Seafood Market News
Get the inside scoop on the latest market trends and updates on the seafood industry. Our market news page is updated each month so you can stay on top of seasonal seafood changes and be aware of price fluctuations.
Seasonal Highlights and Updates:
1. King salmon season opened in Monterey Bay on May 1. It’s an odd season this year with five days open, five days closed, five days
open, five days closed, and so on. Supply will be limited at times with high prices. San Francisco and Fort Bragg, CA won’t open up until July 8.
2. Some king salmon are starting to come out of Alaska, but with limited supply. King and sockeye salmon season opens up in Copper River, Alaska in mid-May.
3. Farmed salmon prices are high and will continue as such until more of the wild Alaska season opens up. Some farmed king salmon companies like Ora and Creative are cutting back on their supply during this period.
4. Fresh Oregon Bay shrimp meat is now available as the season opened in April. We just received our first shipment at the tail end of April.
5. We’re now offering a variety of boutique East Coast oysters including Black Point, Village Bay, Cupid’s Choice, Glacier Bay, Barnstable Lady, and Sweet Petites.
Click one of the tabs in the box below for more details and updates on other species.
Welcome to the Lusamerica market news page.
Click the appropriate tab above (Wild Fish, Farmed Fish or Shellfish).
| Wild Fish | Season Information |
|---|---|
| Cod | Alaska cod (aka true cod or Pacific cod) is available. We’re also sourcing directly from California fishermen twice a week for local rock cod (rockfish), lingcod and black cod (sablefish). The cod is sweet and mild with large firm flakes. Steamed, roasted, braised, sautéed or fried, it is always a customer favorite. |
| Corvina | Corvina is available from Mexico and Ecuador. They are fished all year round along the southwestern side of the Central and South American coasts. Corvina is great for broiling, grilling and pan frying. It is known for its firm white meat and flaky texture. |
| Halibut | Halibut is coming in from Alaska, Baja, Mexico and Northern California (Half Moon Bay and San Francisco). “Frozen at sea” halibut is available via our refresh program. |
| Mahi Mahi | We are sourcing from Guatemala, Mexico, and Costa Rica. The supply is good. Like halibut, mahi has a mild flavor, but is more delicate than halibut with a distinct tropical sweetness. |
| Ono and Opah | Availability is spotty, but we will continue to offer these fish when available. This is due to the fact that these fish do not school, and are caught individually by fishermen using longline gear. Opah has a rich creamy taste and firm, fatty texture. The flavor is a cross between tuna and swordfish; distinctive, but not overpowering. |
| Salmon | King salmon season opens in Monterey Bay on May 1. It’s an odd season this year with five days open, five days closed, five days open, five days closed, and so on. Supply will be limited at times with high prices. San Francisco and Fort Bragg, CA won’t open up until July 8. King and sockeye salmon season opens up in Copper River, Alaska in mid-May. In the meantime, we also have an excellent refresh program available where various types of salmon are blast frozen whole from the previous season and then thawed and processed into fillets or portions. |
| Sea bass | White seabass supply was short but we are getting a limited supply from Mexico. Our Chilean sea bass is certified by the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) and is coming from Uruguay. They are a great quality white fish that tends to be very mild and not “fishy” in flavor. |
| Sole | We are fishing local sole from our fishing vessels off the coast of California. Sole is available all year long and include petrale, dover, rex and arrowtooth. The Petrale supply has been limited lately, but we are getting a lot of Dover. They are delicious sautéed, roasted, broiled or grilled. Sole is very versatile, a great value option, local, and pairs well with rubs, marinades and sauces. |
| Swordfish | Swordfish is being sourced primarily from Hawaii. We’re also getting some from Mexico, Costa Rica, New Zealand, Mozambique, South Korea, and Indonesia. With its mild flavor and firm texture, swordfish is perfect for grilling, and eats like a meat lover’s dream! |
| Tuna, Ahi | #1 ahi longline-caught tuna is being sourced from Costa Rica, Fiji, French Polynesia, New Zealand, Philippines, Sri Lanka, and California. Our saku blocks, poke, and tuna steaks are from Indonesia, Mozambique, and Vietnam. #2+ tuna will be in steady supply from Costa Rica, Fiji, Mexico, French Polynesia, Philippines, and California. Our #2+ quality is excellent, so give it a sear at your next cookout or prepare a poke’ bowl with your favorite ingredients! Follow us on social media to see how we’ve been helping the Global Tuna Alliance advocate for yellowfin tuna rebuilding plan with the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission (IOTC). |
| Tuna, Albacore | Albacore is being sourced from Fiji, French Polynesia, and USA. Also known as white tuna, it is more delicate than ahi. |
| Farmed Fish | Season Information |
|---|---|
| Branzino | This fish is farm-raised fish in the Mediterranean (usually Turkey) and we are stocking it head-on and guts-in. This is the most popular way to prepare it. Grill it whole for a unique seafood experience. Its sweet flaky meat is popular in Italian cuisine and the quality has been great. |
| Catfish | The USA (Mississippi and Alabama) supply has been steady. Catfish can be baked, grilled or even fried with many seasoning combinations. Try our catfish nuggets! Our USA catfish is rated as a green Best Choice for sustainability by the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch program. |
| Salmon | We have farmed salmon available from Norway, Chile, and Canada. Farmed prices are high and likely won’t ease up until wild salmon starts to flood the market next month. Some king salmon companies like Ora and Creative are reducing their supply during this period. For our eco-centric friends, we are stocking Bluehouse Salmon by Atlantic Sapphire which is farmed in indoor, land-based tanks in Florida (green-rated for sustainability by Seafood Watch and a reduced carbon footprint as a domestic product!). |
| Striped Bass | Land-based and farm-raised, this sustainable fish from Texas is a great, clean tasting alternative to many other white fish species. Give it a try and you will love it! The fish is delicious, healthy and extremely versatile. It’s also rated as a green Best Choice by Seafood Watch. |
| Swai | Pricing on swai is steady. This fish is a type of white fish with a mild flavor and flaky texture. It’s a freshwater fish that’s native to the Vietnamese rivers and a type of catfish. |
| Tilapia | Prices are steady. Our tilapia is certified by the Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC) and comes from Mexico and Costa Rica. Its great quality and nice fillet sizes of 5-7 ounces. Tilapia is typically a great value with a mild flavor |
| Trout | We have steelhead from Norway, Canada, and Chile. Domestic rainbow trout remains steady. |
| Shellfish | Season Information |
|---|---|
| Clams and Mussels | Littleneck clams are readily available in 8 count and 13 count per pound sizes. Manila clams are stocked in our Fife, Washington location. The cooler weather in the Northwest has been a welcome sight as harvesting and shelf life have improved. We have larger cherry stone clams available. We are stocking Mediterranean mussels in Fife, Washington and Prince Edward Island mussels in Morgan Hill, California. Check out our new, New Zealand cockles AKA little neck clams |
| Crab, Dungeness | Dungeness crab season closed last month. Dungeness crab is a fan-favorite that creates its own culinary experience from the claw-cracking and dunking of lump meat into melted butter. |
| Crab, King | The market has softened quite a bit since the holidays are over. We are stocking red king crab legs & claws from Russia in the 6-9, 9-12 12-14, and 16-20 sizes when available. The unit of measure is based on legs per 10 pounds. |
| Crab, Blue Pasteurized | Prices remain high, but despite supply concerns, the market has actually been softening. Fully cooked and ready to eat, many people choose to feature the meat as part of a prepared dish or ingredient. |
| Crawfish | Supply is in good shape. Also known as crayfish, craydads and crawdaddies, they are a freshwater crustacean resembling mini lobster. |
| Lobsters | Lobster tail prices are up and will remain high. Both cold and warm water lobsters are in big demand and very tight in availability. Lobster meat prices will also increase as supply struggles to keep up with demand. Live Maine lobster season is rolling, but high priced. North American Cold Water tails sizes 6/7oz and up are in short supply. |
| Oysters | We have added an array of new oysters to our portfolio including Black Point, Village Bay, Cupid’s Choice, Glacier Bay, Barnstable Lady, Sweet Petites & Royal Miyagi. We are also continuing to carry Carbajal, Kumamoto, Kusshi, Little Skookum, Pacific BBQs, and Blue Point. Some West Coast oysters are short on supply due to a recall. Farmed oysters are sustainable seafood superstars and always rated as a green Best Choice by Seafood Watch. |
| Scallops | New product alert: try our bacon-wrapped scallops. Overall, the scallop market remains high and we are seeing high prices, especially for U/10s, (under 10 scallops per pound). Fresh scallops are prized by restaurants and seafood markets. A possible option might be to take a look at our 10/20 scallops, as they are not seeing such drastic increases. Another option that we have added to our portfolio is Mexican scallops. |
| Shrimp | Fresh Oregon Bay shrimp meat is now available as the season opened in April. We just received our first shipment at the tail end of April. Spot prawns season opens in May in British Colombia. We also have domestic Gulf shrimp available. The smaller cooked shrimp are high in demand and low in availability which will reflect in the cost. Black tiger prawns continue their upswing in pricing due to shortages in 21 count per pound or smaller. They are growing the shrimp now. You won’t see tigers until late spring/early summer. The wild Mexican shrimp season is open with good availability. |
Seasonal Chart
(Click image to enlarge)
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About Lusamerica
Family, woman and minority owned since 1975 distributing seafood to the Western United States and beyond.
Tel: (408) 778-7200 | toll free: (800) 974-6622 | email: info@lusamerica.com
