November 22, 2024 — Seattle, Washington, U.S.A.-based Trident Seafoods won the majority of new U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) contracts to supply Alaska wild pollock.
Trident will supply USD 1.6 million (EUR 1.5 million) worth of pollock out of a total USD 2.05 million (EUR 2 million) worth of contracts, while Channel Fish Processing in Braintree, Massachusetts, U.S.A., will supply around USD 448,000 (EUR 423,000) in pollock.
November 19, 2024 — The U.S. Department of Agriculture has updated its guidance for purchasing salmon products, incorporating new requirements from NOAA Fisheries’ Seafood Inspection Program as well as other changes.
The updates were issued through the department’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) Supplement 507 document, which outlines the government’s requirements for purchasing salmon products for the country’s National School Lunch Program and other federal nutrition programs. AMS posted its Final Supplement 507 for salmon products 7 November, replacing the previous documentation issued in 2021.
November 1, 2024 — The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is seeking 270,000 pounds of domestically farmed catfish that it aims to put toward domestic food programs.
Interested companies must submit bids to participate by 5 November, and winning suppliers will make deliveries between January and June 2025.
October 2, 2024 — Hawaii’s seafood industry has long been a mix of local catches and imported products, with many consumers unaware of where the fish on their plates truly comes from. Despite the state’s 10-year average of 17.4 million pounds of annual seafood landings from 2000 to 2009, Hawaii still imports about half of its seafood.
While some local spots, like Poke by the Pound in Kalihi, proudly use fresh, locally caught fish, most poke sold in retail and restaurants is imported. With rising concerns over transparency and sustainability, Hawaii isn’t alone—other states, like Louisiana, are also grappling with misleading seafood labeling practices.
A recent source shared that a restaurant called Poke by the Pound in Kalihi strictly used fresh, locally caught fish for their poke bowls, leaving locals and customers with remarks about the freshness of the fish used there. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) requires that all seafood that is stored at stores in the country be labeled with a country-of-origin label; however, once products are prepared- such as poke- the label is no longer required.
September 3, 2024 — The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has awarded contracts for seafood from the Pacific Northwest worth more than USD 17 million (EUR 15 million), following requests from politicians and seafood organizations to do so.
Clackamas, Oregon, U.S.A.-based Dulcich, which owns Pacific Seafood, snagged the largest portion of the contracts – USD 9.3 million (EUR 8.4 million) for Pacific whiting.
July 17, 2024 — The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is planning to purchase USD 22 million (EUR 20 million) worth of Pacific rockfish and whiting (hake) from fishermen along the U.S. West Coast.
The USDA will buy USD 14 million (EUR 12 million) in West Coast whiting fillets and USD 8 million (EUR 7 million) in rockfish fillets, U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley (D-Oregon) and U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Oregon), along with U.S. Representative Suzanne Bonamici (D-Oregon), U.S. Rep. Val Hoyle (D-Oregon), and U.S. Rep. Andrea Salinas (D-Oregon), said in a press release.
June 18, 2024 — U.S. fishing groups are praising federal lawmakers for incorporating significant fisheries support into a U.S. Farm Bill framework recently released by Senate Republicans.
The Farm Bill is the main piece of legislation governing the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), and fishing industry groups have been working to use the forthcoming renewal of the law as an opportunity to raise the profile of seafood within the department.
June 11, 2024 — Last year, Oregon’s seafood industry got a much-needed boost from the federal government. But it continues to struggle and still needs help.
That’s the message from five Democratic members of Congress from Oregon, who’ve written to the U.S. Department of Agriculture to request aid for West Coast seafood fishermen, processors and distributors. U.S. Sens. Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden and U.S. Reps. Suzanne Bonamici, Val Hoyle and Andrea Salinas asked USDA Administrator Bruce Summers to again include Oregon seafood in its commodity purchases. Summers oversees the agency’s Agricultural Marketing Service, which buys U.S. products for nationwide food assistance programs.
June 11, 2024 — Agroup of U.S. senators and representatives from Oregon are urging the U.S. Department of Agriculture to increase government purchases of seafood originating from the West Coast.
The USDA made USD 52 million (EUR 48 million) in seafood purchases from the U.S. West Coast in 2022 at the legislators’ urging but, previous to that, had not requested Pacific Coast seafood in its commodity-purchasing programs, according to a letter sent to USDA Administrator Bruce Summers from U.S. senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden and U.S. representatives Suzanne Bonamici, Val Hoyle, and Andrea Salinas
May 20, 2024 — Earlier this month the USDA issued a handful of bid invitations for seafood products, including catfish, salmon and walleye, and Alaska pollock. While offer invites for the Alaska pollock products ends today, the USDA has already announced the winners for the catfish, salmon and walleye products.
Looking first at catfish, the bid invitation from the USDA went out on May 2. The bid was for a total of 392,000 lbs of catfish products for use in domestic food distribution programs, including unbreaded raw fillets and breaded oven ready strips. The Purchase Award Description that was released is for the entire 392,000 lbs, which has a value of $2,068,318.68