Saving Seafood

US firms aim to “re-shore” seafood processing from China

March 16, 2022 — Mounting supply-chain difficulties are creating opportunities for U.S. processors to re-shore work that previously was performed abroad.

In China, where the bulk of processing of seafood products eventually exported to the United States was once completed, a shift is underway. Companies that previously focused on exports are discovering they can make better returns in the domestic market, according to Cui He, the secretary general of the China Aquatic Products Processing and Marketing Association (CAPPMA). Cui also cited China’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic and related logistical and transportation issues that have slowed production and delivery times for the country’s seafood processing sector.

Read the full story at SeafoodSource

 

UK issues economic sanctions against Russia, fish included in new import tariffs

March 15, 2022 — The United Kingdom has announced a ban on exports of high-end luxury goods to Russia, while also hitting hundreds of key Russian products with new import tariffs that represent a 35 percentage point hike on current rates.

Russian whitefish is one of the products affected by the tariff increases, as is vodka, while the export ban will likely affect luxury vehicles, high-end fashion, and works of art.

Read the full story at SeafoodSource

 

Implementation dates released for US ban on Russian seafood

March 14, 2022 — U.S. President Joe Biden’s order from Friday, 11 March, 2022, banning Russian seafood imports from entering U.S. ports will give U.S. businesses some time to accept previously made orders, according to guidance issued by the Treasury Department.

For those companies that have previously done business with Russia, any contract that was in place before Biden signed the executive order can still be carried out. But the U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) announced that companies expecting imports of fish or other items now banned can receive them through Friday, 25 March, as long as there was a written agreement in place prior to the president’s order.

Read the full story at SeafoodSource

 

Seafood for Heroes providing meals for first responders in Ukraine

March 14, 2022 — The Seafood for Heroes program, organized and managed through the Napa Seafood Foundation, is using donations from seafood companies to provide healthy meals to first responders in Ukraine through the World Central Kitchen.

The Seafood for Heroes program was formed in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, as a way for seafood companies participating in the Napa Seafood Foundation to give back to first-responders and healthcare workers on the front lines.

Read the full story at SeafoodSource

 

Seafood industry powers through the pandemic with ingenuity, flexibility

March 14, 2022 — The COVID-19 pandemic period has been riddled with loss and upheaval, yet the industry has remained resilient, with many seafood suppliers successfully pivoting their business strategies to target retail and e-commerce channels in the face of sudden and severe foodservice constrictions.

Such shifts proved crucial, especially given the dramatic spikes in demand and sales seen at retail for fresh, frozen, and shelf-stable seafood beginning in 2020. That year saw more consumers eating at home and going on pandemic-fueled buying sprees, which drove retail seafood sales to new heights. In 2021, those record sales were eclipsed, according to research firms IRI and 210 Analytics.

Read the full story at SeafoodSource

 

Boston Highlights: What to see at SENA

March 11, 2022 — The seafood industry is on the move, converging in Boston this weekend for Seafood Expo North America. The event, located at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center, runs from Sunday to Tuesday, March 13-15.

This international seafood event is a don’t-miss for our domestic seafood industry. If you are planning to attend, be sure to check out some of these must-see new products and conference sessions — including National Fisherman’s booth #167!

After a two-year hiatus, the industry is primed for this rush of productive in-person meetings, in-depth discussions, big announcements, and of course, a range of fun bonus events at and around the show. These are my picks for things to see and do at the show — whether you have the luxury of being there for one day or all three days.

For fishermen, the Processing section of the show floor — Seafood Processing North America — is a great spot to shop a wide range of fishing gear (boots, gloves, foul-weather gear, knives), as well as packaging options and a full range of machinery and technology for onboard handling and processing.

Read the full story at National Fisherman

Ukraine asks seafood companies to send donations of chilled, frozen fish

March 11, 2022 — The Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food of Ukraine has sent out a request to the globe’s seafood companies, asking for help replenishing Ukraine’s food stocks in the face of Russia’s ongoing invasion.

In a letter released on Tuesday, 8 March, the Ukraine Minister of Agrarian Policy and Food Roman Leshchenko requested seafood products to be sent to Ukraine, which is in “dire need of replenishment.”

Read the full story at SeafoodSource

 

Biden bans Russian seafood imports in latest economic response to Ukraine invasion

March 11, 2022 — U.S. President Joe Biden announced a ban on Russian seafood imports on Friday, 11 March, amid a raft of new economic sanctions he’s imposing in response Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) and other members of that state’s congressional delegation, who called for blocking Russian seafood imports as the country prepared to invade Ukraine, backed Biden’s move. A bill introduced into the Senate by Sullivan and fellow Alaskan GOP U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski was blocked just prior to when the invasion began in February.

Read the full story at SeafoodSource

 

Continued growth at Long John Silver’s pushes it to expand internationally

March 10, 2022 — Long John Silver’s posted its sixth-consecutive quarter of same-store sales growth, while also scoring record-breaking average unit volumes in 2021.

Despite COVID-19 pressures that pushed its sales down 30 to 40 percent at the start of the pandemic, the Louisville, Kentucky, U.S.A.-based operator realized a 2.5 percent increase in sales year-over-year throughout 2020 and 2021, according to the international seafood chain’s recently released its 2021 results.

Read the full story at SeafoodSource