Industry shakeups, executive orders and salmon snack sticks -- episode 2 of Catch the Current has a little something for everyone this week.

Join hosts Amanda Buckle and Lorin Castiglione as they talk about just a few of the top-read stories of the week from Undercurrent News' team of reporters, including the latest company "reshufflings" at Pescanova USA, Kvaroy, and Pacifico Aquaculture. Plus, find out how the Los Angeles wildfires have impacted the seafood industry and what one company is doing to pay it forward.

And you won't want to miss an update on how US president Donald Trump's executive orders have hit the seafood industry so far.

There's fun to be had, of course, with a new podcast segment that is bound to be a favorite -- "Eat that fish!" And is that Oprah I hear at the end? You'll have to listen below (or scroll to the bottom of the show notes) to find out.

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Don't have time to listen? Find a transcript of season 1, episode 2 of Catch the Current below:

Amanda Buckle (AB): You’re listening to Catch the Current, the latest podcast from Undercurrent News, your trusted source for seafood news, data and prices. I’m Amanda Buckle.

Lorin Castiglion (LC): And I’m Lorin Castiglione. We are back from Palm Springs, California, where we attended the National Fisheries Institute’s Global Seafood Market Conference. And I have to say, I am feeling refreshed and it’s not just because of that fresh desert air. 

AB: Agreed! GSMC is such a great way to kick off the year. For starters, it’s like one giant reunion where you haven’t seen people in months.

That must have been especially true for you as you just graduated from the National Fisheries Institute's Future Leaders Program. So it was like a reunion.

LC: Oh, it was. And I'm already missing them. We're already talking on the group chat. 
It was the best experience. If anybody has any questions about the program, I am now a self-appointed [spokesperson].

AB: Big supporters, we're big supporters. Besides the networking, again, you can't beat that. But the panels were fantastic this year.

LC: I know, I wasn’t on a panel this year, which broke my heart a little bit -- hey Richard Barry, let’s talk GSMC 2026 -- but you’re right. A fantastic lineup of speakers. Amanda and I recapped the event with our dream team of Undercurrent News reporters in the first episode of Catch the Current. So if you haven’t listened to that ... what are you waiting for?

AB: And since we’re such seafood fin-atics, we also released another episode this week -- an interview recorded while at GSMC with Cathrin Rabben and Tone Hellesvik, sales managers at Norwegian cod farmer Ode, to talk about the unique opportunities that farmed cod presents.

LC: We’re calling it episode 1.5. Be sure to subscribe and follow wherever you listen to podcasts so that you don’t miss a single episode of your new favorite podcast. Because we have another GSMC interview coming next week. Now onto the weekly recap. 

AB: There were quite a few company shakeups this week that our team reported on. Undercurrent co-founder and editorial director Tom Seaman broke the story last week during GSMC that Pescanova USA CEO Chris Maze has left the US arm of Spain’s Grupo Nueva Pescanova, a position that he held at the Miami, Florida-based subsidiary since 2019. This week Tom and I followed up with a report that Maze’s exit is actually part of a broader reshuffle. And the company has brought in seafood veteran Keith Decker to troubleshoot.

Sources told us that Decker will be in a consultancy position for a temporary period between two and six months as part of an effort to help make the US division more profitable and get it under budget. Besides Maze’s exit, those budget cuts also include a 25% reduction to Pescanova USA's already small staff of 24 full-time employees.

LC: Transcripts for episodes of Catch the Current can be found on the Undercurrent News site, which will also include a link to the original story if you want to learn more about the shakeup at Pescanova USA.

Norwegian salmon supplier Kvaroy is also restructuring. As Undercurrent News’ Cliff White reported on Wednesday, the company made a splash a few years ago with salmon hot dogs.

AB: Yeah, I remember those.

LC: Unfortunately, the past few years haven’t been great financially, with the company posting a deficit of around $10 million in 2023 and continued losses in 2024.

Undercurrent confirmed that Kvaroy laid off members of its US sales team, including its vice president of sales, Chris Cumming. The company said the layoffs were a result of difficult financial realities. With that said, Kvaroy is not reducing its US footprint, instead it is just restructuring its sales operations.

AB: Meanwhile, Ensenada, Mexico-based striped bass farmer Pacifico Aquaculture has ceased operations. Undercurrent’s Liza Mayer confirmed that the net-pen grower of non-hybrid striped bass is shutting down its operations. The decision comes after its CEO departed in November 2024.

Pacifico’s been considered a trailblazer in the North American aquaculture sector. NOAA had recognized it as the only producer of marine striped bass in Mexico and across the Western Hemisphere.

Again, links to read more about these stories can be found in our show notes. Just search Undercurrentnews.com for Catch the Current episode 2.

LC: The seafood industry found itself tangled in current events this week when US president Donald Trump’s crackdown on immigration resulted in Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, also known as ICE, raiding a Newark, New Jersey seafood plant and arresting three people.

Ocean Seafood Depot’s processing and distribution plant was raided on Thursday, Jan. 23. According to reports, ICE agents entered through the retail fish market without showing a warrant. The ICE agents then proceeded into the nonpublic warehouse, arresting three undocumented immigrants and a US citizen working at the facility. An additional four employees were issued court appearance slips. 

One of the co-owners of Ocean Seafood Depot described the employees as family people who show up to work every day.

AB: You know, Trump made all these claims about executive orders leading up to his inauguration on Jan. 20. He said he was going to do all these things on his first day in office. I know the team was keeping a real close eye on all the tariff threats -- we can talk about what happened with Colombia next -- and even the move to end offshore wind farms. But I have to admit, I wasn’t expecting an executive order like this to hit the seafood industry so quickly.

Screenshot: White House Executive Orders

LC: I agree with you. And with the Trump administration already making waves less than two weeks into office, it’s never been more critical to stay informed. 

And that’s where Undercurrent News comes in. We’re dedicated to delivering real-time, accurate, and in-depth reporting on the seafood industry -- everything from policy shifts to emerging trends -- so you’re never caught off-guard.

We’ve got a global network of reporters and analysts working around the clock to bring you the latest developments in trade, regulations, market movements and more. And when I say around the clock, I’ve only been here for four months but there is always someone, somewhere in the world keeping a finger on the industry's pulse. 

And honestly, a perfect example of our expertise here can be seen with the piece that our very own Americas editor Jason Huffman published Wednesday about how Trump’s tariffs could’ve cost US importers of Colombia tilapia more than $69m annually. 

AB: Yes, my new work BFF, Jason Huffman. You better watch out, Lorin. 

LC: I'm keeping my eyes on him. If he shows up to Boston in a matching pink suit, I'm going to be pretty upset. 

AB: Jason's piece was one of my favorite reads this week. So with the immigration crackdown, the Colombian president refused to let two US military aircrafts with 110 migrants onboard land. Trump immediately ordered an emergency 25% tariff on goods from Colombia, amongst other threats like increased inspection of cargoes. Ultimately the military aircraft were able to land and the tariff was avoided. 

LC: And just to get an idea if that tariff did get put in place, tilapia accounted for 91% of the total $151.8m worth of seafood Colombian sent to the US in 2023. 

AB: But an important thing to remember here is that the US heavily relies on seafood imports. And if Trump’s immediate reaction to not getting his way is to hit a country with tariffs on their goods ... well, we’re going to have plenty to report on this year. 

LC: You can say that again.

In our final story this week – Santa Monica Seafood gave Undercurrent News some insight into how California’s historic wildfires have hit Los Angeles-focused suppliers and restaurants hard.

Credit: Arprince / Shutterstock

Santa Monica Seafood CEO Roger O’Brien told Undercurrent’s Tom Seaman at GSMC that the company saw its LA sales drop 35% in the first week of the fires.

AB: I checked out Cal Fire’s website and the Palisades Fire, which started on January 7, is 97% contained as of Jan. 30. It’s burned over 23,000 acres.

LC: O’Brien said that, for smaller seafood companies whose sales are dependent on LA foodservice specifically, the impact of the fires could be devastating. These suppliers not only lost customers who had to close or whose businesses burned down, but he said that they sales at restaurants that are still open are also down, as people in impacted areas aren’t thinking about going out to eat.

But also interesting to note here is that O’Brien said that Santa Monica, which sells all over California and nationally, has seen an increase in sales in other areas of the state. 

AB: Yes, so he mentioned Newport Beach in Orange County. It’s funny though because that also made me think about our Uber ride from the Palm Springs airport to the GSMC conference last week. Our driver was from the Los Angeles area and he said told us that he’s experienced quite a few people who have temporarily relocated to Palm Springs either due to evacuations or to avoid the smoke.

LC: You know we also love a feel-good story too. Santa Monica Seafood has been donating seafood and meals, including $140,000 of frozen lobster, to firefighters and other California wildfire first responders. O’Brien told Undercurrent the company has already donated over 250 free meal vouchers to the Santa Monica Seafood retail store. He said that they’ve also donated over 100 fully prepared meals to groups like the Santa Monica police and fire departments and various YMCAs that are being used as evacuation centers.

Plus, the company is donating frozen lobster to Bracken's Kitchen, a nonprofit that partners with food banks, which will be used in lobster mac and cheese.

Santa Monica Seafood donated meals to first responders of the Los Angeles wildfires. Photo Credit: Santa Monica Seafood/ Facebook

AB: Love it. Bravo Santa Monica Seafood! 

Now, we’re going to end this episode with what is bound to be your favorite podcast segment of Catch the Current: Eat that fish, inspired by Jenni Davis Dresser of Sea Port Products. Thanks for the idea, Jenni! 

LC: Last week we were gifted with Salmon Snack Sticks from Surfsnax. The package is like an individual beef jerky or Slim Jim which -- as us hip workin’ moms know -- is ideal for an on-the-go snack.

[The magical banter created by Amanda and Lorin cannot be re-created in word form. You're just going to have to listen to the podcast if you want to know what they thought about the Salmon Snack Stick.]

Surfsnax Salmon Snack Stick

LC: Before we go, we have a treat for everyone! Free access to Undercurrent's pricing portal is being extended one more week!

AB: (In her best Oprah impression) You get access, you get free access, you get free access!

LC: Head over to UndercurrentNews.com and click on the prices tab up at the top and select "US wholesale" to see what we have been feverishly working on for the past few months. You’ll gain instant access to hundreds of US wholesale price assessments across shrimp, lobster, groundfish, farmed white fish, and scallops -- with salmon and crab debuting next week! 

These assessments reflect current spot market trades along with in-depth commentary to let you know exactly what is happening in the market. If you have any questions -- send them on over to [email protected] and we will gladly help you! 

AB: Thanks for listening and we’ll see ya back here next week.

AB AND LC: Bye!