Blue Star Foods Corp. 10-K

ITEM 7. MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS The following discussion of the financial condition and results of operations should be read in conjunction with the financial statements and the notes to those statements appearing in this Annual Report. This discussion contains forward-looking statements that are based on our current expectations, estimates and projections about our business and operations. Our actual results may differ materially from those currently anticipated and expressed in such forward-looking statements. The Company does not undertake any obligation to update forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances occurring after the date of this prospectus. Overview We are an international seafood company that imports, packages and sells refrigerated pasteurized crab meat, and other premium seafood products. Our current source of revenue is from importing blue and red swimming crab meat primarily from Indonesia, the Philippines and China and distributing it in the United States and Canada under several brand names such as Blue Star, Oceanica, Pacifika, Crab & Go, First Choice, Good Stuff and Coastal Pride Fresh, and steelhead salmon and rainbow trout fingerlings produced under the brand name Little Cedar Farms for distribution in Canada. The crab meat which we import is processed in six out of the ten plants available throughout Southeast Asia. Our suppliers are primarily via co-packing relationships, including two affiliated suppliers. We sell primarily to food service distributors. We also sell our products to wholesalers, retail establishments and seafood distributors. Recent Developments NASDAQ Compliance On September 26, 202 3 , the Company received a letter from NASDAQ notifying the Company that based upon the closing bid price of the Company’s common stock for the last 30 consecutive business days, the Company was not in compliance with the Minimum Bid Requirement on The NASDAQ Capital Market, as set forth in NASDAQ Listing Rule 5550(a)(2) . The Company was provided a compliance period of 180 calendar days, or until March 24, 2024, to regain compliance with NASDAQ Listing Rule 5550(a)(2). If at any time before March 24, 2024, the closing bid price of our common stock closed at or above $1.00 per share for a minimum of ten consecutive business days, NASDAQ will provide written notification that the Company has achieved compliance with the Minimum Bid Requirement and the matter would be resolved. On March 26, 2024, we received a letter from NASDAQ stating the Company had not regained compliance with the Minimum Bid Requirement and is not eligible for a second 180-day period because it is not in compliance with NASDAQ’s $5,000,000 minimum stockholders’ equity initial listing requirement. The Company intends to present a written compliance plan to the NASDAQ hearings panel by April 2, 2024 (which will stay further action by NASDAQ) for its consideration of continued listing of the Company’s common stock on the NASDAQ Capital Market. Minimum Stockholder’s Equity The Company was notified on November 27, 2023 by NASDAQ that it no longer complied with the minimum $2,500,000 stockholders’ equity required for continued listing on NASDAQ. The Company is subject to a Mandatory Panel Monitor for a period of one year, or until October 16, 2024. On December 4, 2023, the Company was granted a hearing with NASDAQ’s hearings panel, which was scheduled for March 5, 2024. On March 22, 2024, the NASDAQ hearings panel notified the Company that it had granted the request of the Company to continue its listing on NASDAQ until May 15, 2024, subject to on or before April 1, 2024, the Company filing its Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2023, and filing its Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2024 by May 15, 2024. Afritex Agreements On February 1, 2024, the Company entered into a ninety-day Master Services Agreement (the “Services Agreement”) with Afritex Ventures, Inc. a Texas corporation (“Afritex”), pursuant to which the Company will be responsible for all of Afritex’s operations and finance functions. The Company will provide Afritex with working capital in order to sustain operations and will purchase certain inventory listed in the Services Agreement. In consideration for its services, during the term of the Services Agreement, the Company will be entitled to all of the revenue and profits earned by Afritex. Under the Services Agreement, Afritex may not sell or otherwise use as consideration any of its intellectual property without the Company’s consent. The Company must maintain certain commercial liability insurance during the term of the Services Agreement. The Services Agreement also provides that the Company may not solicit Afritex employees for 24 months nor circumvent existing business relationships of Afritex for three years, after the term of the Services Agreement. The term of the Services Agreement will automatically extend for three thirty-day periods, if Afritex’s outstanding debt is no greater than $325,000. In connection with the Services Agreement, on February 12, 2024, the Company entered into an Intangibles Assets and Machinery Option To Purchase Agreement with Afritex (the “Option Agreement”). Pursuant to the Option Agreement, the Company has the option to purchase Afritex’s intangible assets, machinery and equipment set forth in the Option Agreement for a purchase price of $554,714 for machinery and equipment and 5,000,000 shares of the Company’s common stock were issued on February 12, 2024 to be held in escrow, for intangible assets. In addition, for one year from the date of the Option Agreement, Afritex has an option to purchase up to $1,000,000 shares of the Company’s common stock at a 10% discount to the lowest volume-weighted average price in the immediately prior five days. The sale of any shares acquired by Afritex under the Option Agreement are subject to a “leak-out” provision as set forth in the Option Agreement. The closing of the Option Agreement is subject to, among other things, the successful restructuring of Afritex’s accounts payable debts so that no individual debt of $85,000 or aggregate debt of more than $325,000 is outstanding. The Option Agreement may be terminated if, among others, the closing has not has not occurred within 90 days, unless extended for two additional 30-day periods at the Company’s sole discretion. To date, the Company has not exercised its option to purchase such intangibles assets, machinery and equipment. ClearThink Term Loan On January 18, 2024, the Company entered into the Revenue-Based Factoring MCA Plus Agreement with ClearThink which provides, among other things, for a 33-week term loan in the principal amount of $200,000 (with an additional one-time commitment fee of $50,000). Interest accrues at the rate of 25% per annum with an additional 5% default interest rate in the event of circumstances described in the agreement or $50,000 will be added to the principal amount and accrue after principal is paid. The Company is required to make biweekly payments of $14,706, commencing February 1, 2024 for the term of the Agreement. On January 25, 2024, the Company issued 354,610 shares of common stock to ClearThink as a commitment fee. 34 Results of Operations The following discussion and analysis of financial condition and results of operations of the Company is based upon, and should be read in conjunction with, the audited financial statements and related notes elsewhere in this Annual Report. Year Ended December 31, 2023 compared to the Year Ended December 31, 2022 Net Sales. Revenue for the year ended December 31, 2023 decreased 52.0% to $6,124,529 as compared to $12,767,145 for the year ended December 31, 2022 as a result of a decrease in poundage sold during the year ended December 31, 2023. Cost of Goods Sold. Cost of goods sold for the year ended December 31, 2023 decreased to $5,966,452 as compared to $13,419,133 for the year ended December 31, 2022. This decrease is attributable to the decrease in poundage sold in the cost of goods. Gross Profit (Loss) . Gross profit for the year ended December 31, 2023 is $158,077 as compared to gross loss of $651,988 for the year ended December 31, 2022. This increase is attributable to higher market prices and lower cost of goods sold in comparison to the year ended December 31, 2022. Gross Profit (Loss) Margin. Gross profit margin for the year ended December 31, 2023 is 2.6% as compared to gross loss margin of 5.1% for the year ended December 31, 2022. This increase is attributable to higher market prices and lower cost of goods sold in comparison to the year ended December 31, 2022. Commissions Expenses. Commissions expenses decreased to $2,169 for the year ended December 31, 2023 from $24,482 for the year ended December 31, 2022. The decrease is attributable to lower commissionable revenues. Salaries and Wages Expense . Salaries and wages decreased to $1,858,004 for the year ended December 31, 2023 as compared to $2,032,457 for the year ended December 31, 2022. This decrease is primarily attributable to a strategic reduction in salaries for the year ended December 31, 2023. Depreciation and Amortization . Depreciation and amortization expense decreased to $4,521 for the year ended December 31, 2023 as compared to $584,386 for the year ended December 31, 2022. This decrease is attributable to lower depreciation due to the impairment of fixed assets and intangible assets in the year ended December 31, 2022. Impairment Loss. Impairment loss decreased to $0 for the year ended December 31, 2023 as compared to $5,797,906 for the year ended December 31, 2022. This decrease is attributable to the impairment recognized on TOBC for the year ended December 31, 2022. Other Operating Expense. Other operating expenses increased 0.1% to $2,525,661 for the year ended December 31, 2023 as compared to $2,522,764 for the year ended December 31, 2022. This increase is mainly attributable to an increase in legal and professional fees related to our business operations. Other Income . Other income decreased to $12,708 for the year ended December 31, 2023 from $154,196 for the year ended December 31, 2022. This decrease is primarily attributable to lower collections received by Coastal Pride from previously written off receivables. Loss on Conversion of Debt. Loss on conversion of debt increased to $977,188 for the year ended December 31, 2023 from $57,085 for the year ended December 31, 2022. This increase is attributable to the additional payments made to Lind by the issuance of common stock due to a decrease in the Repayment Share Price. Change in Fair Value of Derivatives and Warrants Liabilities . Change in fair value of derivatives and warrants liabilities increased to $2,497,088 for the year ended December 31, 2023 from $0 for the year ended December 31, 2022. This increase is attributable to the 2023 Lind notes embedded conversion feature due to the variable conversion price on the agreements. Interest Expense. Interest expense increased to $1,771,942 for the year ended December 31, 2023 as compared to $1,678,097 for the year ended December 31, 2022. This increase is mainly attributable to the amortization of the Lind convertible debt discount. 35 Net Loss. The Company had a net loss of $4,471,612 for the year ended December 31, 2023 as compared to a net loss of $13,194,969 for the year ended December 31, 2022. The decrease in net loss is primarily attributable to decreases in salaries and wages, decreases in depreciation and amortization, recognition of impairment losses for TOBC and Coastal Pride in 2022 that no longer applied in 2023 and decreases of other expenses of legal and professional fees. Liquidity and Capital Resources The Company had cash of $24,163 as of December 31, 2023. At December 31, 2023, the Company had a working capital surplus of $899,215, including $165,620 in stockholder loans that were subordinated to its working capital line of credit, as compared to a working capital deficit of $3,013,281 at December 31, 2022, including $893,000 in stockholder loans. The Company’s primary sources of liquidity consisted of inventory of $2,608,521 and accounts receivable of $534,195 at December 31, 2023. The increase in working capital was due primarily to decreases of inventory of $2,023,631 and accounts receivable of $270,881 netted against the decreases in the working capital line of credit of $1,776,068 and maturities of short-term debt of $3,439,557. The Company has historically financed its operations through the cash flow generated from operations, loans from stockholders and other related parties as well as a working capital line of credit and the sale of equity in private offerings. Cash (Used in) Operating Activities. Cash used in operating activities during the year ended December 31, 2023 was $3,530,662 as compared to cash used in operating activities of $3,618,811 for the year ended December 31, 2022, representing a decrease of $88,149. The decrease is primarily attributable to a decrease in inventory of $5,455,560 netted against the decreases in deferred income of $62,336, accounts receivable netted against other current assets of $3,036,916 and decrease in payables netted against other current liabilities of $2,094,395 for the year ended December 31, 2023. Cash (Used in) Investing Activities. Cash used in investing activities for the year ended December 31, 2023 was $159,609 as compared to $695,275 cash used in investing activities for the year ended December 31, 2022. The decrease was a result of no acquisitions during the year ended December 31, 2023 compared to the acquisition of the soft-shell crab operations by Coastal Pride for the year ended December 31, 2022. Cash Provided by Financing Activities. Cash provided by financing activities for the year ended December 31, 2023 was $3,676,355 as compared to cash provided by financing activities of $3,075,400 for the year ended December 31, 2022. This increase is mainly attributable to in the private placement offering completed in September 2023. Working Capital Line of Credit On March 31, 2021, Keeler & Co. and Coastal Pride entered into a loan and security agreement (“Loan Agreement”) with Lighthouse. Pursuant to the terms of the Loan Agreement, Lighthouse made available to Keeler & Co. and Coastal Pride (together, the “Borrowers”) a $5,000,000 revolving line of credit for a term of thirty-six months, renewable annually for one-year periods thereafter. Amounts due under the line of credit are represented by a revolving credit note issued to Lighthouse by the Borrowers. The advance rate of the revolving line of credit was 85% with respect to eligible accounts receivable and the lower of 60% of the Borrowers’ eligible inventory, or 80% of the net orderly liquidation value, subject to an inventory sublimit of $2,500,000. The inventory portion of the loan will never exceed 50% of the outstanding balance. Interest on the line of credit is the prime rate (with a floor of 3.25%), plus 3.75%. The Borrowers paid Lighthouse a facility fee of $50,000 in three instalments of $16,667 in March, April and May 2021 and paid an additional facility fee of $25,000 on March 31, 2022. In an effort to increase imports to meet customer demand, on January 14, 2022, the maximum inventory advance under the line of credit was adjusted from 50% to 70% until June 30, 2022, 65% until July 31, 2022, 60% until August 31, 2022, 55% until September 30, 2022, at a monthly fee of 0.25% on the portion of the loan in excess of the 50% advance. On July 29, 2022, the Loan Agreement was further amended to set the annual interest rate on the outstanding principal amount at 4.75% above the prime rate and to reduce the monthly required cash flow requirements beginning July 31, 2022. The amendment also updated the maximum inventory advance under the line of credit to 60% from August 1, 2022 through December 31, 2022 and 50% thereafter. 36 The line of credit was secured by a first priority security interest on all the assets of each Borrower. Pursuant to the terms of a guaranty agreement, the Company guaranteed the obligations of the Borrowers under the note and John Keeler, Executive Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Company, provided a personal guaranty of up to $1,000,000 to Lighthouse. On June 16, 2023, the Company terminated the Loan Agreement and paid an aggregate of approximately $108,400 to Lighthouse which included, as of June 16, 2023, an outstanding principal balance of approximately $93,400, accrued interest of approximately $9,900, and other fees incurred in connection with the line of credit of approximately $4,991. Upon the repayment of the total outstanding indebtedness owing to Lighthouse, the Loan Agreement and all other related financing agreements and documents entered into in connection with the Loan Agreement were deemed terminated. During the year ended December 31, 2023, cash proceeds from the working capital line of credit totaled $2,405,034 and cash payments to the working capital line of credit totaled $4,182,971. John Keeler Promissory Notes From January 2006 through May 2017, Keeler & Co issued 6% demand promissory notes in the aggregate principal amount of $2,910,000 to John Keeler, our Chief Executive Officer and Executive Chairman. As of December 31, 2023, approximately $165,600 of principal remains outstanding and approximately $50,500 of interest was paid under the notes during the year ended December 31, 2023. These notes are subordinated to the Lighthouse note. After satisfaction of the terms of the subordination, the Company may prepay the notes at any time first against interest due thereunder. If an event of default occurs under the notes, interest will accrue at 18% per annum and if not paid within ten days of payment becoming due, the holder of the note is entitled to a late fee of 5% of the amount of payment not timely made. The Company made principal payments of $157,380 during the year ended December 31, 2023. During the year ended December 31, 2023, the Company issued 3,958,333 shares of its common stock to settle $570,000 principal of the subordinated notes. Underwritten Offering On September 11, 2023, the Company offered and sold in a “best efforts” public offering pursuant to a registration statement on Form S-1, which was declared effective by the SEC on September 7, 2023, an aggregate of 690,000 shares of common stock, together with Series A-1 warrants to purchase up to 10,741,139 shares of common stock and Series A-2 warrants to purchase up to 10,741,139 shares of common stock (collectively, the “Common Warrants”) and 10,051,130 pre-funded warrants (the “Pre-Funded Warrants”). Each share of common stock and Pre-Funded Warrants were sold together with a Series A-1 common stock purchase warrant to purchase one share of common stock and a Series A-2 common stock purchase warrant to purchase one share of common stock. The shares of common stock or Pre-Funded Warrant and accompanying Common Warrants are immediately separable and were issued separately. The public offering price for each share of common stock and accompanying Common Warrants was $0.4655. Each Common Warrant has an exercise price per share of $0.4655 and will be exercisable beginning on the effective date of stockholder approval of the issuance of the shares upon exercise of the Common Warrants (“Warrant Stockholder Approval”). The Series A-1 common stock purchase warrants will expire on the five-year anniversary of the effective date of the Warrant Stockholder Approval. The Series A-2 common stock purchase warrants will expire on the eighteen-month anniversary of the effective date of the Warrant Stockholder Approval. The Pre-Funded Warrants are exercisable immediately, may be exercised at any time until all of the Pre-Funded Warrants are exercised in full, and have an exercise price of $0.01. The Warrant Stockholder Approval has not yet been obtained. The shares of common stock, Common Warrants and Pre-Funded Warrants were sold pursuant to a securities purchase agreement. H.C. Wainwright & Co., LLC acted as placement agent for the offering and received a fee of 7% of the gross proceeds, reimbursement of $35,000 in non-accountable expenses and $100,000 for legal fees and out-of-pocket expenses. 2021 Underwritten Offering On November 2, 2021, the Company entered into an underwriting agreement (the “Underwriting Agreement”) with Newbridge Securities Corporation (“Newbridge”), as representative of the underwriters listed therein (the “Underwriters”), pursuant to which the Company agreed to sell to the Underwriters in a firm commitment underwritten public offering (the “Offering”) an aggregate of 800,000 shares of the Company’s common stock, at a public offering price of $5.00 per share. In addition, the Underwriters were granted an over-allotment option (the “Over-allotment Option”) for a period of 45 days to purchase up to an additional 120,000 shares of common stock. The Offering closed on November 5, 2021 and the common stock began trading on the NASDAQ Capital Market under the symbol “BSFC” on November 3, 2021. The Over-allotment Option was not exercised by the Underwriters. The net proceeds to the Company from the Offering, after deducting the underwriting discount, the underwriters’ fees and expenses and the Company’s estimated Offering expenses, were approximately $3,600,000. The Company used the net proceeds from the Offering for general corporate purposes, including working capital, operating expenses, and capital expenditures. The Company may also use a portion of the net proceeds to acquire or make investments in businesses, products, and offerings, although the Company does not have agreements or commitments for any material acquisitions or investments at this time. In addition, pursuant to the terms of the Underwriting Agreement and related “lock-up” agreements, each director, executive officer, and beneficial owners of over 10% of the Company’s common stock (for a period of 180 days after the date of the final prospectus relating to the Offering), have agreed, subject to customary exceptions, not to sell, transfer or otherwise dispose of securities of the Company, without the prior written consent of Newbridge. On November 5, 2021, in connection with the November 2, 2021 Offering, the Company issued a warrant to purchase an aggregate of 2,800 shares of common stock at an exercise price of $100.00 per share to Newbridge. Such warrant expires on November 11, 2024. 37 Lind Global Fund II LP investment On January 24, 2022, the Company entered into a securities purchase agreement with Lind Global Fund II LP, a Delaware limited partnership (“Lind”), pursuant to which the Company issued to Lind a secured, two-year, interest free convertible promissory note in the principal amount of $5,750,000 and a five-year warrant to purchase 1,000,000 shares of common stock of the Company at an exercise price of $4.50 per share, subject to customary adjustments (50,000 shares of common stock at an exercise price of $90 per share after taking into account the Company’s Reverse Stock Split). The warrant provides for cashless exercise and for full ratchet anti-dilution if the Company issues securities at less than $4.50 per share (exercise price of $90 per share after taking into account the Company’s Reverse Stock Split). In connection with the issuance of the note and the warrant, the Company paid a $150,000 commitment fee to Lind and approximately $87,000 of debt issuance costs. The outstanding principal under the note is payable commencing July 24, 2022, in 18 consecutive monthly installments of $333,333, at the Company’s option, in cash or shares of common stock at a price (the “Repayment Share Price”) based on 90% of the five lowest volume weighted average prices (“VWAP”) during the 20-days prior to the payment date with a floor price of $1.50 per share (the “Floor Price”) (floor price of $30 per share after taking into account the Company’s Reverse Stock Split), or a combination of cash and stock provided that if at any time the Repayment Share Price is deemed to be the Floor Price, then in addition to shares, the Company will pay Lind an additional amount in cash as determined pursuant to a formula contained in the note. In connection with the issuance of the note, the Company granted Lind a first priority security interest and lien on all of its assets, including a pledge on its shares in John Keeler & Co. Inc., its wholly-owned subsidiary, pursuant to a security agreement and a stock pledge agreement with Lind, dated January 24, 2022. Each subsidiary of the Company also granted a second priority security interest in all of its respective assets. The note is mandatorily payable prior to maturity if the Company issues any preferred stock (with certain exceptions described in the note) or, if the Company or its subsidiaries issues any indebtedness other than certain amounts under the then line of credit facility with Lighthouse. The Company also agreed not to issue or sell any securities with a conversion, exercise or other price based on a discount to the trading prices of the Company’s stock or to grant the right to receive additional securities based on future transactions of the Company on terms more favorable than those granted to Lind, with certain exceptions. If the Company fails to maintain the listing and trading of its common stock, the note will become due and payable and Lind may convert all or a portion of the outstanding principal at the lower of the then current conversion price and 80% of the average of the 3-day VWAP during the 20 days prior to delivery of the conversion notice. If the Company engages in capital raising transactions, Lind has the right to purchase up to 10% of the new securities. The note is convertible into common stock at $5.00 per share ($100 per share after taking into account the Company’s Reverse Stock Split), subject to certain adjustments, at any time after the earlier of six months from issuance or the date the registration statement is effective; provided that no such conversion may be made that would result in beneficial ownership by Lind and its affiliates of more than 4.99% of the Company’s outstanding shares of common stock. If shares are issued by the Company at less than the conversion price, the conversion price will be reduced to such price. On September 15, 2023, the Company paid $2,573,142 to Lind and the note was extinguished. On May 30, 2023, the Company entered into a securities purchase agreement with Lind pursuant to which the Company issued to Lind a secured, two-year, interest free convertible promissory note in the principal amount of $1,200,000 (the “Lind Note”) and a warrant (the “Lind Warrant”) to purchase 435,035 shares of common stock of the Company commencing six months after issuance and exercisable for five years at an exercise price of $2.45 per share, for the aggregate funding amount of $1,000,000. The Lind Warrant includes cashless exercise and full ratchet anti-dilution provisions. In connection with the issuance of the Lind Note and the Lind Warrant, the Company paid Lind a $50,000 commitment fee. The proceeds from the sale of the Note and Warrant are for general working capital purposes. On July 27, 2023, the Company, entered into a First Amendment to the securities purchase agreement (the “Purchase Agreement Amendment”) with Lind, pursuant to which the Company amended the securities purchase agreement, entered into with Lind as of May 30, 2023 in order to permit the issuance of further senior convertible promissory notes in the aggregate principal amount of up to $1,800,000 and warrants in such aggregate amount as the Company and Lind shall mutually agree. 38 Pursuant to the Purchase Agreement Amendment, the Company issued to Lind a two-year, interest free convertible promissory note in the principal amount of $300,000 and a warrant to purchase 175,234 shares of common stock of the Company commencing six months after issuance and exercisable for five years at an exercise price of $1.34 per share, for the aggregate amount of $250,000. In connection with the issuance of the note and the warrant, the Company paid a $12,500 commitment fee. The proceeds from the sale of the note and warrant are for general working capital purposes. Agile Loan In order to refinance interest due on the June 14, 2023 note issued to Agile, on January 2, 2024, the Company, and Keeler & Co. entered into a subordinated business loan and security agreement with Agile and Agile Capital as collateral agent, which provides for a term loan to the Company in the amount of $122,491 which principal and interest (of $48,996) is due on May 31, 2024. Commencing January 5, 2024, the Company is required to make weekly payments of $7,795 until the due date. The loan may be prepaid subject to a prepayment fee. An administrative agent fee of $5,833 was paid on the loan. A default interest rate of 5% will become effective upon the occurrence of an event of default. In connection with the loan, Agile was issued a subordinated secured promissory note, dated January 2, 2024, in the principal amount of $122,491 which note is secured by all of the Borrower’s assets, including receivables. ClearThink Term Loan On January 18, 2024, the Company entered into the Revenue-Based Factoring MCA Plus Agreement with ClearThink which provides, among other things, for a 33-week term loan in the principal amount of $200,000 (with an additional one-time commitment fee of $50,000). Interest accrues at the rate of 25% per annum with an additional 5% default interest rate in the event of circumstances described in the agreement or $50,000 will be added to the principal amount and accrue after principal is paid. The Company is required to make biweekly payments of $14,706, commencing February 1, 2024 for the term of the Agreement. On January 25, 2024, the Company issued 354,610 shares of common stock to ClearThink as a commitment fee. Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates Valuation of Goodwill and Long-Lived Assets Goodwill and long-lived assets include the cost of the acquired business in excess of the fair value of the net assets recorded in connection with an acquisition. Long-lived assets include customer relationships, non-compete agreements, trademarks and fixed assets. For goodwill, our policy is to assess for impairment at year-end or whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying value may not be recoverable. For long-lived assets, we assess for impairment only if events occur that indicate that the carrying amount of an asset may not be recoverable. Annually, we assess the recoverability of goodwill and long-lived assets by determining whether the fair values exceed the carrying values of these assets. For long-lived assets, we use the income method, which uses a forecast of the expected future net cash flows associated with each asset. These cash flows are then adjusted to present value by applying an appropriate discount rate that reflects the risk factors associated with the cash flow streams. Our goodwill testing may be performed utilizing either a qualitative or quantitative assessment; however, if a qualitative assessment is performed and we determine that the fair value of a reporting unit is more likely than not (i.e., a likelihood of more than 50 percent) to be less than its carrying amount, a quantitative test is performed. When using a quantitative test, we arrive at our estimates of fair value using a discounted cash flow analysis. Our assessment for impairment of goodwill and long-lived assets compared the fair value of the reporting unit to the corresponding carrying value. If the carrying value of the asset exceeds its fair value, an impairment loss is recognized in an amount equal to the excess. An annual impairment analysis for goodwill and long-lived assets was completed for Coastal Pride and TOBC due to the lower forecasted revenues and gross losses recognized in the year ended December 31, 2022 as a result of the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on the Company’s business. Based on our year-end 2022 annual impairment analysis for goodwill and long-lived assets, we recorded an impairment loss on customer relationships, trademarks, non-compete agreements and fixed assets of $1,595,677, $1,006,185, $78,116 and $1,873,619, respectively, related to Coastal Pride and TOBC. For goodwill, the analysis concluded an impairment of $1,244,309 related to Coastal Pride and TOBC for year ended December 31, 2022. No impairment was recognized for the year ended December 31, 2023. The fair value conclusions as of December 31, 2022 are highly sensitive to changes in the assumptions used in the income approach, which include forecasted revenues, perpetual growth rates, among others, all of which require significant judgments by management. Fair value of the reporting unit is therefore determined using significant unobservable inputs, or level 3 in the fair value hierarchy. The Company has used recent historical performance, current forecasted financial information, and broad-based industry and economic statistics as a basis to estimate the key assumptions utilized in the forecasted cash flow model. These key assumptions are inherently uncertain and require a high degree of estimation and judgment and are subject to change based on future changes, industry and global economic and geo-political conditions, and the timing and success of the implementation of current strategic initiatives. Inventories Substantially all of the Company’s inventory consists of packaged crab meat located at a public cold storage facility and merchandise in transit from suppliers. The Company also has eggs and fish in process inventory from TOBC. The cost of inventory is primarily determined using the specific identification method for crab meat. Fish in process inventory is measured based on the estimated biomass of fish on hand. The Company has established a standard procedure to estimate the biomass of fish on hand using counting and sampling techniques. Inventory is valued at the lower of cost or net realizable value, cost being determined using the first-in, first-out method for crab meat and using various estimates and assumptions in regard to the calculation of the biomass, including expected yield, market value of the biomass, and estimated costs of completion. 39 Merchandise is purchased cost and freight shipping point and becomes the Company’s asset and liability upon leaving the suppliers’ warehouse. The Company had in-transit inventory of approximately $974,000 and $1,598,000 as of December 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022, respectively. The Company periodically reviews the value of items in inventory and records an allowance to reduce the carrying value of inventory to the lower of cost or net realizable value based on its assessment of market conditions, inventory turnover and current stock levels. Inventory write-downs are charged to cost of goods sold. The Company recorded an inventory allowance of $176,000 for the year ended December 31, 2023. Revenue Recognition The Company recognizes revenue in accordance with Accounting Standards Codification (ASC) 606, Revenue from Contracts with Customers, as such, we record revenue when our customer obtains control of the promised goods or services in an amount that reflects the consideration which the Company expects to receive in exchange for those goods or services. The Company’s source of revenue is from importing blue and red swimming crab meat primarily from Mexico, Indonesia, the Philippines and China and distributing it in the United States and Canada under several brand names such as Blue Star, Oceanica, Pacifika, Crab & Go, First Choice, Good Stuff and Coastal Pride Fresh and steelhead salmon and rainbow trout fingerlings produced by TOBC under the brand name Little Cedar Farms for distribution in Canada. We sell primarily to food service distributors. We also sell our products to wholesalers, retail establishments and seafood distributors. To determine revenue recognition for the arrangements that the Company determines are within the scope of Topic 606, the Company performs the following five steps: (1) identify the contract(s) with a customer by receipt of purchase orders and confirmations sent by the Company which includes a required line of credit approval process, (2) identify the performance obligations in the contract which includes shipment of goods to the customer FOB shipping point or destination, (3) determine the transaction price which initiates with the purchase order received from the customer and confirmation sent by the Company and will include discounts and allowances by customer if any, (4) allocate the transaction price to the performance obligations in the contract which is the shipment of the goods to the customer and transaction price determined in step 3 above and (5) recognize revenue when (or as) the entity satisfies a performance obligation which is when the Company transfers control of the goods to the customers by shipment or delivery of the products. The Company elected an accounting policy to treat shipping and handling activities as fulfillment activities. Consideration payable to a customer is recorded as a reduction of the arrangement’s transaction price, thereby reducing the amount of revenue recognized, unless the payment is for distinct goods or services received from the customer. Recent Accounting Pronouncements ASU 2016-13 Financial Instruments – Credit Losses (Topic 326) In June 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-13, Financial Instruments-Credit Losses (Topic 326): Measurement of Credit Losses on Financial Instruments, which requires entities to use a forward-looking, expected loss model to estimate credit losses. It also requires entities to consider additional disclosures related to credit quality of trade and other receivables, including information related to management’s estimate of credit allowances. ASU 2016-13 was further amended in November 2018 by ASU 2018-19, Codification Improvements to Topic 236, Financial Instrument-Credit Losses. For public business entities that are U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filers excluding smaller reporting companies, the amendments are effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2019, including interim periods within those fiscal years. For all other public business entities, the amendments are effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2020, including interim periods within those fiscal years. On October 16, 2019, FASB voted to delay implementation of ASU No. 2016-13, “Financial Instruments-Credit Losses (Topic 326) - Measurement of Credit Losses on Financial Instruments.” For all other entities, the amendments are now effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2021, and interim periods within fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2022. On November 15, 2019, FASB issued an Accounting Standard Update No. 2019-10 to amend the implementation date to fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2022, including interim periods within those fiscal years. Early adoption is permitted for fiscal years, and interim periods within those fiscal years, beginning after December 15, 2018. The Company adopted this ASU related to its trade receivables on January 1, 2023 and determined there was no material impact from the adoption of the ASU on the Company’s consolidated financial statements. Reverse Stock Split On March 29, 2023, the Company’s board of directors approved, and on May 10, 2023, at a special meeting of the stockholders, holders of approximately 87% of the Company’s voting power, approved the granting of authority to the Board to amend the Company’s Certificate of Incorporation to effect a reverse stock split of the issued and outstanding shares of the Company’s common stock, by a ratio of not less than 1-for-2 and not more than 1-for-50, with the exact ratio to be determined by the Board. On June 9, 2023, the Company amended its Certificate of Incorporation to effect a one-for-twenty reverse stock split, which became effective on June 21, 2023. All share and per share amounts in this Annual Report have been restated for all periods presented to reflect the Reverse Stock Split. Off Balance Sheet Arrangements We currently have no off-balance sheet arrangements. ITEM 7A. QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK We are a smaller reporting company as defined by Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act and are not required to provide the information under this Item. 40