Fresh Flounder     
The raw material market has begun to increase as VA closed yesterday, and NC will not open until the weekend. NJ will open May 1st. Please anticipate limited sporadic availability with an increased cost. Current inventory consists of trawl caught product harvested in Hampton, VA.
   
Porgies        
Bad offshore weather this week caused a decrease in volume landings. Slight spike in the market this week. Please anticipate increased costs heading into weekend sales.
       
Black Bass     
Following the trend with Porgies and Flounder, Black Bass also saw an increase in raw material costs along with availability concerns this week due to offshore weather and limited draggers fishing. Boats will be packing in the next few days, giving relief for weekend sales.
    
Monkfish      
Strong availability heading into the weekend with a consistent market. Current inventory consists of Day Boat trawl caught product harvested in Boston, MA. (F/V America)      
        
Blue Catfish 
Steady high-volume landings continue to happen in the upper and lower Bay. No issues with availability with a steady market. We will start to see fishing drop off as we get into the middle of the summer.
       
Skate Wings     
No issues to report. No changes in cost. In house inventory consists of Day-Boat trawl-caught product harvested Boston, MA.
  
Wild Tilapia  
Florida continues production in large quantities to extract the invasive wild Tilapia from its waters. The market will be consistent while production ramps up.
 
Wild Red Drum
Inshore weather has improved early this week, and the small gillnet boats in the OBX were able to get a few days of fishing in. The current inventory consists of gillnet caught product harvested in Hatteras Village, NC.

Chesapeake Channa  
The weather continues to improve which is increasing bow fishermen’s landings. Snakehead fish is still considered a low volume harvested fish due to gear type.

Wild striped bass
Overall landings have decreased.
Delaware- Fishing has slowed here as most are out of quota but, fish continue to trickle in, but, not for long.
Ocean fisheries- Maryland and Virginia have been fishing but due to weather and holiday landings have not been what is expected.
Fish will be limited for this weekend.
 
Tuna
Availability remains steady this week and normally we would see some price reductions but with the tariffs that did not happen.
Pricing remains at the same levels as last week and expected to carry over int the beginning of next week.
Blue fin- Recently, some landing as by- catch in Wanchese.
 
Sword
Availability improves this week but, with little demand after the holiday prices are trending lower.
It is about time.
 
Cleaned squid
Fresh Restaurant ready Cleaned Squid- No changes, good availability, and stable pricing
 
Snapper – Grouper - Mahi
This week supply is challenging as fishers returned last week to celebrate Holy week.
It will take at least until the end of this week for enough fish to land to have any effect on the market.
Pricing remains firm and inventory limited.
 
Salmon
European prices moved up this week, this due to decreased harvests/ shut down for the Easter holiday.
With fish temporarily limited from Europe, Chile and Canada have pushed prices up.
 
Atlantic Halibut
Pricing is a touch elevated this week compared with where we normally sit this time of year due to limited landings, but not the highest we have seen. We are seeing landings here at JJ all week.
 
Pacific Halibut
Landings remain limited due to poor weather; 10-12 ft waves were in the area through the beginning of this week. Pricing is elevated this week and is not expected to drop unless availability improves substantially.
 
Wild Pacific King Salmon
With an opening in the area south of Cape Falcon in Oregon, we are starting to see beautiful troll kings landing. Thursday’s fish come to us from a duo fishing 15-20 miles off the coast of Oregon, landing in an area called “SOF,” which stands for South of Cape Falcon.

Iceland
Boats just started back to work after an Easter Holiday, yet it is still spawning season, closing much of the inshore fishing grounds to protect spawning cod & haddock. Only the Large boats now must steam much further away from the island causing them to fight tougher conditions & higher traveling expenses. The spawning season will last until the end of April, when the number of fish landings are limited. New tariffs have also impacted all Icelandic shipments increasing every lb. by 10% currently. Prices are up even more because of this.
 
Sablefish, aka Black Cod
Landings are improving steadily as both potters and long-liners get to work. Product this week is landing from Petersburg, Alaska.
 
Lakefish
Walleye, White Perch, and White Bass continue to flow in from Lake Erie, offering great pricing and availability. Prices for Walleye are down a touch for this week. Give these species a shot, they are sustainable and underutilized in our area!

SMOKED PRODUCTS & TINNED SEAFOOD
Check out a couple of new options – Santa Barbara pre-sliced smoked salmon sides, prepared from fresh ASC-certified salmon, and new Pastrami-smoked salmon from Catsmo Artisan Smokehouse in NY’s Hudson Valley, also prepared from fresh salmon and pre-sliced.
Featured this week:
Santa Barbara Smoked Salmon Sides
ASC-Certified salmon, pre-sliced
Santa Barbara, CA
SMKS10
 
Catsmo Pastrami-seasoned Smoked Salmon Sides
Pre-sliced
Wallkill, NY
SMSPP1

Live Lobster
There has been a downward correction on pricing in the live trade market. With new Canadian zones opening and more inventory available, dealers are hesitant to carry inventory until the price adjustment hits a stable line. This trend should continue as processors set the stage for frozen tails and meat. Overall, this scenario should help reignite a stagnant live trade market in time for Mother’s Day weekend and beyond.
** This is a positive, during a time when we are seeing prices go up across the board because of tariffs, this will be time to push Live lobsters as they come off their high. Let us all work together to stay ahead and push so we can take full advantage of the dropping market.
 
CRABMEAT- updates you need to know.
Fresh:

Maryland – season just opened! fresh picked MD meat arriving daily! High live market prices remain even after Easter demand rolls off keeping prices high. Very Nice quality to start the season.
Venezuela – Prices remain strong this week as government shipping regulations & USA tariffs remain in effect.  Ven HPP crab meat remains the cheapest fresh crabmeat option out there. Quality is good.
Pasteurized:
Blue Swimming – Huge tariffs in Indonesia, Philippians & India has impacted the blue swimming crabmeat category. Prices have quickly risen these past few weeks & are expected to continue once higher priced containers arrive. Most importers are limiting availability as well as many future deliveries have been cancelled because of the tariffs. Expect supply limitations on large grades & prices to quickly continue to rise.
Red Swimming - high tariffs & poor landings have pushed prices up especially on jumbo lump & jumbo. relief is not expected until the fall when crabbers get back to work.
Mexico- Poor winter & early spring landings & now tariffs has caused prices to firm & limit availability. Their conservation period is in the next few months so expect Mexican supply to remain limited through mid-summer.
Columbia – Demand is starting to increase on Columbian blue crab but unfortunately prices are heading up as well once new tariffed meat arrives. There are not heavy volumes coming from Columbia but what is available looks nice.
 
LIVE SOFT CRABS-
Gap in supply this week as we wait for NC peelers to start potting. Very few soft crabs live this week. We are hoping next week is a better week. Please of dressed frozen soft crabs in the freezer to get us through this slow week

OYSTERS
There is a bit of limitation on harvesting in certain areas due to high sustained winds, causing some delays restocking after the holiday. Blue Points remain limited, but we will have some in for mid-week sales with a full recovery by the end of the week. Steamboat Wharf will also be back tomorrow.
Featured this week:
Sunset Wharf Oysters
Plymouth, MA
OYS148
 
Fiddlehead Oysters
Cotuit, MA
OYS223
 
Big Rock Oysters
E. Dennis, MA
OYS100
 
Red Raiders Oysters
E. Dennis, MA
OYS143
 
Spring Creek Oysters
Barnstable, MA
OYS134
‍
Always on Feature and only at JJ McDonnell:  
Skinny Dipper & Huckleberry Oysters
St Jerome’s Creek, MD
OYS200 & OYS060
For the best shell quality, quintessential Chesapeake flavor, and the cleanest oyster in town, choose Skinny Dippers for your printed menus. Always fresh and in stock! For a cocktail option, Huckleberry is a perfectly plump cocktail, and fun fact, they are the same age as a Skinny Dipper! Some oysters just never reach the size of a full oyster.

Happy Oysters
Northern Neck, VA
OYS250
Sweetgrass and butter with just enough brine and a clean finish. Tidal surges create a perfect environment for healthy, happy oysters! 

Salt Buoy Oysters
Brockatonorton Bay, MD
OYS245
All the salt from Maryland’s Atlantic coast, with a crab-like sweetness to finish. Float-raised cocktail shells are perfect for easy shucking.

Fortune Oysters
Wine Harbour, Eastern Nova Scotia
OYS218
A pop of salt from the North Atlantic! Smooth, salty, savory, and sweet meats in clean, solid, choice shells.

Domestic Shrimp
Production remains very light, Texas boats that are fishing are only bringing in pinks. We have started to see a few whites, but prices are very high. We hopefully look for some relief in June on white headless.
Louisiana in shore peeled season should open in mid-May. Shrimp are expected to be small, will give us 110/130 puds and smaller to start. I do expect prices to begin to decline on small peeled in mid-May

Farmed White Shrimp
Market trend is rising quickly as tariffs take hold of farmed white market. All replacement costs have increased, even over the standard 10% tariff placed on most nations' imports. One of the main reasons is a scaling back of future crops because of uncertainty in US volume after cost adjustments. Plus, with the initial larger tariffs placed all orders were frozen until the final 10% tariffs were placed. This freeze delayed all shipments meaning gaps will occur in coming months putting more pressure on pricing.