More than 600 participants from sixty countries and territories in the world, representatives from international organizations and relevant agencies, tuna exporters, companies and organizations providing various goods and services to the tuna industry attended the event. The event was officiated by the Minister of Agriculture and Cooperatives of Thailand, Mr. Theera Wongsamut.
The main goal of 2012 tuna conference is to call upon international community to turn towards sustainable fishing with an aim to conserve tuna stocks, avoid deteriorating tuna resources due to method of excessive tuna fishing in many regions in the world.
The participants in the conference heard and discussed many issues related to world tuna industry. The follows are some outstanding issues of the conference:
- Catching tuna in the most environmentally friendly way, eco-label for tuna and developing techniques of tuna fishing and processing.
- Conserving tuna stocks by sustainable method of tuna fishing.
- Establishing more rational regulations on fishing, processing, and trading tuna.
- Discussing challenges in tuna trade in the wake of dwindling tuna resources, increasing tuna demand and price.
- Discussing cooperation among tuna stock management organizations, non-government organizations, tuna processors and exporters and consuming markets in tuna trade sector.
According to participants, the conference created a good chance for stakeholders in the tuna industry to share and exchange information, promote products as well as expand long-lasting business relations. Through evaluation reports on key markets of tuna sector, tuna exporters joining in the conference will have an overview of tuna import. Accordingly, exporters can access to more information of tuna market trends, tuna production and export.
Once again, Thailand is chosen as the venue of the conference. The tuna industry is an important economic sector in Thailand, creat jobs and foreign exchange for the country. In 2012, the country makes effort to speed up tuna exports to offset for the decline in tuna export value in 2011.
However, Thai tuna exports are coping with huge obstacles such as soaring price of raw tuna due to declining tuna catches caused by tighter international restrictions, conservation measures which are being applied in the region and in the world. The cost and freight (CFR) price of skipjack raw material in Bangkok had increased from US$918 per MT in 2006 to around US$1,800 - 2,025 per MT last year, Mr. Theera Wongsamut spoke at the conference.
It is expected that Thailand tuna exports would rebound this year, but this largely depends on raw tuna. As much as 85 percent of tuna raw material for local production is imported. Apart from the declining tuna stocks, limits on the number of tuna ships and pirate attacks have dampened the global tuna industry’s prospects even as global demand keeps rising.
According to the Thai Frozen Products Association (TFPA), the Thai canned tuna industry is expected to import more pre-cooked tuna loins for canning and reexporting. To offset the declining demand in the traditional markets like the U.S. and EU, Thai canners are aggressively diversifying their markets by exporting to as many countries as possible particularly to emerging markets like the Middle East, North Africa, Latin America and Africa. Exports to these new markets has increased tremendously in recent years.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) The Quang Tri Department of Agriculture and Environment has instructed localities to base their stocking schedules on actual conditions in each farming area, while developing plans, allocating resources, and implementing synchronized measures for disease prevention and disaster risk management in aquaculture production.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) In the first two months of 2026, Vietnam’s exports of fish cakes and surimi exceeded USD 45 million, up 7% compared to the same period in 2025, indicating a positive outlook for this product segment amid recovering demand in many markets.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) During the week from April 4th to 10th, 2026, Quang Ngai province intensified its monitoring and law enforcement activities with the determination to eliminate illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing practices.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Thanh Hoa’s shrimp sector is undergoing a strong transformation by accelerating the adoption of high technology, helping to improve productivity, increase profits, and meet market demands. The province currently has about 4,100 hectares of shrimp farming, with output continuing to rise despite stable farming area, mainly due to the shift from traditional methods to intensive and super-intensive farming.
(vasep.com.vn) Amid ongoing volatility in global seafood trade, Vietnam’s crab exports have made a fairly positive start to 2026. According to Vietnam Customs statistics, export turnover in the first two months of 2026 reached nearly USD 55 million, up 24% compared to the same period in 2025 and more than 2.2 times higher than in the same period of 2024. This indicates that crab exports are entering 2026 with stronger growth momentum, particularly in Asian markets.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Da Nang City has fully implemented all recommendations from the European Commission (EC) regarding the fight against illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing, creating an important foundation for the removal of the “yellow card” in the near future.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) In Hoa Vang district (Da Nang City), red tilapia farming is demonstrating clear economic efficiency, becoming a promising livelihood that helps many households increase their income. A notable example is the model of Mr. Huynh Ngoc Nam, who operates two red tilapia ponds covering more than 4 hectares, generating stable annual income.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) In Gia Vien district, tilapia farming—particularly the “duong nghiep” strain—is expanding rapidly and gradually becoming an efficient production model for local farmers. Hatcheries in the area are supplying high-quality, uniform, and disease-free fingerlings, meeting the growing demand for commercial farming.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) On the afternoon of March 19, Vice Chairman of the Ca Mau Provincial People’s Committee, Le Van Su, chaired a meeting to address bottlenecks and propose solutions to expand the super-intensive whiteleg shrimp farming model using low water exchange and high biosecurity standards (RAS-IMTA).
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) On March 10, 2026, the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee issued Decision No. 1377/QD-UBND approving the Aquatic Animal Disease Prevention and Control Plan for the 2026–2030 period. The decision takes effect from the date of signing and replaces previous plans for the 2021–2030 period that had been issued prior to the administrative merger in Ba Ria – Vung Tau, Binh Duong, and Ho Chi Minh City.
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
Đơn vị vận hành trang tin điện tử: Trung tâm VASEP.PRO
Trưởng Ban Biên tập: Bà Phùng Thị Kim Thu
Giấy phép hoạt động Trang thông tin điện tử tổng hợp số 138/GP-TTĐT, ngày 01/10/2013 của Bộ Thông tin và Truyền thông
Tel: (+84 24) 3.7715055 – (ext.203); email: kimthu@vasep.com.vn
Trụ sở: Số 7 đường Nguyễn Quý Cảnh, Phường An Phú, Quận 2, Tp.Hồ Chí Minh
Tel: (+84) 28.628.10430 - Fax: (+84) 28.628.10437 - Email: vasephcm@vasep.com.vn
VPĐD: số 10, Nguyễn Công Hoan, Ngọc Khánh, Ba Đình, Hà Nội
Tel: (+84 24) 3.7715055 - Fax: (+84 24) 37715084 - Email: vasephn@vasep.com.vn