Haley Jones

To keep up to date with the latest personnel changes across the seafood industry, SeafoodSource is compiling a regular round-up of hiring announcements and other personnel-related shifts worldwide. If you have an announcement, please send it to [email protected]. – Valderøya, Norway-based seafood processing technology company Optimar announced several new leadership positions to continue company growth and global scale.  The company… Read More

The Oceanic island nation of Tonga has become the first nation to submit a subsidy notification with assistance from the World Trade Organization's (WTO) dedicated Fish Fund. The WTO opened the USD 15.5 million (EUR 13.2 million) fund last year, comprising donations from the organization’s member nations, to help developing members meet terms laid out in its deal to end harmful fisheries subsidies. More specifically, the fund aims to help… Read More

A proposed gold mine in British Columbia, Canada, is causing controversy for residents in Alaska. The New Polaris gold mine is 100 kilometers south of Atlin, British Columbia, and is located near the Alaska border, particularly near the city of Juneau, according to a report by CBC. The project is owned by Vancouver, Canada-based natural resource acquisition company Canagold, which is looking to refurbish the abandoned mine and produce an… Read More

The beginning of June marked the start of commercial salmon fishing in British Columbia, Canada, with fishermen looking to harvest at Barkley Sound, Vancouver Island, and the Fraser River. The BC Salmon Marketing Council said in a release that an estimated 7.5 million sockeye salmon are expected to return to the Fraser River in 2026.  "Wild British Columbia salmon is one of British Columbia's most iconic foods and an important economic driver… Read More

A 2021 legal battle between Alaskan Indigenous corporations, the Alaska Board of Fish and Game, and the Federal Subsistence Board ended 15 June 2026 with a district court judge awarding Indigenous corporations USD 1.8 million (EUR 1.5 million) in attorney fees during a battle over the Kuskokwin River. The district court judge said Alaska “waited too long to argue a sovereign immunity defense,” according to a report by Law360.  The case,… Read More

The Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute (ASMI) has launched a campaign in the U.K. called “First Flight, First Catch" soon after Alaska Airlines opened a direct route between the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport and London's Heathrow Airport. ASMI’s campaign, which coincides with the start of Alaska's wild salmon season and aims to to allow for Alaskan seafood to flow more easily to chefs in the U.K., included a Whole Foods Market retail… Read More

At the June meeting of the North Pacific Fishery Management Council (NPFMC), council members made a motion to continue research on the effects of midwater trawling in Alaska but failed to take concrete action on the matter, despite public pressure. According to documents from the meeting, the reason the council gave for not reducing bottom contact in pelagic trawl gear fisheries is due to a lack of data “regarding the magnitude of unobserved… Read More

With the 2026 FIFA World Cup soccer competition kicking off in the U.S., viewers on the West Coast can watch matches from the water in Elliott Bay, Seattle, U.S.A., aboard a floating soccer pitch. The Seattle Sounders and Reign FC soccer teams launched the floating festival next to Pier 62 on a repurposed commercial fish container barge with an LED screen, a small soccer pitch, live programming, fan events, cultural programming, watch parties,… Read More

At its June council meeting, the North Pacific Fishery Management Council (NPFMC) advanced a proposal for a new Tanner crab conservation area on the east side of Kodiak Island around Barnabas Gully, indicating its preference that the area be closed to commercial trawling.  This comes after the 2026 Tanner crab fishery off of Kodiak Island was closed in 2026 due to low abundance. According to a release by the council, the proposal will help… Read More

Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) has launched Operation North Pacific Guard (Op. NPG), a mission to combat illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing in the North Pacific Ocean for a fourth time.   Op. NPG will include 15 DFO fishery officers on land and four DFO officers conducting air surveillance in Japan. A Canadian fishery officer will also join Japan’s patrol vessel as a ship rider, according to a release by the Canadian… Read More