Seafoodnews.com Summary Wednesday, October 21

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News Summary October 21, 2026

Today's Top Story: Chilean Salmon Faces El Niño on Top of ISA, Tariffs and Feed Costs as Harvest Growth Slows

Chilean salmon farmers are reducing biomass held in sea cages as a precaution against El Niño-linked mass mortality risk, with NOAA putting the odds of a "very strong" event above 83% through early spring 2027 and executives measuring preparedness against a 2016 bloom that killed more than 40,000 tonnes of salmon. Harvest growth has already slowed sharply, from 32.0% year-over-year in January to just 5.0% by August, as the industry juggles the El Niño threat alongside confirmed ISA cases in Aysén, a 12.5% US tariff, rising feed costs tied to Peru's weakened anchovy fishery, and surging airfreight costs...

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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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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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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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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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Ecuador Shrimp Chain Warns Power Cuts Have Hit 72 Hours a Week

Ecuador's shrimp industry says prolonged power outages have reached a "critical point." The National Chamber of Aquaculture (CNA) said in an October 14 statement that restrictions have risen from 24 to 48 and then 72 hours a week in a matter of weeks. Medium-voltage users were cut off from October 14 and are due to be reconnected at 06:00 on October 21, leaving them without grid power for about a week. For companies without their own generation, the CNA says that means operations will come to...

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Peru Halts Second Anchovy Season as Biomass Drops 28%

Peru's Ministry of Production (PRODUCE) will not authorize a second anchovy season in the north-central zone, the country's main fishery for the species. The decision follows a scientific review by the Marine Research Institute (IMARPE) that found a shrinking, young stock and warm ocean conditions linked to El Niño. The fishery targets Peruvian anchovy (anchoveta, Engraulis ringens).

IMARPE's Cruise 2609-10, with data to October 7, estimates acoustic biomass at about 5.12 million tonnes. That is 27.9% below the summer 2026 level and 22.8% below the 1996–2025 winter-spring...

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Starfish Seafood Recall Expands to Premium Cold-Smoked Norwegian Salmon

The Starfish Seafood recall has widened. Brooklyn, New York-based Krasnyi Oktyabr Inc. has recalled Starfish Seafood Premium Cold Smoked Norwegian Salmon, in addition to the Starfish Seafood Trio of cold-smoked salmon, halibut and trout that Expana reported on October 13.

All of the recalled products are linked to potential Listeria monocytogenes contamination. According to a US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) notice, the cold-smoked Norwegian salmon was distributed in New York, Florida, Georgia, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Ohio. The New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets...

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Cousins Maine Lobster San Antonio Hits the Road for Six-Day South Texas Tour

Cousins Maine Lobster, the nationally recognized seafood brand known for its authentic Maine lobster rolls and Shark Tank success story, is sending its San Antonio food truck on a six-day tour across South Texas from October 21st through October 26th.

Starting from San Antonio, the truck will roll west to the Rio Grande in Del Rio, then head south to Laredo, through the Rio Grande Valley to McAllen and Brownsville, and finish up the Gulf Coast in Victoria. Along...

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ANALYSIS: Bangladesh Black Tiger Shrimp Exports Down 19.5% So Far This Year

Bangladesh is one of the countries whose shrimp exports rely almost exclusively on black tiger shrimp (Penaeus monodon). Production is either farmed in ponds or registered as "extensive farming", meaning the shrimp feed naturally in mangroves. The species is known for reaching large sizes, up to 2-4 count per kg. It has only one harvest season per year, in H2, and is mostly exported head-on, shell-on. For these reasons, it is usually priced higher than vannamei...

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Hannaford Sued Over Salmon Sustainability Claims; Cooke Named in Complaint

A consumer class action filed in New York accuses Hannaford Bros. Co. and its parent, Ahold Delhaize USA Services, of misleading shoppers about the sustainability and origin of the farmed salmon they sell. The complaint names Cooke Aquaculture USA as the sole producer of farmed Atlantic salmon in the Gulf of Maine.

The suit, Boyle v. Hannaford Bros. Co., LLC and Ahold Delhaize USA Services, LLC (Case No. 1:26-cv-2108), was filed October 13 in the US District Court for the Northern District of New York. Plaintiff Kathleen...

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Whole Foods Market Unveils 2027 Food Trends, With Seafood Among the Featured Products

Whole Foods Market unveiled its top food trends for 2027 in its annual Trends predictions report on Oct. 14, highlighting seafood in several of the eight trends.

"This year's predictions reflect a real shift in how people are eating, with a curiosity about origin, a willingness to try bitter and unexpected flavors, and a meaningful return to simpler, whole-food ingredients," said Cathy Strange, Ambassador of Food Culture for Whole Foods Market and a member of the Trends Council...

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Russian Fishermen Plan to Increase Presence in African Fish Market

Russia plans to significantly increase fish supplies to Africa in the coming years and overtake some of its major rivals in the local market, particularly Norway.

As part of these plans, particular attention will go to increasing herring supplies to the continent. Egypt is considered one of the most promising sales destinations in the region.

In the first half of 2026, Russia increased its herring exports to Egypt 56-fold compared with the same period last year, from 100 tons...

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Washington State, Finland Sign MOU Expanding Business, Research, and Innovation Partnerships

Washington Governor Bob Ferguson and Finland's Ambassador to the US, Leena-Kaisa Mikkola, signed a renewed Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on Wednesday to guide collaboration and trade between the state and Finland. The agreement covers research, academia, innovation and business.

The signing took place at the National Nordic Museum in Seattle as part of the 2026 Nordic Innovation Summit. It is Ferguson's first collaborative agreement with a foreign nation since taking office in 2025...

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ANALYSIS: Live Lobster Prices Held in Check as Buyers Stay Disciplined and Frozen Stocks Stay Lean

The live lobster market remains subdued, with buyers largely covering immediate requirements rather than extending inventory positions. Buyers have shown little urgency to chase higher offers, even as availability tightens in select sizes. The market is also moving through a seasonally quieter demand period ahead of the year-end holiday push, while broader consumer caution and sensitivity to food costs may be weighing on premium seafood demand...

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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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Trump Signs Red Snapper and Tuna Origin Bill Into Law

President Donald Trump signed the Illegal Red Snapper and Tuna Enforcement Act (S. 283) into law on October 15, according to a White House statement. The law requires the Department of Commerce to develop a standard, chemical-analysis-based method to identify seafood's country of origin.

Expana reported in September that the House had passed the bill, which folds in provisions from Rep. Brian Babin's Standards for Understanding Source and Habitat Identification Act. A later Expana story reported that the Senate passed it unanimously and sent...

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Chile's Government Convenes High-Level Meeting on Harmful Algal Blooms as El Niño Nears

Chile's government has moved to strengthen interagency coordination ahead of possible harmful algal bloom (FAN) events in the 2026-2027 season, with officials pointing to possible changes in ocean conditions linked to El Niño.

Undersecretary of Fisheries and Aquaculture Osvaldo Urrutia attended an inter-institutional meeting at the Palacio de La Moneda, according to local media reports. Also attending were Interior Minister Claudio Alvarado, Defense Minister Fernando Barros, Interior Undersecretary Máximo Pavez and Senapred National Director Alicia Cebrián, along with representatives of the Environment and Health...

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NOAA Funds 70-Acre Oyster Reef Build in Chesapeake Bay

A $10 million investment from NOAA will create more than 70 acres of oyster reef habitat at the Hooper Strait Oyster Sanctuary in the Chesapeake Bay, NOAA said in a feature published October 19. NOAA's Office of Habitat Conservation awarded the funds in 2024 to the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.

Work is underway. Murtech, a veteran-owned Maryland marine contractor, is placing about 1,669 tons of stone per acre...

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El Niño Adds to Cost Pressure on India's Shrimp Farmers as 2027 Stocking Looms

Heat and low oxygen in ponds are a growing risk for Andhra Pradesh farmers, but rising costs are driving farmgate prices so far.

India's shrimp farmers face a tougher season as feed, packaging, freight, and energy costs rise. Expana reported in early October that farmgate prices are climbing again after months of seasonal decline, squeezing processor margins while export prices remain under pressure.

Feed is a growing concern. Peru, the world's largest fish meal and fish oil producer, has seen elevated sea temperatures reduce anchovy biomass...

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MSC Says Sustainability has Become a Mainstream Expectation for US Seafood Consumers

Sustainability is now a mainstream expectation among US seafood consumers, according to a new report from the Marine Stewardship Council, with shoppers placing increasing importance on independently verified environmental claims.

The report, A Decade of Change: Sustainability Now a Mainstream Concern of US Seafood Consumers, tracks attitudes toward seafood, ocean sustainability, ecolabels and the MSC program from 2016 to 2026. Conducted by GlobeScan on behalf of the MSC, the research draws on responses from 15,000 US seafood consumers...

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Japan Kamaboko Association Chair Declares Plan to Tackle Crisis, Seeks Support for Viable Pricing

According to a Minato Shimbun report, the Japan Kamaboko Association issued a "Chairman’s Declaration" on October 15. The declaration aims to address an unprecedented crisis marked by soaring prices and declining surimi supplies, the primary raw material for surimi products. By rallying the industry's collective strength, the association expresses a firm commitment to "ensuring that surimi products, such as kamaboko, never disappear from the Japanese dining table." The declaration also calls on distributors and consumers to understand the need for price...

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NOAA Report Launches Collaborative Phase on Aquaculture Planning in Gulf of Alaska

From workshops and public input held in Anchorage, Juneau, and Kodiak last spring, NOAA and its National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science have released the Gulf of Alaska Aquaculture Atlas Rollout and Webtool Planning Workshop Series Report. It captures perspectives on how science-based planning and permitting tools can better support sustainable shellfish and seaweed aquaculture in Alaska from a broad diversity of stakeholders...

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Canadian Salmon Farmers Say 80% of Feed Is Non-Fish in Early Sustainability Data

Canadian Seafood Farmers has released early sustainability data showing that 80% of salmon feed in Canada comes from non-fish sources. The group also says 95% of the fish products used in that feed come from certified, sustainably managed fisheries.

The figures were released October 9 in advance of a full dataset due in November. The group, formerly the Canadian Aquaculture Industry Alliance, said the early release responds to recent news coverage of salmon feed ingredients...

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Octopus Explosion off South West Prompts Talks Between Fishermen and Scientists

Fishermen, scientists and fisheries managers met at a Defra-hosted conference to share evidence, discuss the impacts of the octopus bloom.

Fishermen, fisheries managers and scientists came together yesterday (15 October) for a conference hosted by Defra to discuss the recent increase in octopus numbers off the south-west coast of England, and how regulators and the industry can respond to the challenges and opportunities it presents.

In the last year, fishermen in the region have reported a sharp rise in octopus...

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