Haley Jones

Dallas, Texas, U.S.A.-based seafood wholesaler Seafood Supply Company was ordered by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) on 17 July to pay a USD 250,000 (EUR 218,995) fine, undergo a three-year probation period, and implement an environmental compliance plan for two violations of the Lacey Act. The Lacey Act is a U.S. wildlife protection law that bans the trafficking of illegally harvested, processed, or transported fish, wildlife, and plants.… Read More

Counting salmon in Alaska has been done the same way since the 1950s.   A field biologist climbs a tower, counts the number of fish swimming through the area every 10 minutes on the hour, hops down and into a skiff, moves to the opposite bank, and counts for another 10 minutes. They then spend 40 minutes reporting that data – just to do it all again the next hour.  Norman Van Vactor, a Dillingham, Alaska, U.S.A.-based marine scientist, knew… Read More

U.S. Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick has opted to go against some top nominations for U.S. fishery management councils. In a 26 June announcement Lutnick announced he selected Forrest Bowers, the second choice for the North Pacific Fishery Management Council, instead the Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy's top choice and current Alaska Department of Fish & Game Board Chair Märit Carlson-Van Dort. For the Pacific Fishery Management Council,… Read More

PrimeFish Founder Jake Dellagrotta and Whitecap International Seafood Exporters Co-Founder Darrell Roche wanted to make affluent seafood more accessible by delivering it right to customers’ doorsteps. Over the past 6 years, they've done just that.   Dellagrotta founded Rhode Island, U.S.A.-based PrimeFish in 2020, setting out to do things differently. As a fourth generation member of the seafood industry, he wanted to leverage his age and… Read More

The New Jersey Department of Agriculture announced USD 518,000 (EUR 453,250) in grant funding availability aimed at helping nonprofits recover surplus food from farms and seafood producers to redistribute to food-insecure residences.   According to a release from the New Jersey Department of Agriculture, the funding is a part of the Gleaning and Seafood Recovery Support Program.  “The Department of Agriculture is excited to continue the… Read More

New research has found declining runs of Yukon River Chinook salmon were caused by marine heatwaves, not commercial harvests or bycatch of salmon taken prior to spawning, according to NOAA Fisheries.  NOAA’s Alaska Fisheries Science Center conducted research into why salmon mortality rates continue to rise in the area and if climate was a contributing factor, according to a release by NOAA. Through that, the organization found that the… Read More

Doug Santschi was promoted 13 July to president of Salisbury, Mayland, U.S.A.-based seafood processor Handy Seafood, effective immediately, after spending the past year as chief commercial officer (COO). “This is an exciting opportunity and an honor,” Santschi said in a company release. “Handy Seafood has a rich history, an outstanding team, and a strong reputation for quality and innovation. I look forward to working with our employees,… Read More

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]. – Varkaus, Finland-based fish farm Finnforel named Mikko Karell as the company’s new chief executive officer, effective immediately.   Karell has more than 25 years of… Read More

State and federal lawmakers from Oregon are speaking out against the Bonneville Power Administration’s sudden announcement that the federal agency would cease roughly USD 2 million (EUR 1.7 million) in funding to Oregon’s Select Area Fisheries Enhancement (SAFE) Program, which provides financial support to salmon hatcheries in the state.  On 1 July 2026, the Oregon Coastal Caucus, which comprises seven state legislators, sent a letter to… Read More

St. Andrews, New Brunswick, Canada-based East Coast Innovation announced the upcoming launch of its new fish loading technology, SmoothMove, which is designed to move large populations of fish quickly and safely.   “The SmoothMove fish loading device was precision engineered to improve the critical interface between the fish population and the fish pumping system during transfers,” East Coast Innovation CEO Joel Halse said in a release.… Read More