SeafoodSource Price Reporting and Analysis Methodology

Products Covered: Shrimp, Cod, Salmon, Tuna, Lobster

SeafoodSource is committed to promoting transparency and understanding across global seafood markets. Our price reporting and assessments reflect this mission by providing consistent, objective, and evidence-based insight into seafood trading conditions. This methodology explains how we gather, verify, and evaluate market information to ensure our weekly seafood price assessments are trustworthy and aligned with industry best practices.

Ethical Standards

SeafoodSource adheres to strict ethical principles to safeguard independence and transparency:

• Staff involved in price reporting do not trade seafood commodities related to the coverage.
• Reporters do not accept gifts, favors, or compensation from participants.
• Source identities are kept strictly confidential.
• Internal systems secure all submitted data.
• SeafoodSource does not enter into formal confidentiality agreements for the purpose of price reporting; instead, we rely on established newsroom standards of confidentiality and data protection.

Purpose and Scope

SeafoodSource's price assessments aim to represent prevailing market conditions for key seafood commodities. Our process adheres to accepted industry norms concerning:

• Units of measure
• Delivery terms
• Currency
• Product specifications, grades, and forms
• Regional market distinctions

Reported prices represent the best available indications of market value based on the perceptions of market participants and SeafoodSource analysts; they may not always be based on completed transactions. U.S. assessments are typically reported on a per-pound basis; non-U.S. prices are noted per kilogram unless otherwise stated. FOB prices reflect product at the point of loading, whether at the dockside, processing facility, cold storage, or distributor.

Our assessments are published weekly and form part of SeafoodSource's broader mission to support a transparent, informed, and accountable global seafood industry.

Information Collection and Reporting Schedule

Data collection is continuous. As soon as one week's reporting window ends, gathering for the next week begins. SeafoodSource's Price Reporting Specialist collects information through:

• Direct phone calls
• In-person meetings
• Email
• Industry-standard digital communication tools

We encourage participation across the seafood value chain, including harvesters, processors, traders, distributors, wholesalers, buyers, importers, exporters, and retailers.

Participants are asked to share all data relevant to price formation, including any contextual information that may clarify market conditions. Data gathered may include:

• Transaction timing and specifics
• Product form, species, size, grade, and certification
• Quantities and order sizes
• Delivery and shipment schedules
• Packaging details
• Firm bids and offers
• General market sentiment, supply/demand updates, and observed trends

Our weekly reporting timeline aligns with periods of highest market activity to ensure assessments reflect current trading conditions.

Hierarchy of Information Used in Price Assessments

When determining each week's reported prices, SeafoodSource evaluates market information according to a clear order of relevance:

1. Completed, Independent Trades

The most influential data comes from confirmed transactions between unaffiliated buyers and sellers, as these provide the strongest evidence of executable market value.

2. Firm Market Bids and Offers

Next in priority are actionable bids and offers that are open to the broader market and can be independently verified.

3. Broader Market Signals

Contextual information—such as observed shifts in demand, changes in product differentials, or indications of tightening or easing supply—helps frame the market environment.

4. Stakeholder Value Assessments

Insights shared by credible market participants regarding where they believe the market is trading also contribute to the overall assessment, though they carry less weight than firm price data.

If new bids or offers emerge after the last known trade, the final assessment may be revised when supported by sufficient evidence. However, offers on their own do not justify raising a reported price, and bids alone do not justify lowering one.

Inactive Markets

If data for a product is insufficient or inconsistent, SeafoodSource may choose to leave a product unquoted for the week. An unquoted status simply reflects an absence of reliable evidence—not a change in market value.

When trade activity is limited, the reporter may draw on:

• Previous assessments
• Adjacent or related product indications
• Firm bids/offers
• Supply and demand updates
• Landing volumes, quota changes, or environmental disruptions
• Regional or international benchmarks

All assessments made under low-liquidity or inactive conditions are reviewed closely by SeafoodSource.

Screening for Irregular or Misleading Data

To ensure our price assessments reflect genuine market activity, SeafoodSource carefully filters out information that may distort the true market picture. Data may be set aside when it shows signs of irregularity or appears inconsistent with typical trading behavior. Situations that may prompt exclusion include:

• Deals between affiliated companies or entities with shared ownership
• Transactions where multiple products are bundled in ways that obscure individual price levels
• Reported prices that diverge sharply from the broader pattern of market evidence
• Outlier values that cannot be confirmed through additional inquiry
• Trades affected by external influences—such as transport delays, quota-related timing, or internal cost allocations—rather than market-driven pricing

Whenever feasible, we corroborate reported information with additional independent sources. Data points do not enter the Portal without such independent corroboration, though they will often be reported in Premium+ articles and will then be attributed to individual sources. SeafoodSource maintains strict confidentiality—contributor identities are never disclosed, and all data is securely handled and managed in accordance with both our high journalistic standards and the internal privacy standards of Diversified.

Data Relevance, Scrutiny, and Analysis

SeafoodSource evaluates every data point carefully, considering:

• Species, size, grade, and product form (live, fresh, frozen, processed)
• Certification or sustainability designations
• Transaction size and frequency
• Geographical variances
• Seasonal influences
• Weather impacts, closures, quota updates, and transportation issues
• Spreads between grades, species, or regions

Data is scrutinized to identify:

• Extraordinary or disputed trades
• Multi-party or bundled transactions
• Prices affected by non-market conditions
• Atypical volumes or specifications
• Information inconsistent with broader market signals

SeafoodSource may exclude data deemed unreliable or non-representative.

Source Network and Verification

SeafoodSource maintains a broad and diverse network of industry participants. Source credibility is assessed based on:

• Industry experience and role
• Reliability and consistency
• Responsiveness and transparency
• Accuracy of previously provided information

Sources found to provide knowingly inaccurate information are removed from the network.

Participants may submit data via:

• Phone
• Email
• In-person discussion
• Standard digital messaging platforms (with prior notice)

Indicative prices must be clearly identified as indicative. All relevant data submitted prior to the reporting cutoff is considered.

Price Reporting Workflow

SeafoodSource's pricing dashboard both aggregates publicly available data from national and regional reporting agencies and features proprietary data shared by market sources which has been independently confirmed by our Price Reporter.

The data aggregator will be updated continually to reflect the rolling price publication schedules of various national and regional reporting agencies and markets. Proprietary data is added to the Portal as it becomes available.

Corrections

SeafoodSource corrects material errors promptly. Corrections apply only to information available at the time of the original assessment. Post-publication insights do not retroactively alter reported prices.

Species-Specific Methodology

SeafoodSource price reporting covers the following products: Shrimp, Cod, Salmon, Tuna, and Lobster. Each species (and in some cases, certain species from certain geographical regions) requires a tailored methodology which reflects market conditions and local customs. Species-specific methodologies will be shared as SeafoodSource brings this reporting online.

Salmon (Norway)

SeafoodSource aggregates and reports on prices for fresh, gutted, farmed Atlantic salmon from Norway exported globally. Prices are listed in FCA Oslo and reflect the point of sale at which the seller transfers the product to the buyer. Prices are listed in NOK/kg, in keeping with local industry practices.

The hierarchy of data collection for price assessments of fresh, gutted, farmed Atlantic salmon from Norway follows SeafoodSource's standard hierarchy of data collection (listed above).

Because Norwegian reporting agencies release prices each Wednesday, the SeafoodSource pricing dashboard will be updated to reflect official export prices and volumes by end of day (EST) Thursday.

Actual transactions in the Norwegian market often take place late in the week, however, so additional data points and price reporting may be published on Fridays or Mondays.

SeafoodSource gathers data from 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Eastern Standard Time each weekday and enters data into the pricing dashboard on a continuous basis.

Questions, Feedback, and Transparency

SeafoodSource welcomes questions, clarifications, and feedback regarding this methodology. We encourage open dialogue with all market participants to support improved transparency and accuracy in seafood price reporting. Please submit all inquiries to [email protected]

Ongoing Review

This methodology is reviewed annually and updated as needed to reflect evolving market practices and uphold SeafoodSource's commitment to independent, transparent reporting.

Last Updated: 9 February 2026