Seafoodnews.com Summary Friday, October 23

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News Summary October 23, 2026

Today's Top Story: Frozen Whiting-Record Prices and Tight Whitefish Supplies Heighten Concerns Ahead of Lent

Frozen whiting prices have reached record highs, up nearly 15% since May to $2.70/lb and roughly 20% above the five-year October average, as US whiting block imports through August run about 30% below last year while stronger European buying absorbs more Argentine hake production. With cod, pollock and haddock all posting double-digit year-over-year gains, buyers have few lower-cost whitefish alternatives as they look to build inventory ahead of Lent, which begins February 10, 2027...

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ANALYSIS: Frozen Whiting-Record Prices and Tight Whitefish Supplies Heighten Concerns Ahead of Lent

Frozen whiting prices have continued their upward trajectory, reaching record levels as constrained supplies and elevated replacement costs lend support to the market. Since May, imported whiting fillet prices have advanced from approximately $2.35/lb to $2.70/lb in October, an increase of nearly 15%. Current values are also 14.9% above year-ago levels and approximately 20% above the five-year October average, highlighting the extent of the market's strength despite a generally cautious buying...

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Trump Announces $8 Billion for Farmers and Fishermen to Offset Soaring Diesel Costs

On a campaign swing through Kansas last Monday, President Donald Trump announced a new program to offset high diesel costs incurred by farmers across the country amidst competitive political races in areas like Kansas where voters have not sent a Democrat to Congress since 1932. Trump attributed the plan, called Harvest Fuel Relief program, to Kansas’s incumbent, Republican Sen. Roger Marshall, who won his seat by more than 11 percentage points in 2020 but now is locked in a close race with...

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Russia and Norway Agree on a 14% Barents Sea Cod Quota Increase for 2027

Russia and Norway have agreed to raise the 2027 Barents Sea cod quota by 14%, Russia's fisheries agency Rosrybolovstvo said. Speaking to journalists in Istanbul on Oct. 22, Rosrybolovstvo head Ilya Shestakov said the joint Russian-Norwegian Fisheries Commission had decided on the increase for next year. The increase marks the first rise after five years of continuous cuts.

The 2026 total allowable catch was set at 285,000 tonnes, the lowest since 1991. A 14% increase would take the 2027 TAC to roughly...

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Expana's Weekly Top 10

From trade policy and supply chain disruption to shifting retail demand and commodity market pressure, this week’s top 10 stories offer a snapshot of the key developments influencing food, agriculture and commodity trade. Explore Expana’s latest coverage spanning regulation, logistics, proteins, seafood, crop weather and key input markets below.

Find archived Top 10's here.

Trade, Tariffs and Regulation

10. Trump signed an executive order authorizing steep tariffs on Russian goods and major buyers of Russian oil, but a pause clause kept them from taking effect, leaving USTR to monitor conditions as trade talks...

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Australis Aquaculture Expands Vietnam Barramundi Capacity With New Farm Leases and Processing Plant

Australis Aquaculture has secured 16 ocean‑farming leases in Vietnam’s An Giang Province, adding permitted production capacity of up to 30,000 metric tons annually as the company looks to expand barramundi supply for global whitefish markets. Stocking is underway at the first farm, with initial harvests expected to begin in mid‑2027.

The 30‑year leases, issued by the An Giang Provincial People’s Committee, more than double Australis’ total permitted capacity. The company also said Blue Loop, its new seafood processing...

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New York Adds $6.5 Million to Islip Regional Shellfish Hatchery, Bringing State Total to $16.5M

Gov. Kathy Hochul has announced an additional $6.5 million in state capital funding for the Town of Islip Regional Shellfish Hatchery, bringing New York's total commitment to $16.5 million for construction of a new facility. The governor's office announced the funding on Oct. 20.

The state's earlier commitment was $10 million, announced in 2024. Construction costs have since risen, pushing the total project cost to $16.5 million, and the new money is meant to cover that gap and advance...

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GSA Prepares Major Revision of Aquaculture Feed Mill Standard

The Global Seafood Alliance (GSA) is preparing a major revision of its Best Aquaculture Practices (BAP) Feed Mill Standard as it looks to strengthen responsible sourcing requirements for aquaculture feed ingredients.

GSA has convened a technical committee to develop Issue 4.0 of the standard, which will examine emerging best practices in aquafeeds, including the role of marine ingredients and how to ensure their responsible sourcing and inclusion. The revision follows changes GSA made to the existing standard in 2026 to more clearly address marine...

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Walmart Faces Class Action Over Great Value Shrimp Weight Claims

Walmart faces a class action alleging its Great Value frozen shrimp contains less shrimp than its labels claim, with the shortfall reaching up to 11%, according to Top Class Actions.

Plaintiff Elijah Baptist filed the case, Baptist v. Walmart Inc. (Case No. 2026CH09745), in the Circuit Court of Cook County, Illinois, on Oct. 8. The suit alleges that Walmart includes the weight of ice glaze in the net weight listed on packages, so consumers pay for ice rather than shrimp. It argues the practice is unfair, deceptive and fraudulent...

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Declining Baby Lobster Counts Point to Falling Adult Populations in Maine

A new University of Maine study published in Marine Ecology Progress Series found steep drops in lobster numbers at multiple life stages along the Maine coast, underscoring the value of early‑life monitoring for tracking the health of the Gulf of Maine lobster fishery.

Researchers reported an 80% decline in baby lobsters sampled from 2010 to 2022, a 70% decline in young lobsters since 2015, and a 50% decline in adults large enough to harvest. The fishery remains economically important...

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FAO GLOBEFISH Engages Students in Exploring Career Opportunities in the Fisheries and Aquaculture

On 14 October, eighty students in the final two years of the Technical Institute for Transport and Logistics “Duca degli Abruzzi” in Naples (Italy) attended the event “Blue Careers: Inspiring the Next Generation for a Sustainable Blue Economy”, while a further 230 students joined remotely. The event was organized by the Italian National Research Council’s Institute for Research on Innovation, International Law and Sustainability (CNR-IRIDIS) as part of the European Commission’s European Maritime Day in My Country 2026 initiative.

The event brought together...

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Blumar Plans $20 Million Modernization of Puyehue Fish Hatchery in Chile's Los Lagos Region

Blumar has submitted an Environmental Impact Declaration (DIA) to Chile's Environmental Assessment Service (SEA) for a US$20 million modernization of its Puyehue fish hatchery, according to a company announcement dated Oct. 16, 2026.

The hatchery has operated in Puyehue, Los Lagos, since 2023. The project will add incubation and fry-rearing facilities and smoltification tanks, increasing annual smolt production. Smoltification is the stage at which juvenile salmon adapt to seawater, so the tanks expand the capacity Blumar needs to supply its own ocean...

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Chilean Salmon Faces El Niño on Top of ISA, Tariffs and Feed Costs as Harvest Growth Slows

Chile's salmon farmers are preparing for El Niño while dealing with a string of other problems. Market participants say some of that preparation is already visible in the water. They describe producers reducing the biomass they hold in sea cages as a precaution against El Niño-linked mortality risk, and regulators and companies are rehearsing responses to mass mortality.

El Niño is a recurring warming of the tropical Pacific that shifts weather patterns worldwide, and it hits the west coast of South America...

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Maryland Survey Finds Strongest Four-Year Run of Juvenile Menhaden Abundance in Over 30 Years

For four years, Maryland's Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has recorded strong numbers of menhaden, a key forage species for striped bass, the state fish. The four-year index for juvenile menhaden is the strongest since 1988–1991, according to the full survey series dating back to 1959.

In a statement last week, Maryland DNR also reported that young Atlantic menhaden were found in such abundance. Atlantic silversides were recorded in their highest numbers in more than a decade, and bay anchovy abundance has been...

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Trump Administration Sued for Withholding Public Records on Gutting the Endangered Species Act

The Center for Biological Diversity sued the Trump administration late last week for failing to provide public records related to changes to the Endangered Species Act that remove protections for vulnerable species. “The Trump administration is trying to roll back decades of protections for imperiled wildlife under an illegal cloak of secrecy,” said Kristen Monsell, oceans legal director at the Center for Biological Diversity.

“The incompetence and cruelty underlying these changes could permanently harm animals and plants already on the brink of extinction. Americans have...

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Monarch's Sovereign Seas Takes Traceability-Led Frozen Seafood Brand National

Monarch Trading, LLC has announced the national launch of Sovereign Seas, its flagship retail seafood brand, positioning the line around trust, transparency and traceability.

The Vernon, California-based family-owned protein company says it generates approximately $1 billion in annual sales across meat and seafood. In a LinkedIn post, Monarch says Sovereign Seas' frozen portfolio now reaches consumers and foodservice operators through major national and regional retailers, leading broadline distributors and commercial foodservice providers. The range includes shellfish, mollusks, cephalopods, seafood mixes and value-added products...

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VARPE: Russia's Frozen Crustacean Market Keeps Growing

The frozen crustacean segment in Russia continues to grow and is one of the most promising areas for the wider market, according to industry association VARPE and the federal statistics service Rosstat.

The segment has grown for about five years and is still expanding in 2026. Official data show annual crustacean output rose from about 70,000 tonnes in 2022 to nearly 100,000 tonnes in 2025. Even so, crustaceans make up no more than 2.8% of Russia's total fish production...

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ANALYSIS: EU-UK Shrimp Imports Rise 11.3% in August, but Year-to-Date Volumes Remain Below Last Year

EU-UK shrimp imports gained momentum in August, even though year-to-date volumes are still below last year.

According to Eurostat, the EU-UK region imported 66,513 MT of shrimp in August, up 2.9% on July and 11.3% year-on-year. This volume is also 7.3% above the 2021-25 five-year average, confirming the positive trend the region has seen since June. The data cover frozen warm-water and cold-water shrimp, in both whole raw and prepared categories...

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NOAA Allocates $15.8 Million in Fishery Disaster Funding to Florida, California and Makah Tribe

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) of the US Department of Commerce (DOC) has announced $15.8 million in fishery disaster funds for Florida, California and Washington, for disasters previously declared.

In Florida, the funds cover Hurricane Ian in 2022, which was declared by Governor DeSantis. In Washington State, the allocation recognizes the Makah Tribe's ocean treaty troll fishery in 2020 and 2021, as well as the Fraser sockeye salmon fisheries in 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2023. California's red sea urchin fishery received...

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Canadian Seafood Farmers Names 2026-2027 Executive Committee, Chaired by Cooke's Joel Richardson

Canadian Seafood Farmers has named its 2026-2027 Executive Committee, elected by the board on Oct. 16. Joel Richardson of family-owned Cooke Aquaculture in New Brunswick will chair the committee. The group, which announced the appointments on Oct. 22, brings together leaders from Canada's finfish, shellfish and aquaculture supply sectors.

Jennifer Woodland of Cermaq Canada is vice-chair, Cyr Couturier is treasurer, and Mia Parker of Mowi Canada is secretary. Executive members at large are Elizabeth Barlow of Cermaq Canada...

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Russia Targets Processing 50% of Pollock Catch Into Fillets and Surimi by 2030, Buglak Says

Russia aims to process half of its pollock catch into fillets and surimi by 2030, supported by plans to commission new vessels and processing facilities, Alexey Buglak, President of the Russian Pollock Association, said at the International Groundfish Forum.

Buglak said the Russian pollock sector is showing positive dynamics: stocks remain stable, catches are high, and exports are growing. In 2025, Russia’s pollock catch totaled 2.175 million tonnes, and it is expected to remain around 2.2 million tonnes this year...

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ANALYSIS: US Shrimp Replacement Costs Normalize as Import Costs Rise

Expana's peeled replacement cost model, which uses declared value on new entries, is depletion-weighted and includes applicable duties for India, Indonesia and Ecuador, and stands at $3.77. The UB Peeled index is at $4.57. The relationship between the two series is 7.0%, down from 9.1% in August and slightly above the historically typical 5% to 6% range.

The relationship had been negative through late 2025 and reached a low near -9.4% in March, when replacement cost peaked at $4.79 and wholesale prices had already begun...

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Salmonella Outbreak Linked to Oysters Grows to 27 Illnesses in 12 States

The FDA, CDC and state health officials are investigating a multistate outbreak of Salmonella Telelkebir infections linked to raw oysters from the Little Wicomico River in Virginia. As of Oct. 19, 2026, the CDC reports 27 illnesses, 5 hospitalizations and no deaths across 12 states. The FDA's safety alert and the CDC's outbreak notice both advise consumers and businesses not to eat, sell or serve the recalled product...

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Toyosu’s September Imported Fresh Tuna Arrivals Jump 56%; Boston Bluefin Hits JPY 15,000/kg

According to Minato Shimbun, data compiled by Jiji Press show Tokyo’s Toyosu Market received 2,030 imported fresh tuna in September, up 56% from 1,305 a year earlier. Arrivals of Pacific bluefin and wild southern bluefin increased, while bigeye declined.

Pacific bluefin totaled 713 fish, up more than 70% from 413. Wild-caught fish from Boston drove much of the gain, nearly doubling to 284 from 147. Canadian arrivals edged up to 214 from 208.

Import industry sources said the higher North American volume...

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EU Fisheries Vision 2040 Draws Industry Fire for Lacking CFP Reform

The European Commission's Vision for Fisheries and Aquaculture 2040, published Oct. 20, 2026, sets a 15-year framework for the sector's structural challenges. Europêche, the EU fishing sector's leading trade association, says it makes no commitment to a targeted revision of the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP), and calls the document a dead end for the sector. The Europêche statement was issued jointly with ETF, EFFAT and Copa-Cogeca.

The CFP's last comprehensive reform was in 2013, which puts the next revision more than three years past its customary...

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Peru and Ecuador Strengthen Bilateral Cooperation to Combat Illegal Fishing

Within the framework of the Presidential Meeting and XVII Binational Cabinet of Ministers Peru-Ecuador, held at the Government Palace, the Ministries of Production of Peru and Economic and Productive Development of Ecuador signed a Memorandum of Understanding on fisheries to strengthen bilateral cooperation against illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing.

The agreement was signed by the Minister of Production of Peru, Juan Carlos Requejo Alemán, and the Minister of Economic and Productive Development of Ecuador, Bernardo Cordovez Cereceda, and establishes a framework of collaboration to strengthen...

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ANALYSIS: Landings Strong, Sizes Split; Where the US Scallop Market Stands

Domestic scallop landings remain the dominant force in the US market this season. Cumulative landings through September passed the annual projected limit earlier than usual and are running ahead of the same point in each of the prior two seasons. September posted the highest monthly total for that month in three years. Harvests are now tapering in line with normal seasonality, but cumulative volume remains solid by recent standards. Imports are the other half of the supply picture. Volumes through August are running well below last year's pace and sit close to pandemic-era levels, leaving domestic product to carry more...

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Brazil's Tilapia Exports Jump 32% in September as Feed Costs Squeeze Producers

Brazil's tilapia exports rose about 32% in September to 852 tonnes, up from 646 tonnes in August, according to Embrapa data presented at a meeting of the Brazilian Fish Farming Association (PEIXE BR). Export value rose far less, to US$3.68 million from US$3.51 million. That implies the average unit value fell from roughly US$5.43 a kilogram in August to about US$4.32 in September, so the volume gain came at lower prices...

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The Retail Rundown: Egg Retail Looks Ahead to Holiday Baking Demand

Grocers are entering a key period for egg demand, as seasonal baking and an uptick in home cooking typically support purchases toward year-end. However, the holiday boost has yet to translate into stronger consumer demand, with feature activity easing in recent weeks.

According to the USDA’s latest Feature Activity report, national egg feature activity declined to 39.5% from 45.8% the previous week, but remained above the 32.1% during the same period last year.

At retail, shelf prices remain largely unchanged, while wholesale egg prices are hovering at multi-year lows, potentially...

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Italy Seizes $19.8 Million in Alleged Seafood VAT Fraud Case

Italy's Guardia di Finanza in Naples has seized assets worth €17.6 million ($19.8 million) in a case alleging tax fraud in wholesale fish trading. A Naples judge ordered the preventive seizure, which is intended to support confiscation, against 14 individuals and companies, according to ANSA.

Investigators allege the group sold salmon, tuna, sea bass and sea bream at prices below those of compliant operators by not paying VAT, according to NapoliToday. The fish was allegedly bought mainly from traders in Sweden, Spain and Greece...

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“Golden Opportunity” for Scotland’s Economy

Scotland must strengthen economic and cultural ties with India for the benefit of jobs, investment and growth, First Minister John Swinney has said.

Ahead of visiting Delhi, Ahmedabad and Mumbai, he hailed the success of Scottish salmon exports as an example of the “golden opportunity” that exists for Scotland’s economy if new international trading opportunities can be unlocked.

On a visit to Heathrow Airport’s cold storage facility, he will see Scottish salmon being prepared for export around the world. An estimated £300 million of Scottish salmon is exported via Heathrow to international markets...

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