Farm-raised Bluefin tuna from Mexico is gaining credibility and popularity in Japan for sushi and sashimi, aided by competitive pricing and burgeoning supplies.

(vasep.com.vn) With a population of 30 million people, Uzbekistan is a landlocked country in Asia which has high demand for tropical products, including seafood.

The steep rise in fuel prices caused by the recent depreciation of the yen is dealing a severe blow to Japan's fisheries industry.

Chinese processors are suffering from high labor costs as factories become increasingly "undesirable" places to work.

The total volume of US seafood imports climbed 0.34percent during the first quarter of 2013, while the value of theseimports fell 3.1 percent to $3.9 billion (€3 billion).

Companies say EU-Thailand free trade could hurt canning sector. Spanish processing association Anfaco-Cecopesca on Wed will meet with Spanish Minister of Agriculture, Food and Environment Miguel Arias Canete to press for trade restrictions on Thai tuna imports, according to finanzas.com.

(vasep.com.vn) Between January and March 2013, Vietnam imported US$133 million of fish for processing. The four main suppliers were Taiwan, Japan, Norway and India, covering 40.3 percent of the total. In the next two quarters of the year, purchase of raw material from outside is predicted to increase by 5 – 7 percent over the compatible period of 2012.

The House Agriculture Committee voted to repeal a controversial catfish inspection program at the U.S. Department of Agriculture late Wednesday night – a sign the program, which was mandated by the 2008 farm bill to help protect U.S. catfish farmers from cheap imports, may be headed for the chopping block.

Skipjack prices at the Bangkok tuna auction hit a record level of $2400 per ton last month, although they have retreated slightly since then.

Next June Honduras could become the newest member of the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission (IATTC).

Thailand is trying to build links and trade pacts with Pacific nations to feed its growing industrial sector, and to ensure the future supply of tuna raw materials to its canneries.

(vasep.com.vn) In 2012, Vietnam shrimp sales to EU experienced a setback due to EU’s low demand for shrimp imports and consumption caused by the economic stagnation.

"The outbreak of early mortality syndrome (EMS), also known as acute hepatopancreatic necrosis syndrome (AHNS), in Asian shrimp has led to questions about whether trade in certain products represents a bio security risk to producers in the Western hemisphere," said Steven Hedlund, communications manager at Global Aquaculture Alliance (GAA).

(vasep.com.vn) With a population of 47 million people and 50 million of tourists each year, Spain is one of the world’s leading seafood consumer markets. However, its imports of fish products, particularly pangasius, have been decreasing in two consecutive years due to economic troubles.

The wholesale prices of imported frozen shrimp are soaring by a large margin in Japan as supply decreased drastically in the wake of the spread of infectious disease in the farming ponds in the Southeast Asian countries since last fall.