From a 16% drop in April shrimp imports to Chile’s growing dominance of the US fresh salmon market, this week’s seafood news shows how tariff policy continues to redirect where America’s seafood comes from
Trade policy remains the defining force in global seafood markets this week, with new data showing sharp shifts in where the US sources its shrimp and salmon. At the same time, the industry continued investing heavily in cold chain infrastructure, disaster relief funding reached fishing communities still recovering from years-old disasters, and lawmakers pressed federal agencies on emerging biosecurity threats.
Table of Contents
US Shrimp Imports Fall 16% as India Pulls Back
April’s official US shrimp import data showed total volumes of 129.0 million lbs on an adjusted basis — a 16% year-over-year decline that landed within the expected range Expana’s product-type model had projected (124.8-144.4 million lbs). Within that total, peeled shrimp came in at 68.7 million lbs, fractionally above the model’s upper estimate, while shell-on landed at the low end of its projected range at 34.0 million lbs. Cooked shrimp was the most notable outlier, falling below the lower model estimate at 12.8 million lbs.
The decline continues a trend driven largely by India’s retreating presence in the US market. India had been the dominant supplier of frozen warmwater shrimp to the US, accounting for more than 40% of total volume and value in 2025, but a wave of tariff actions has sharply reduced that flow. US imports of Indian shrimp collapsed sharply in the back half of 2025, and the pressure has only intensified into 2026: Senators Roger Wicker, Cindy Hyde-Smith, and Katie Britt have separately continued pushing trade remedies aimed at Indian shrimp, while the broader “Section 301” tariff framework continues to reshape sourcing decisions across the category. Indian processors are responding by diversifying into the EU, China, and Canada rather than relying on the US as their primary outlet — a structural shift that’s likely to keep reshaping the shrimp trade through the rest of 2026.
Chile Extends Its Grip on US Fresh Salmon as Norway Pulls Back
A separate Expana analysis found Chile now controls more than 70% of US fresh salmon fillet imports, while Norwegian supply into the US has fallen more than a third year-over-year. The shift reflects both differing tariff treatment between the two countries and Chile’s ongoing production growth, even as a 12.5% tariff deadline looms roughly six weeks out.
Despite Chile’s dominant market share, the fresh salmon benchmark price has been drifting lower, with buyers showing hesitancy to commit at current levels — a dynamic the analysis attributes to how Chilean producers are compensated rather than simple supply-and-demand math. The frozen salmon segment, by contrast, is running below its three-year average in volume but showing more price stability. With Norwegian biomass constrained by biological issues even as that country’s overall exports set records elsewhere, and Chile entering a renewed growth phase, the imbalance between the two major Atlantic salmon suppliers to the US looks likely to persist through the back half of 2026.
NOAA Directs $123.6M to Fishery Disasters Dating Back to 2019
The US Department of Commerce announced the allocation of $123.6 million in fishery resource disaster funding this week, drawing on money appropriated under the American Relief Act of 2025. The funds target fishery disasters that struck Oregon, California, Alaska, and the Squaxin Island Tribe in Washington between 2019 and 2023 — meaning some of the affected fisheries have waited several years for federal disaster relief to materialize. NOAA Fisheries used commercial revenue loss data to determine distribution across the eligible disasters, with funds available for a range of recovery activities including fishery infrastructure improvements.
Senators Push USDA on Catfish Virus Threats
Senators Roger Wicker, Cindy Hyde-Smith, and Katie Britt sent a letter to Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins urging prompt federal action to assess and mitigate the threat posed by Yellow Catfish Virus (YCV) and Channel Catfish Virus (CCV) before either disease reaches farm-raised catfish operations in Mississippi and other Southern states. The senators warned that an unchecked outbreak of either highly contagious virus could severely damage the domestic farm-raised catfish industry, which remains concentrated in the Mississippi Delta region.
Cold Chain Infrastructure Investment Continues to Accelerate
Two significant cold storage developments highlight continued capital investment in seafood and broader perishable food logistics infrastructure:
- Americold opened a new import-export cold chain hub at Port Saint John, developed jointly with DP World and Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC). The facility combines cold storage, maritime logistics, and rail transportation in a single integrated location — what the partners describe as the first facility of its kind globally — strengthening trade links between North American producers and international markets.
- The Port of Tacoma Commission approved a 50-year ground lease on June 16 with Saxum Investment Company for a new cold storage and food processing facility on a 30-acre site on the Blair-Hylebos Peninsula. Saxum plans to invest up to $250 million in the project, which is expected to create up to 400 jobs and generate roughly $43 million in annual wages once complete.
Both projects point to sustained confidence in temperature-controlled logistics capacity even amid the broader trade volatility affecting seafood sourcing patterns.
Quick Hits From Around the Industry
- Wild Alaskan Company reversed course on its original plan to bring in an outside operator for the Kasilof buying station — a facility serving Alaska’s second-largest sockeye salmon fishery — and will instead directly operate the station for the 2026 season after acquiring the facility in February.
- Russian crab exports hit a record high for the January-May period, with shipments totaling nearly 34,000 tons, up 11% year-over-year, and export revenue climbing 26% to $930 million.
- European pollock imports slipped 5.2% year-to-date through March 2026 to 71,694 metric tonnes, with both US and Chinese volumes into Europe down sharply (17.5% and 21.3%, respectively) even as Russia held its position as the dominant supplier with roughly half of total market share.
- A CDC report published in the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report found marine toxins caused 402 foodborne disease outbreaks in the US between 2011 and 2023, resulting in 1,280 illnesses and one death, with tuna and tropical reef fish responsible for the majority of cases — primarily scombroid and ciguatoxin poisoning.
- El Niño concerns are mounting for West Coast and Alaska fisheries, with NOAA tracking both a yearlong marine heatwave and a newly building “Super El Niño” expected to peak in winter 2026-2027, raising risks for salmon, rockfish, squid, tuna, crab, and marine mammal populations across the region.
- Hilton Foods appointed Mark Clare as Independent Non-Executive Chair of its board, bringing prior chair experience from Grainger plc, Aggreko, and Ricardo to the seafood and protein packaging group.
- Norcod signed a five-year exclusive juvenile supply agreement with Havland, deepening a Norwegian cod farming partnership that dates back to 2018.
Why This Matters for the F&B Value Chain
This week’s news underscores a pattern that’s likely to persist through 2026: tariff policy, not just supply and demand, is now a primary driver of where seafood sourcing flows. Buyers, processors, and importers across both the shrimp and salmon categories are navigating sourcing decisions shaped as much by trade remedy law as by production economics — a dynamic that rewards origin diversification and flexible procurement relationships over fixed long-term sourcing from any single country. Combined with continued heavy investment in cold chain capacity at ports like Saint John and Tacoma, the industry appears to be positioning for a longer period of trade volatility rather than betting on a near-term return to pre-tariff sourcing patterns.
Related Reports:
Global Seafood Industry Report 2026: The “Transformation Economy”
Frequently Asked Questions
Why did US shrimp imports fall in April 2026?
April’s adjusted total of 129.0 million lbs represented a 16% year-over-year decline, driven largely by sharply reduced volumes from India, historically the largest single supplier of frozen warmwater shrimp to the US. Tariff actions targeting Indian shrimp have pushed Indian exporters to diversify toward the EU, China, and Canada.
Why does Chile dominate the US fresh salmon market?
Chile supplies more than 70% of US fresh salmon fillet imports, supported by favorable tariff treatment relative to Norway and ongoing production growth. Norwegian supply into the US has fallen more than a third year-over-year amid biological constraints on Norwegian biomass and less favorable trade terms.
What is the India Shrimp Tariff Act?
It’s proposed US legislation, backed by senators from Louisiana and Mississippi, that would progressively raise duties on Indian shrimp imports — reportedly to 10% starting in 2026, rising to 20% in 2027 and 40% in 2028 — on top of existing antidumping and countervailing duties, aimed at protecting the domestic US shrimp industry.
What fisheries are receiving NOAA’s $123.6 million in disaster funding?
The funding addresses fishery disasters in Oregon, California, Alaska, and for the Squaxin Island Tribe in Washington, covering events that occurred between 2019 and 2023.
What viruses are threatening the US catfish industry?
Yellow Catfish Virus (YCV) and Channel Catfish Virus (CCV) are highly contagious pathogens that senators from Mississippi and Alabama are urging USDA to address before they reach domestic farm-raised catfish operations concentrated in the Mississippi Delta region.
What new cold storage facilities were announced this week?
Americold opened an integrated cold chain hub at Port Saint John in partnership with DP World and CPKC, while the Port of Tacoma approved a 50-year lease for a $250 million, 400-job cold storage and food processing facility being developed by Saxum Investment Company.
Why did US shrimp imports fall in April 2026?
April’s adjusted total of 129.0 million lbs represented a 16% year-over-year decline, driven largely by sharply reduced volumes from India, historically the largest single supplier of frozen warmwater shrimp to the US. Tariff actions targeting Indian shrimp have pushed Indian exporters to diversify toward the EU, China, and Canada.
Why does Chile dominate the US fresh salmon market?
Chile supplies more than 70% of US fresh salmon fillet imports, supported by favorable tariff treatment relative to Norway and ongoing production growth. Norwegian supply into the US has fallen more than a third year-over-year amid biological constraints on Norwegian biomass and less favorable trade terms.
What is the India Shrimp Tariff Act?
It’s proposed US legislation, backed by senators from Louisiana and Mississippi, that would progressively raise duties on Indian shrimp imports — reportedly to 10% starting in 2026, rising to 20% in 2027 and 40% in 2028 — on top of existing antidumping and countervailing duties, aimed at protecting the domestic US shrimp industry.
What fisheries are receiving NOAA’s $123.6 million in disaster funding?
The funding addresses fishery disasters in Oregon, California, Alaska, and for the Squaxin Island Tribe in Washington, covering events that occurred between 2019 and 2023.
What viruses are threatening the US catfish industry?
Yellow Catfish Virus (YCV) and Channel Catfish Virus (CCV) are highly contagious pathogens that senators from Mississippi and Alabama are urging USDA to address before they reach domestic farm-raised catfish operations concentrated in the Mississippi Delta region.
What new cold storage facilities were announced this week?
Americold opened an integrated cold chain hub at Port Saint John in partnership with DP World and CPKC, while the Port of Tacoma approved a 50-year lease for a $250 million, 400-job cold storage and food processing facility being developed by Saxum Investment Company.
Sources & References
| Source | Publication | Date | URL |
|---|---|---|---|
| SeafoodNews.com / Expana | ANALYSIS: US April Shrimp Imports Down 16% as India Volumes Retreat Sharply | June 2026 | https://www.seafoodnews.com |
| SeafoodNews.com / Expana | ANALYSIS: Chile Controls 70% of US Fresh Salmon Imports as Norwegian Supply Falls 35% | June 2026 | https://www.seafoodnews.com |
| Southern Shrimp Alliance | General Tariffs Can Change, India Shrimp Tariff Act Offers Long-Term Solution | 2025-2026 | https://shrimpalliance.com/general-tariffs-can-change-india-shrimp-tariff-act-offers-long-term-solution/ |
| SeafoodSource | Indian Shrimp Trade Patterns Drastically Shifting in Response to US Tariffs | 2025-2026 | https://www.seafoodsource.com/news/supply-trade/shrimp-trade-patterns-globally-shifting-in-response-to-us-tariffs-experts-say |
| SeafoodNews.com | NOAA Directs $123.6M in Fishery Disaster Funds to Alaska, West Coast, and Squaxin Island Tribe | June 2026 | https://www.seafoodnews.com |
| SeafoodNews.com | Wicker, Hyde-Smith, Britt Urge USDA Action on Catfish Virus Threats | June 2026 | https://www.seafoodnews.com |
| SeafoodNews.com | Americold Opens New Cold Chain Hub at Port Saint John, Expanding Global Trade Connections | June 2026 | https://www.seafoodnews.com |
| SeafoodNews.com | Port of Tacoma Approves Ground Lease for $250M Cold Storage Facility Expected to Create 400 Jobs | June 2026 | https://www.seafoodnews.com |
| SeafoodNews.com | Wild Alaskan Company to Directly Operate Kasilof Buying Station for 2026 Salmon Season | June 2026 | https://www.seafoodnews.com |
| SeafoodNews.com | Russian Crab Exports Hit Record High in First Five Months of 2026 | June 2026 | https://www.seafoodnews.com |
| SeafoodNews.com | ANALYSIS: European Pollock Imports Slip 5.2% YTD, Prices Rise on Supply Constraints | June 2026 | https://www.seafoodnews.com |
| CDC | Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report — Marine Toxin Foodborne Outbreaks 2011-2023 | 2026 | https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr |
| SeafoodNews.com | What a Super El Niño Could Mean for Alaska’s Seabirds, Salmon, and Seas | June 2026 | https://www.seafoodnews.com |
| SeafoodNews.com | Hilton Foods Appoints Mark Clare as Board Chair, Confirms Leadership Transition | June 2026 | https://www.seafoodnews.com |
| SeafoodNews.com | Norcod Secures Exclusive Five-Year Juvenile Supply Deal with Havland | June 2026 | https://www.seafoodnews.com |
