Christine Blank, a veteran freelance writer and editor, covers all aspects of the seafood industry, from fishing to processing to selling and serving the final product. When she is not writing for SeafoodSource, Christine gets to taste scrumptious seafood dishes at U.S. restaurants for her food and travel blog, Flavorful Excursions (www.flavorfulexcursions.net). Christine loves to eat seafood of any kind, but lobster, crab and crawfish are among her favorites. In addition to SeafoodSource.com and SeaFood Business, Christine’s articles have been published in hundreds of leading magazines and newspapers, such as The New York Times, USA Today and Associated Press.
Author Archive
Published on
June 26, 2026
Many Americans have been cautious as to where and what they spend their money on this year, but despite those economic concerns, sushi has maintained an impressive growth path.
“Like most food categories, we've navigated challenges related to inflation, shifting consumer spending patterns, and broader economic uncertainty, but sushi has remained remarkably resilient,” Hissho Sushi CEO Mathew Wilken told SeafoodSource.
Wilken attributed this… Read More
Published on
June 25, 2026
U.S. grocery firm The Winn-Dixie Company has converted all remaining Harvey’s stores to now operate under Winn-Dixie banner stores.
The conversions of eight Harvey’s stores across the U.S. states of Florida and Georgia were completed after Southeastern Grocers announced last fall it would rebrand as The Winn-Dixie Company and sell off or convert some of its Winn-Dixie and Harvey’s stores in the process.
The new brand, still headquartered… Read More
Published on
June 24, 2026
Nearly two weeks into the 2026 World Cup, restaurants, bars, seafood suppliers, industry organizations, and many other businesses are benefiting from the influx of travelers into the U.S., as well as Americans celebrating the event taking place in their home country.
Bob Donegan, the president of U.S. restaurant chain Ivar’s, which operates around 60 seafood-focused restaurants and bars, said his firm, along with the Seattle Sports Commission… Read More
Published on
June 23, 2026
Inflation on the price of seafood at U.S. retail rose again in May, especially within the frozen and shelf-stable categories, which affected sales by volume during the month.
According to new data from market research firm Circana analyzed by 210 Analytics, frozen seafood inflation rose 11.6 percent in May, and shelf-stable seafood prices increased 11.7 percent. Fresh seafood prices also increased but not as steep, rising 3.7 percent primarily… Read More
Published on
June 17, 2026
U.S. restaurant chain Long John Silver’s has steadily closed locations each year over the past decade, dropping from over 1,000 units in 2015 to fewer than 500 currently, per research from food and beverage data firm Datassential.
However, company executives told SeafoodSource that recent reports on the closures do not paint the full picture of the chain’s performance.
Tony Ellis, Long John Silver’s senior vice president of general… Read More
Published on
June 16, 2026
As the weather warms across the U.S. with the start of summer, traffic at seafood restaurant chains has risen, even though economic concerns continue to weigh heavy on consumers’ minds.
Average visits per location to Orlando, Florida, U.S.A.-headquartered chain Red Lobster jumped 18.5 percent in May, compared to the same month last year, per restaurant foot traffic analysis firm Placer.ai. This came after a gain of 2.6 percent in… Read More
Published on
June 15, 2026
Spending on this year’s Father’s Day, which is set to take place 21 June, is expected to hit a new record and benefit restaurants and retailers rolling out promotions for the holiday.
Spending on Father’s Day is expected to reach USD 27.9 billion (EUR 24.1 billion), which would represent a nearly USD 4 billion (EUR 3.4 billion) increase from the previous record of USD 24 billion (EUR 20.7 billion) that shoppers spent last year, according… Read More
Published on
June 11, 2026
Increased shipping costs and U.S. tariffs on imports have caused challenges for seafood firms across the globe.
Jacksonville, Florida, U.S.A.-based BSF, which rebranded from Beaver Street Fisheries earlier this year, is no exception and made the decision recently to become one of the latest firms in the sector to pass along fuel surcharges to buyers.
“Due to the cost of containers from around the world to Florida, we had the introduction of… Read More
Published on
June 10, 2026
U.S. grocery firm The Save Mart Companies (TSMC) has attempted to draw in shoppers this summer through a heavy focus on expanded assortments of such species as shrimp and tuna deals, targeted toward customers firing up the grill.
TSMC, which operates over 200 stores across the U.S. states of California, Nevada, Oregon, and Washington under the Save Mart, Lucky, FoodMaxx, and other banners, has expanded assortment significantly across raw,… Read More
Published on
June 9, 2026
Street food trends and other innovations playing out across the global food sector present a huge growth opportunity for fish and chip shops, the Norwegian Seafood Council (NSC) advised at a recent event in the U.K.
Ahead of National Fish and Chip Day on 5 June, the NSC gathered fish and chip shop operators, along with seafood suppliers, vessel representatives, and other industry stakeholders, for “Inspiration Day” at Westminster Kingsway… Read More
