EMEA editor Neil Ramsden brings you a roundup of the main stories from the previous week.

Unsurprisingly, most of last week's most-read news involved the US and new president Donald Trump.

A blanket freeze on regulations by US president Donald Trump is -- perhaps unwittingly -- preventing federal agency officials from managing fisheries for conservation, Undercurrent News learned. A presidential order issued within the first hours of the Trump administration entitled "Regulatory Freeze Pending Review" directs agencies to withdraw any draft rules issued by the administration of former president Joe Biden and prohibits federal agencies from issuing new ones pending review by the new president's political appointees.

Howard Lutnick, Trump's commerce secretary nominee, has vowed to uphold a US ban on Russian-origin fish and said he would not pursue dismantling the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Grilled on Jan. 29 by the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation as part of his confirmation process, Lutnick promised US senator Dan Sullivan he would not alter or eliminate a US ban on the importation of Russian-origin fish.

And Trump's move to slap additional 10% tariffs on Chinese imports impacts as much as $300 million worth of fillet imports based on domestically caught raw material from the state of Alaska. He has given a one-month reprieve to the 25% tariffs against Canada and Mexico, but the 10% tariff on China has now been implemented.  

One bit of news that didn't (directly) relate to Trump: Acquisitive Indian tech-backed seafood platform Captain Fresh is in talks to acquire two US importers and distributors, one on the East Coast and another on the west.

Undercurrent sat down with trade attorney Jessica Rifkin, a principal and head of the customs and trade practice at Olsson Frank Weeda, to discuss the new tariffs. And our new podcast, Catch the Current, has also tackled the new landscape in the US. Check out that episode here.

For the rest of last week's most-read stories, click the headlines below.

• Current Russian H&G pollock pricing out of kilter with single-frozen fillet levels
• Week 6 farm-gate shrimp roundup: Chinese prices stage late holiday lift
• US seafood industry concerned by threat of staff reductions at NOAA
• Chilean farmers cautiously optimistic on 2025 salmon outlook following 'stagnant' year
• Humpback whale reportedly entangled in crab gear off Oregon coast
• Lobster gauge rule tossed from Addendum 27, but Maine commissioner warns of consequences
• US tariffs on EU would hit $1.4bn in seafood imports
• Trump's tariffs take effect Tuesday, lean on emergency powers to avoid delay
• Skipjack tuna prices rise in Manta amid sluggish catches, stable in Bangkok
• Trade insights: Ecuador's shrimp exports stall in 2024 as China demand weakens