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.
Welcome to the Lusamerica market news page.
Click the appropriate tab above (Wild Fish, Farmed Fish or Shellfish).
| Wild Fish | Season Information |
|---|---|
| Cod | We will be fishing local black cod, rock cod and lingcod off the Monterey coast in the month of January. Catch has just started coming in and it looks promising! True cod will continue to be sourced from Alaska. The Alaskan season starts this month and supply should be better than December. |
| Corvina | Supplies of corvina will increase from Ecuador and Mexico. We should have inventory regularly throughout January. Quality has been great and pricing has been consistent. |
| Halibut | The fresh Alaskan halibut season is over. We have transitioned to our refreshed program with “frozen at sea” halibut. Prices should remain stable through January. |
| Mahi Mahi | We will continue to have a good fresh supply as we see a majority of the fish coming from Ecuador. We will also see mahi from Mexico. The quality has been excellent! The fish should increase in size during Ecuador’s season. |
| Ono and Opah | Ecuador, Hawaii and Southern California will continue to contribute to the supply in January. Availability is spotty, but we will continue to offer these fish when available. Opah/ono quality has been terrific, with a nice meat color. |
| Salmon, Coho | The fresh season is completed. Please be aware of our refreshed program as the quality is excellent. Refreshed fish are whole fish that were frozen at sea, now thawed in refrigeration, and processed. Fresh season starts in July. |
| Salmon, Keta | The season has ended and we will have refreshed coho and sockeye available. Keta season starts back up again in June. |
| Salmon, King | The wild king salmon season is finished and we are offering our off-season refreshed program with “frozen at sea” fish. Sizing will run in the 7-11 pound range, as most of the fish will be ocean run. The fresh season starts up again in May. |
| Salmon, Sockeye | The sockeye season is over. We are currently offering refreshed sockeye. Please check with your sales person for pricing and availability. The quality has been great! The fresh season starts in May. |
| Seabass | Pacific seabass has been “hit or miss”. We will see fish from Mexico and Ecuador as they follow their food south. Seabass is a great quality white fish to add to your menu. The larger size fish are 18-20 pounds. |
| Sole | We are fishing local Sole (Dover, English, Rex, Petrale) in the month of January from our local boat in Moss Landing, CA. and are excited to get started! This can bring some local flavor to your table! So far, the catch has been very promising! Supplies might be limited based on winter weather conditions. |
| Swordfish | Local California swordfish will be available along with swordfish from Hawaii, Mexico and Ecuador. The quality has been great and eats better than a steak! |
| Tuna, Ahi | #1 ahi longline-caught tuna will be available from Hawaii and the Philippines. #1 is limited due to inconsistent flights outside the United States. #2+ tuna will be in steady supply from Mexico and Australia. Our #2+ quality is excellent, so give it a try! |
| Tuna, Albacore | We will start to see albacore from Fiji, Australia and French Polynesia. Availability should improve with various areas open for fishing. |
| Farmed Fish | Season Information |
|---|---|
| Branzino | This is one of the fastest growing fresh seafood items in the foodservice industry! The quality has been great. We are stocking the fish with head-on and guts-in. This farm-raised fish from the Mediterranean is a good item to throw into the mix, as customers continue to look for alternatives to the mainstream seafood offerings. |
| Catfish | The USA (Mississippi and Alabama) supply has been hit by labor shortages due to the current pandemic. Supply and markets may be affected, but so far, supply has been good. |
| Salmon, Norwegian | Antibiotic Free (ABF) salmon from Norway has been fairly consistent with its supply and pricing. Expect it to remain the same through the month unless flights are further held up out of the UK. This could create shortages and higher prices. |
| Salmon | The farmed salmon market will remain strong. Both Atlantic and Chilean salmon will increase into January and continue through the Lenten season. We are stocking Atlantic salmon from all three areas, so check with your sales person on current pricing. We are also stocking Atlantic Sapphire, a sustainably sourced, Florida based Atlantic salmon (rated as a green Best Choice by Seafood Watch), so ask your sales representative for details. |
| 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! It’s also rated as a green Best Choice by Seafood Watch. |
| Swai | Pricing on swai is steady as inventories are filled and more product is becoming available from Vietnam. |
| Tilapia | We will have a good supply for the month of January. The tilapia is certified by the Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC) and comes from Mexico, Honduras, Columbia, Brazil and Ecuador. It’s good quality and nice fillet sizes of 5-7 ounces. |
| Trout | We are stocking an excellent Norwegian steelhead trout which has a high fat content and a larger fillet size. Due to inconsistent flight schedules into the U.S., expect pricing on Norwegian trout to be much higher than Canadian. |
| 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. We also have larger cherry stone clams available. Ask your sales representative for the best variety to meet your demand. We are also stocking Mediterranean mussels in Fife, Washington and Prince Edward Island mussels in Morgan Hill, California. |
| Crab, Dungeness | Canadian crab season has ended and the US season has not yet opened. Crab should start coming in on the first or second week of January. Pricing levels have not yet been determined. We have nice frozen crab as an alternative during any shortage. |
| Crab, King | All sizes are very low due to high retail demand. 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. The quality is great, but pricing continues to climb due to labor challenges in harvesting and packing, as well as high demand. |
| Crawfish | Supplies will be in good shape for the month and pricing continues to be steady. |
| Lobsters | Cold water lobster tail prices are up and will remain high for the next few months. This is mainly due to Covid restrictions in harvesting and processing. There are more warm water lobsters available, but pricing is high because of the short supply of large cold water lobster. Lobster meat prices will also increase as supply tries to keep up with demand. Live Maine lobster season is rolling, but high priced. |
| Oysters | Many producers in the Northwest have seen a reduction in labor due to the Covid-19 situation, so supplies out of the Northwest (Washington) will be "hit or miss". Remember, these little live bodies do not like large fluctuations in temperature. The fortunate thing is we are heading into the cooler months, which helps maintain quality. Keep them alive at a cool temperature of 34-38 degrees. Please see below for specific species that we are currently featuring. (Capitals)- Clean and crisp with a pure sea salt flavor, these tide tumbled oysters are known for their deep cup shell and large meat fill. (Kumamoto)- A deep cupped oyster with a mild brininess and sweet finish. They are the honeydew of the oyster family! (Kusshi)- The “ultimate,” in Japanese translation and raised in the deep bay on the east side of Vancouver Island. Don’t let the small size fool you as they have a nice plump and tender meat fill. (Little Skookum)- These are harvested in the shallow waters, in the deep south of the Puget Sound, far away from the salty ocean waters. Little Skookum oysters are sweet flavored with a mild salinity taste. |
| Scallops | Scallop supply has recently dropped, creating an increase in demand and price. |
| Shrimp | Farmed white shrimp pricing will remain high in January due to lack of production caused by Covid. The shortage in labor has caused challenges in harvesting and packing in areas such as India. The domestic Gulf shrimp season is running, and availability should be steady throughout January. The smaller cooked shrimp are high in demand and low in availability which will reflect in the cost. Look out for increases in price throughout the month of January. Black tiger shrimp continues its upswing in pricing due to shortages in 21 count per pound or smaller. Larger sizes, 15 count per pound or higher, may stabilize before the smaller sizes. The wild Mexican shrimp season is open. New prices are finding a settling point for the season and are higher than expected. |
| Shrimp meat | The fresh season is over. We will switch gears to frozen meat once the fresh shrimp supply has dried up. Quality and supply have been excellent, so eat it right out of the bucket, or create a nice shrimp meat salad on top of toasted bread! |
Seasonal Chart
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About Lusamerica
Family, woman and minority owned since 1975 distributing seafood to the Western United States.
Tel: (408) 778-7200 | toll free: (800) 974-6622 | email: info@lusamerica.com
