Editor-in-chief Tom Seaman brings you a roundup of the main stories from the previous week.

On Friday, Undercurrent News revealed that dock prices to start the snow crab season in the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador will be decided by a government-appointed price-setting panel.

The Fish Food and Allied Workers Union, which represents the majority of crab harvesters, confirmed in a Facebook post on Friday afternoon (March 21) that it has failed to reach a dock price agreement with the Association of Seafood Producers, the trade association representing the majority of crab processors.

On Tuesday, March 18, as the Seafood Expo North America (SENA) wound down (recap our live SENA coverage here), Undercurrent revealed US processor Silver Bay Seafoods confirmed a deal to acquire the stake held by Cooke's Icicle Seafoods in OBI Seafoods.

The deal will see Silver Bay partner with the Bristol Bay Economic Development Corporation (BBEDC) on OBI. BBEDC owns 50% of OBI. On Monday of SENA, Undercurrent reported that the deal was close. 

More news from SENA dominated our top stories. Norwegian salmon processor Vikenco has established a US entity with a former Boston Sword and Tuna (BST) executive to "get deeper into the market," CEO Per Olav Mevold told Undercurrent at the show. 

Vikenco, which is 51% owned by farmer and processor SalMar and generates around NOK 5 billion (close to $500 million) in revenue annually, has hired former BST executive Chris Marchese to head its newly created US entity, Mevold told Undercurrent.

US whitefish importers and processors are facing an additional 25% tariff on Alaskan flatfish and Atlantic haddock processed in China from June 1 on top of the 20% already added since Donald Trump took office, sources told Undercurrent at SENA. 

The so-called Section 301 exceptions from the Office of the US Trade Representative expire on May 31, 2025, on 164 products, including haddock, founder and sole fillets. The relevant seafood products, which haddock fillets as the main trade flow, were worth $115m in 2024 and totaled 20,563 metric tons.

Then, Undercurrent sat down at SENA with executives from Bristol Seafood and East Coast Seafood Group to discuss the outlook for the US scallop sector in 2025. 

You can click the links below for the rest of the most-read stories from last week. 

• SENA 2025: Recap all the news from Boston
• Catch the Current episode 9: Amanda and Lorin's 3 big takeaways from Seafood Expo North America
• Norway's king, snow crab exports hit historic highs as US demand drives prices skyward
• Week 12 farm-gate shrimp roundup: Chinese prices cool after surge, India shows modest recovery
• Chinese surimi giant inks $62m deal for 70% of pollock-focused processor
• FDA delays expansion of FSMA tracing rule to mid-2029
• Proximar Seafoods begins Taiwan sales of its RAS-grown Atlantic salmon
• Fired NOAA employees to receive back pay but still prevented from returning to duty
• McDonald's China demand for Russian pollock grows, as European Gaza boycotts hit Alaskan output
• Phillips grows sales of pasteurized lobster at retail after Costco false start