaboration agreement to launch Chile's first regenerative agriculture pilot linked to the salmon value chain. The 24-month project, which began in August 2026, will assess regenerative farming practices in wheat and pea crops — two locally sourced raw materials with potential applications in salmon feed — across farms in the Los Ríos and Los Lagos regions...

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Seagrove Alaska Recalls Pacific Oysters Over Wet Storage Water Quality Deviation

Ketchikan, Alaska-based oyster producer Seagrove Alaska (AK-16111-SS) has issued a voluntary recall for two lots of Pacific oysters after elevated total coliform results were detected in its wet storage water.

The affected oysters were held in the company’s Ketchikan System 2 wet storage operation during a period when the water treatment system was not operating according to the facility’s approved wet storage operating plan. Total coliform results exceeded the applicable operational limit or acceptance criteria.

As a precaution...

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Dongwon F&B Taps BTS’s Jin to Pitch Tuna as “Sea Protein” in New Global Campaign

Dongwon F&B, led by CEO Kim Sung-yong, announced on Aug. 13 that it will unveil a new brand campaign for Dongwon Tuna featuring BTS’s Jin.

The campaign centers on positioning tuna as a premium "blue protein" (or seafood protein) with the tagline "The real high-protein is in the ocean" and the wordplay slogan "Sea Protein, Receive," designed to underscore seafood’s role in meeting rising protein demand.

In the spot, Jin is shown swimming alongside...

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ANALYSIS: US Frozen Tuna Prices Hold Steady as Imports Tighten and Risk Builds

US frozen tuna fillet imports totaled about 42.7 million pounds through June, down 12.9% from 49.0 million pounds a year earlier and 4.0% below the five-year average for the same period. The data point to a tighter import pipeline heading into late summer, though not historically extreme.

The decline remains concentrated in the two largest suppliers. Vietnam shipped 18.3 million pounds through June, down 10.7% year over year, while Indonesia shipped 14.9 million pounds, down 15.8%. Together, they accounted for roughly 78% of total...

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UW-FRI Early Advisory Projects 44.2 Million Sockeye for 2027 Bristol Bay Run

The University of Washington Fisheries Research Institute's early advisory for the 2027 Bristol Bay sockeye run projects 44.2 million fish — a 2.7 million increase over the 2026 forecast. The actual 2026 run came in slightly above that projection.

The projected 2027 inshore harvest is 28.6 million sockeye salmon, or 158 million pounds, calculated using the average size of each age class expected at this run level.

"As this preliminary forecast is made prior to the release of finalized data for the 2026 run, this should be considered...

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Japan, China and Korea's Surimi Imports from Russia and the US Fell 12% in H1

According to reports by the Minato Shimbun—based on trade statistics from Japan's Ministry of Finance as well as trade data from China and South Korea—the combined volume of frozen Alaska pollock surimi (including frozen pollock meat other than filletsen for China) imported from the U.S. and Russia by these three nations in the first half of this year (January–June) totaled 73,786 metric tons, a 12% decrease year-on-year. Of this total, imports from the US...

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Farm Groups' Letter Urges Farm Labor Reform as H-2A Costs Squeeze Growers

On August 10, a broad coalition of US agricultural groups urged lawmakers to swiftly pass HR 9535, the Securing Agriculture’s Workforce Act (or SAWA) which would overhaul the H-2A farm labor program through changes to worker eligibility, wage rules, and administrative requirements. The use of foreign labor is an aspect of farming closely tied to production costs, margins, harvest timing, crop acreage, and marketable supply.

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The Retail Rundown: Promotional Calendar Looking Towards Fall

Mid-August can be a quieter stretch in the grocery calendar, but the latest retail feature data suggest the lull may be short-lived.

Promotional activity is building across beef, chicken, and pork, while eggs and dairy are seeing strong year-over-year gains as retailers prepare for fall-driven demand, including back-to-school shopping and Labor Day celebrations.

Beef posted one of the sharpest week-over-week increases. The USDA national feature rate climbed to 96.0%, from 80.2% a week earlier and 88.8% a year ago. Retailers increased advertising for...

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