Seafood Product Preparation & Packaging NAICS 311710

Sep 23, 2025 - Strengthening US Seafood

• In response to President Trump’s Executive Order on Restoring American Seafood Competitiveness, NOAA Fisheries is calling for public comments to help fulfill the president's vision of making the US the world's dominant seafood leader. NOAA is gathering input on how to improve fisheries management and science, specifically on the following issues: Regulations that govern fishing activities that may be suspended, revised, or rescinded; Challenges specific fisheries are facing and and examples of existing federal fishery regulations that could be modified to enhance US fishing businesses; What types of data, forecasting tools, or information products are most needed by US fishing businesses to adapt effectively to changing economic and/or environmental conditions and maintain access to fishery resources; and how to expand exempted fishing permit programs to promote fishing opportunities nationwide. The 45-day public comment period is open until October 14, 2025.
• The Alaska Department of Fish and Wildlife (ADF&W) is predicting a significantly bigger salmon harvest this year, after a disappointing catch in 2024, SeafoodSource reports. The total commercial salmon harvest across all regions of Alaska could reach 214.6 million fish, more than double the 103.5 million fish caught in Alaska in 2024. Key to this year’s projection is a much-improved outlook for pink salmon (aka humpback salmon), which is expected to exceed last year’s harvest by 98.2 million fish, according to ADF&W. The department’s forecast predicts the total commercial salmon harvest will comprise 138.4 million pink salmon, 52.9 million sockeye, 20.8 million chum, and 2.4 million coho. If the harvest meets ADF&W projections, it would be the 10th-largest on record. Alaska’s salmon season opened on 22 May, when the Copper River fishery opened.

• In what’s believed to be the first case of forced labor at sea brought against a US seafood company, Indonesian fishermen have sued Bumble Bee Foods alleging the canned seafood giant knew of abuse in its supply chain, Food Manufacturing reports. The lawsuit accuses Bumble Bee of violating the Trafficking Victims Protection Act, which allows foreigners who suffered from human trafficking to sue US businesses that knew, or should have known, they were profiting from forced labor. Per the lawsuit, which calls for a jury trial, the fisherman worked for longline vessels owned by Chinese companies from which Bumble Bee sourced its albacore tuna. They say they were beaten by their captains and trapped onboard. The suit seeks compensation for unpaid wages and abuse, improved working conditions, and systemic changes to operations. Bumble Bee has previously been warned of inhumane conditions in its supply chain, an attorney for the men said.
• Producer prices for seafood product preparation and packaging manufacturers rose 4.8% in August compared to a year ago, after inching up 0.9% in the previous August-versus-August annual comparison, according to the latest US Bureau of Labor Statistics data. Prices for seafood products before they reach consumers have risen relatively steadily since 2020 to a new high in August. Employment by the industry, which is highly seasonal and typically peaks in July, continues to plummet, shrinking 15.7% year over year in July. Employment by seafood product preparation and packaging producers has declined by more than a third over the past ten years, much lower than the 13% growth in overall private employment.