Daily recap: Trident completes sale of Kodiak operations; China, US lower pangasius purchases

Here's a recap of the top daily seafood stories from Wednesday, Dec. 18.

• Trident completes sale of Kodiak operations to Pacific Seafood

US giant Trident Seafoods announced Wednesday (Dec. 18) that it has completed the sale of its Kodiak, Alaska, processing operations to Pacific Seafood Group.

• China, US lower Vietnamese pangasius purchases, but demand remains stable

Vietnam's exports of pangasius were down month-on-month in November 2024 but remained considerably higher year-on-year, according to a consultancy commissioned by Undercurrent News?to gather and analyze customs data.

• US leans heavy on Japanese, Peruvian scallops to hit two-year import high, fill domestic void

The US continues to increase its import of scallops as it struggles with its own reduced domestic landings, leaning especially hard recently on Japan and Peru, the latest data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration reveals.

• Maersk to cut services from Alaska's Dutch Harbor, disrupting US pollock supply chains

Maersk, a global giant in shipping and logistics, has informed clients of its decision to cease its services from Dutch Harbor, one of the largest commercial fishery ports in the US, to Europe and Asia, starting with the 2025 pollock A season, sources told Undercurrent.

• Newfoundland snow crab processors, union agree on final prices for 2024

Some crab harvesters in the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador are getting some extra money for Christmas thanks to a settlement reached with processors on final 2024 prices.

• Expanding Norwegian cod farmer has license application denied, but opens new 12-pen site

Norwegian cod farmer Ode has had a permit for a new site at Lokkvi in More og Romsdal county rejected but remains hopeful it will be successful on appeal, it told Undercurrent.

• US seafood poised for strong holiday demand at retail after November growth

Seafood sales are on the rise as the holiday season approaches, according to a recent report by 210 Analytics, a consultancy for grocery and food industry analysis. In November 2024, sales across fresh, frozen and shelf-stable seafood categories all saw promising growth, indicating a strong forecast for holiday spending in December.

• Russian cod processor loses appeal over $2.4m fine

A Russian court has ruled in favor of the country's fishery agency, Rosrybolovstvo, in a case against a leading cod processor relating to the latter's investment quota commitments.