"There's been nothing going on -- no trucks, planes or anything going down through Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania," said McAleney, who owns New Meadows Lobster Co. in Portland. "People aren't interested in seafood right now. They're interested in getting their lives back in order."
The result is likely to be a repeat of the lobster glut -- affecting the entire seafood industry this time -- with demand dropping out of sight in the biggest markets of the Northeast.
McAleney said he lost a big order from Pennsylvania Thursday morning because his customer decided he wouldn't sell much lobster to thousands of people who still don't have electricity.
"Seafood is the last thing you're going to bring home to a house without power," said Chris Fream, senior sales executive with North Atlantic Seafood in Portland.
The industry's "wheels are falling off," said Fream. "New York is not taking fish and all the seaside restaurants up and down the East Coast are not open or not having any demand."
Fream said the major fish markets in and around New York aren't selling much fish, so they aren't buying it.
And restaurants that do have power aren't buying seafood because families who have no electricity and have to eat out are more likely to opt for quick, cheap meals than a leisurely seafood dinner.
Fream said he even has gotten calls from fishing boat captains in Massachusetts who are seeking buyers for their catch. Those fishermen generally sell to markets in Massachusetts, he said.
Fream and others in the industry noted that there was a jump in landings last weekend as fishing fleets headed into port to avoid the storm barreling up the coast.
The Portland Fish Exchange auction handled 65,643 pounds of fish on Saturday, selling all but 500 pounds of what was offered. Prices held up, with large cod going for an average of $4.53 a pound and large dab getting $2.05 a pound.
On Thursday, after the storm, fishermen took just 9,502 pounds to the auction, and sold only 7,519 pounds. Large cod brought an average of just $3.43 a pound, and large dab sold for 60 cents a pound, even though only miniscule amounts of both were offered for sale.
"It sucks," said Jared Auerbach, owner of Red's Best seafood in Boston, which handles fish from Maine fishermen. "There's just no demand, and it's killing people right now."
Auerbach said he's facing a potentially significant loss because he didn't think Sandy would be as bad as it was. The markets, he thought, might be disrupted for a day or two, then return to normal.
"The fish we bought (last weekend), we ended up overpaying for because I didn't anticipate the storm would be as bad as it was," he said. "Now, our customers don't have power and some don't even have phone lines."
As with the lobster glut this summer, the current situation offers a bright side for seafood lovers in Maine.
Prices will fall for consumers, particularly this weekend, said Nick Alfiero, whose family runs Harbor Fish Market on the Portland waterfront.
"Every dealer in Boston has fish in the coolers they're trying to sell," he said.
So when people go out, either to eat in a restaurant or buy something to cook at home, the low prices will get them to go for fish, Alfiero said, which will help ease some of the glut.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) The year 2025 marks the 30th anniversary of the normalization of diplomatic relations between Vietnam and the United States (1995–2025). In parallel with the nation's progress in international economic integration, bilateral seafood trade has followed a remarkably impressive growth trajectory, expanding from an initial scale of just tens of millions of US dollars to nearly $2 billion annually. This growth has positioned the United States as Vietnam’s largest seafood export market for many consecutive years.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) On December 12, 2025, the Vietnam Association of Seafood Processing and Export (VASEP) issued document 231/CV-VASEP regarding strengthening measures to combat IUU fishing and working with the Government to lift the EC's IUU yellow card warning.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Tilapia is easy to farm and provides high economic and nutritional value, making it a sought-after export commodity in many countries.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Vietnam’s seafood exports in the first 10 months of 2025 recorded significant progress, reaching more than USD 9.5 billion, up 15% year-on-year. This result reflects the sector’s persistent efforts amid a highly volatile market, especially policy shocks from the US Although signs of slowdown emerged in the third quarter due to countervailing taxes, key product groups still maintained strong momentum and created a foundation for full-year exports to reach USD 11 billion.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Vietnam’s agreement with the United States on a framework for reciprocal, fair, and balanced trade—reached during the 2025 ASEAN Summit in Malaysia—has generated strong optimism for Vietnamese exports, including tuna. Numerous positive points in the joint statement have raised high expectations for Vietnamese export goods, but turning these expectations into tangible benefits remains a long and challenging journey.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) At the conference on “Linking the Production and Consumption Chain of Ca Mau Crab 2025,” Vice Chairman of the Ca Mau Provincial People’s Committee Lê Văn Sử posed a central question: how to shift the province’s crab exports toward official trade channels, instead of relying heavily on small-scale border trade with China as currently practiced.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) The whitefish market in Japan is showing a clear divergence among supplying countries, in which Vietnam continues to affirm its role as a stable and high-potential exporter. Vietnam currently ranks third after the US and Russia in whitefish export value to Japan. Thanks to tariff incentives and the ability to meet Japan’s strict standards, Vietnamese pangasius continues to record a stable and positive growth trend.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) The People's Committee of Ca Mau Province has just issued a plan to expand the super-intensive, low-water-exchange, biosecure white-leg shrimp farming model (RAS-IMTA) for whiteleg shrimp farming to a scale of 1,500 hectares, aiming to develop high-tech, sustainable and environmentally friendly shrimp farming.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Sa Giang Import-Export Joint Stock Company (HNX: SGC) plans to issue over 7.1 million shares to raise nearly 465 Billion VND for Hoan Ngoc M&A Deal.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) According to Rabobank, global tilapia production is forecast to exceed 7 million tons in 2025, driven by a strong recovery in major producing countries including China, Indonesia, Egypt, Bangladesh and Vietnam. Among them, Vietnam is emerging as a potential tilapia supplier in the global supply chain, capitalizing on market fluctuations to expand production and exports.
VASEP - HIỆP HỘI CHẾ BIẾN VÀ XUẤT KHẨU THỦY SẢN VIỆT NAM
Chịu trách nhiệm: Ông Nguyễn Hoài Nam - Phó Tổng thư ký Hiệp hội
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Trưởng Ban Biên tập: Bà Phùng Thị Kim Thu
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