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Wednesday, August 13, 2025

Alaska

ANALYSIS: US Sockeye Prices Hold Firm as Bristol Bay Surges, Copper River Landings Drop

Expana by Joshua Bickert - August 12, 2025

Sockeye salmon remains a focal point in the US wild salmon market during the 2025 season, as stakeholders pay close attention to shifting dynamics across major production areas. The Copper River run, which is sought after as some of the first sockeye of the season and typically garners a premium in price, fell well short of elevated pre-season expectations this year. Initial forecasts had projected a harvest of 1.92 million fish—an “excellent” run that would have outpaced the five-year average by 55%. Instead, cumulative landings reached just 837,000 fish by week 31, marking a stark 56% deficit compared to projections. This puts the 2024 Copper River run squarely in line with long-term historical averages, rather than the anticipated boom season.The resulting tight supply in this high-tier segment has kept pricing resilient, with the season closing out at an average of $6.75 per pound, up 3.85% from both 2024 levels and the rolling three-year average. Due to the limited availability, formal quotations for Copper River sockeye have now been suspended until next season.


In stark contrast to Copper River’s limited catch, Bristol Bay has delivered an exceptionally strong harvest this season, further solidifying its role as the primary source of sockeye supply. The run closed at 41.4 million fish—well above the preseason forecast of 36 million—adding substantial volume to the market. More recently, sockeye fishing has also picked up in Canada, particularly in areas such as Barclay Sound, introducing additional uncertainty regarding the overall impact on market supply...Want to keep reading? Unlock the full story by logging into COMTELL.This story and more are available exclusively to subscribers on our premium COMTELL service. Be the first to discover market moving insights, articles, and analysis by subscribing today. Click here to find out how you can gain access to the leading market intelligence platform for agri-food professionals.



Seafood inflation at US retail increased again in July; consumers continue turning toward value

Seafood Source by Christine Blank - August 12, 2025

U.S. consumers paid more for seafood – and food overall – at retail stores in July, according to new data but the increases didn't dent fresh sales volumes.


Salmon and trout drive fresh seafood gains during summer grilling season

Despite ups and downs, US retail seafood sales continue to recover.

Intrafish by John Fiorillo - August 12, 2025

US retail sales of seafood continued their fragile recovery in July, led by gains primarily in fresh seafood sales as America's outdoor grilling season, driven by the July 4 holiday, revved into high gear.


SEAS Act Returns to Congress, Seeking Parity for US Seafood Producers in USDA Programs

Expana by Ryan Doyle - August 12, 2025

Congressman Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ) reintroduced the Supporting Equity for Aquaculture and Seafood (SEAS) Act, a bipartisan bill that would ensure seafood producers get “equal treatment” under US Department of Agriculture (USDA) programs.The bill would also spark new investments in US aquaculture.Pallone, who is the Ranking Member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, explained that the SEAS Act would direct the USDA to treat aquaculture and seafood producers with the same consideration as livestock and crop farmers for grant and assistance programs.The bill would also mandate a USDA report to Congress that would evaluate the USDA’s role in supporting aquaculture and detail USDA spending on seafood-related purchases and program activity.The bill would also:- Bolster research into methods of increasing survival rate and adaptability of shellfish and establish a grant program to develop new, more efficient technologies for the aquaculture industry.- Expand federal crop insurance to cover aquaculture products.“Aquaculture has enormous potential to strengthen our food system, reduce our seafood trade deficit, and expand access to safe, sustainable American seafood,” said Pallone. “But for too long, USDA programs have overlooked coastal producers. The SEAS Act fixes that by putting seafood on equal footing with traditional agriculture and making smart investments to help this industry grow.”The legislation is co-led in the House by Representative Kat Cammack (R-FL-03) and will soon be introduced in the Senate by Senator Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE), who co-led the bill as a House member in the 118th Congress, per Pallone’s office.“America’s national security is closely tied to our food security. As aquaculture continues to advance with new technologies and techniques, it offers the promise of more affordable, sustainable, and safe seafood for American families. Florida’s aquaculture industry generates over $165 million in annual sales, ranking among the top states nationwide,” said Congresswoman Cammack. “I’m proud to work alongside Rep. Pallone in strengthening and supporting USDA’s aquaculture initiatives.”“Despite USDA dietary guidelines recommending Americans eat more seafood, domestic producers often face barriers to accessing federal funding and insurance coverage that are routinely available to land-based agriculture operations,” a press release from Pallone’s office noted.Earlier this month, US Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins announced that the USDA would purchase up to $100 million in Alaska pollock and $20 million in farm-raised catfish as part of a broader $230 million purchase, as Expana reported.Politicians have had the USDA’s impact on seafood at the top of mind of late. In July, the US Senate Committee on Appropriations approved a bill containing several seafood-focused measures, including the establishment of a seafood industry liaison within the USDA, as Expana covered.According to the committee report, the new role will be “solely responsible for the effective coordination of seafood policies and activities within the USDA.” The liaison will also collaborate with the Secretary of Commerce and the US Trade Representative to support both the wild and farmed seafood industries nationwide. The bill allocated $625,000 to create the position.



Trump delays tariffs on China for another 90 days

Seafood Source by Chris Chase - August 12, 2025

U.S. President Donald Trump has signed an executive order further delaying a proposed tariff increase for another 90 days.

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Environment/Science

NOAA Adds to Scientific Armada with New Mapping Ship Bound for Alaska

SeafoodNews.com by Peggy Parker - August 12, 2025

This Thursday, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) will host a keel-laying ceremony in Houma, Louisiana, marking the beginning of construction for an ocean-floor mapping vessel that will be home-ported in Ketchikan when finished.The new NOAA ships, the Surveyor and its sister ship, the Navigator, will be built by Thoma-Sea Marine Constructors under a $624.6 million contract that would allow NOAA to construct two more ships if funding is available.The Surveyor will be delivered to Alaska in 2027, with the Navigator arriving in 2028.Two other deep-sea ships, the Oceanographer and Discoverer, are also under construction and are expected to be complete in 2026, according to a report in the Alaska Beacon last week. All four ships are the beginning of a revitalization of NOAA’s fleet of 15 mapping and fisheries research ships, the largest fleet of non-military federal ships in the nation. The fleet is operated by NOAA Commissioned Corps officers and civilian professional mariners.The ships will join other hydrographic ships like the 208-foot Thomas Jefferson, home-ported in Norfolk, VA and the 224-foot Okeanos Explorer  moored in Newport, RI. The Okeanos is dedicated to exploration and discovery around the world, including in the Gulf of America (formerly Gulf of Mexico), the U.S. Atlantic Canyons and Seamounts, Puerto Rico Trench, Indonesia’s Sulawesi Sea, Ecuador’s Galapagos Rift, and the United Kingdom’s Cayman Trough. NOAA fleet is geographically organized in three hubs in the U.S. — the Atlantic fleet of nine vessels under the Marine Operations Center - Atlantic (MOC-A) in Norfolk, Virginia but home-ported from Rhode Island to Mississippi; five ships run by the Marine Operations Center-Pacific (MOC-P) in Newport, Oregon, but spread from Alaska to California; and aircraft and ships located in Hawaii and managed by the Marine Operations Center-Pacific Islands (MOC-PI).The design and construction of these new ships is funded in part by the Inflation Reduction Act — a historic $3.3 billion investment passed by Congress under the Biden administration.



Federal Register

Fisheries of the Exclusive Economic Zone Off Alaska; Reallocation of Pacific Cod in the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands Management Area

A Rule by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration on 08/12/2025

NMFS is reallocating the projected unused amount of Pacific cod from vessels using jig gear, trawl catcher vessels, and catcher vessels greater than or equal to 60 feet (18.3 meters (m)) length overall (LOA) using hook-and-line gear to catcher vessels less than 60 feet (18.3 m) LOA using hook-and-line or pot gear in the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands management area (BSAI). This action is necessary to allow the 2025 total allowable catch (TAC) of Pacific cod to be harvested.



Hands-on drill in Unalaska prepares crews for potential oil spill

KUCB by Kanesia McGlashan-Price - August 11, 2025 

Roughly two dozen participants, including officials with the U.S. Coast Guard and the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation, gathered in Unalaska in late July for an oil spill response training.


If Not Us, Then Who,' second new USCG cutter commissioned in Kodiak

KMXT by Davis Hovey - August 12, 2025 

Yesterday, Aug. 11, the newest Coast Guard vessel in Alaska was commissioned at Base Kodiak and is set to officially begin service.



Opinion: We’re Alaska pollock fishermen. Here’s the truth about our fishery.

Anchorage Daily News by Tony Norg, Guillermo Curiel, Brent Hawley, Mike Johnson, Patrick McGrorty, Brandon Lynn, Scott Symonds and Jim Egas - August 9, 2025

We are Alaska pollock fishermen. We make our living on the water harvesting wild Alaska pollock, America’s largest source of wild-caught seafood. We do this under some of the toughest conditions and strictest management in the world. Our fishery supports roughly 30,000 American jobs and is a cornerstone of Alaska’s economy. In fact, last year Alaska pollock alone made up nearly one-third of the value of Alaska’s entire seafood harvest. This industry matters to us, we are proud of it, and we’re frustrated by the misinformation we’re hearing about our fishery and the way we fish. People say we’re depleting Alaska pollock stocks, that our trawl nets are trashing the ocean floor, or that we aren’t concerned about bycatch and other species of fish. As the ones out on the Bering Sea harvesting with care and intention, we’d like to set the record straight.



Pacific Seafood Processors Association

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