Saving Seafood

A deep dive into seafood safety amid a government shutdown

October 3, 2025 — On the heels of back-to-back radioactive shrimp recalls, and in the midst of a federal government shutdown. Seafood safety is a question for many who enjoy flavors from the coast.

There are multiple federal agencies, including the FDA, USDA, US Fish and Wildlife Service, and Customs and Border Protection, to inspect various imports and domestic products, like the hundreds of thousands of recalled shrimp from Indonesia over the past two months.

But one organization stands out, the National Marine Fisheries Service, under the U-S Department of Commerce.

Read the full article at WCTI 12

USDA announces USD 100 million in pollock, catfish contracts

September 26, 2025 — The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has announced contracts for USD 84 million (EUR 72 million) worth of Alaska pollock products and USD 14 million (EUR 12 million) worth of catfish products.

In August, the department announced its intention to purchase USD 100 million (EUR 86 million) worth of Alaska pollock and USD 20 million (EUR 17 million) of catfish as part of the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump’s Great American Farmers Market, an event in Washington, D.C., U.S.A., held as part of National Farmers Market Week last month.

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

Opinion: Embarking on an America-first seafood strategy in Alaska

September 16, 2025 — In 1787, Alexander Hamilton stressed the need for a united national effort to protect America’s ocean resources from stagnation and unfair foreign trade practices. Absent vigorous federal action to free our fisheries from barriers to growth and trade, “that unequalled spirit of enterprise, which signalises the genius of the American Merchants and Navigators, and which is in itself an inexhaustible mine of national wealth, would be stifled and lost.”

Since Hamilton wrote those words, Alaska became first a territory, then the 49th state in the Union, cementing itself as a linchpin of the nation’s food supply, economy and national security.

Alaska has the largest federal fisheries in the nation—roughly 60% of America’s harvest by volume. The Alaska seafood industry produces roughly $6 billion in economic output for the state and employs 48,000 Alaskans.

In addition to feeding our own citizens, fisheries products are among the top three U.S. food, agriculture and related product export categories, and there is soaring global demand for these high-quality, high-value commodities.

Read the full article at Anchorage Daily News

US FDA recalls more shrimp after discovering radioactive contaminant

August 22, 2025 — The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has announced a voluntary recall of frozen shrimp products due to possible contamination with Cesium-137 (Cs-137), a man-made radioisotope that can elevate cancer risks through longer term, repeated low dose exposure.

The announcement comes shortly after U.S. Customs and Border Control (CBP) detected Cs-137 in shipping containers at the Ports of Los Angeles, Houston, Savannah, and Miami, with agents finding evidence of the radioisotope in a single shipment of frozen bread shrimp. The discovery led the FDA to issue an alert for frozen shrimp supplied by Indonesia-based PT. Bahari Makmur Sejati to Walmart and sold under the “Great Value” brand name.

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

USDA announces USD 6 million to increase catfish production around Chesapeake Bay

August 8, 2025 — The U.S. Department of Agriculture has announced USD 6 million (EUR 5.2 million) in grant funding to increase catfish processing in the Chesapeake Bay region as part of an ongoing state and federal effort to manage the invasive species.

First introduced as a recreational fish in the 1960s, blue catfish quickly spread throughout the Chesapeake Bay watershed, predating on and taking resources from native species and upsetting local ecosystems. State and federal governments, as well as local nonprofit organizations, have worked to remove catfish from the waters, incentivizing fishers to land more of the invasive species, encouraging consumers to eat more, and finding new applications for the fish.

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

US lawmakers renew push for aquaculture’s inclusion in USDA programs

August 7, 2025 — U.S. legislators in Congress have reintroduced legislation intended to ensure aquaculture producers are treated the same as livestock and crop farmers by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).

The Supporting Equity for Aquaculture and Seafood (SEAS) Act would guarantee that aquaculture and seafood producers could access USDA grants and financial assistance while expanding federal crop insurance to cover aquaculture products.

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

USDA to purchase USD 100 million worth of Alaska pollock

August 6, 2025 — The U.S. Department of Agriculture plans to buy USD 100 million (EUR 86.4 million) worth of Alaska pollock and USD 20 million (EUR 17.3 million) of catfish as part of a bulk purchase of food products for food banks and nutrition assistance programs across the country.

According to the Genuine Association of Pollock Producers, the USDA has already spent nearly USD 60 million (EUR 52 million) on Alaska pollock products in fiscal year 2025, making it the fourth biggest year of USDA pollock purchases to date. The proposed USD 100 million would far outpace the previous record for USDA pollock purchases, when the department spent USD 76.3 million (EUR 65.9 million) in fiscal year 2019.

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

US Senate bill would create a seafood industry liaison within USDA

July 14, 2025 — The U.S. Senate Committee on Appropriations has approved legislation that would create a new seafood industry liaison position within the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).

On 10 July, senators on the committee voted unanimously in favor of the 2026 Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, which provides annual funding and guidance for the USDA and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The legislation included several seafood and aquaculture appropriations, most notably establishing a new seafood representative within the USDA.

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

Channel Fish Processing wins USD 16.6 million in USDA contracts

July 11, 2025 — The U.S. Department of Agriculture has awarded USD 18.9 million (EUR 16.2 million) in contracts to seafood suppliers Channel Fish Processing and Pier Fish Co., with the vast bulk of the money going to the former.

Braintree, Massachusetts-based Channel Fish was awarded USD 16.6 million (EUR 14.2 million) for three contracts: USD 14.5 million (EUR 12.4 million) for 60,300 cases of frozen Atlantic pollock fillets, USD 1.6 million (EUR 1.4 million) for 3,600 cases of frozen haddock fillets, and USD 559,323 (EUR 478,310) for 1,800 cases of frozen ocean perch fillets.

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

Channel Fish, Trident Seafoods win latest USDA contracts for pollock, haddock

June 9, 2025 — U.S. seafood suppliers Trident Seafoods and Channel Fish Processing have won new contracts for fish products from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) worth a total of nearly USD 2 million (EUR 1.8 million).

Seattle, Washington, U.S.A.-based Trident Seafoods was awarded USD 530,556 (EUR 465,627) to supply 228,000 lbs of frozen pollock fish sticks and fillets, while Braintree, Massachusetts, U.S.A.-based Channel Fish Processing was awarded USD 1.1 million (EUR 952,791) to supply 456,000 lbs of frozen pollock fish sticks and fillets.

Read the full article at SeafoodSource