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 year 2025 marked a pivotal milestone for Vietnam’s seafood industry in its restructuring process toward sustainability, transparency, and higher value creation, amid continued uncertainties in the global economic and trade environment. Prolonged inflation in major economies, the rising trend of trade protectionism, and increasingly stringent requirements related to environmental standards, traceability, and social responsibility have posed significant challenges to seafood production and exports. Nevertheless, overcoming these pressures, Vietnam’s seafood sector has gradually demonstrated its adaptability, maintained growth momentum, and laid an important foundation for the next stage of development.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Amid the increasingly evident impacts of drought and saltwater intrusion, the shrimp-rice production model in Ca Mau province continues to prove itself as a viable direction, contributing to higher farmer incomes, improved soil conditions and the promotion of ecological and sustainable agricultural development.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) The management of fishing vessels, monitoring of fishing activities, and handling of violations in the fisheries sector in Lam Dong province have continued to be implemented in a synchronized and stringent manner, contributing to raising awareness of legal compliance among fishermen and aiming to end illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Can Tho’s fishery industry sustained steady growth in 2025 with total aquatic and marine output reaching nearly 783,000 tons, fulfilling 100% of the annual target. Aquaculture, capture fisheries and fishing fleet management were further strengthened, aiming for sustainable development in the coming years.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) In 2025, Vietnam’s pangasius export turnover reached nearly USD 2.2 billion, up 8% year-on-year. This result indicates that pangasius exports maintained their growth momentum despite significant volatility in the global market environment. In December 2025, pangasius export value reached USD 200 million, up 10% compared to December 2024. This solid performance in the final month of the year reflects increased import demand for consumption and inventory replenishment in key markets.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) In 2025, Vietnam’s tuna exports to Spain experienced significant fluctuations. According to Vietnam Customs, during the first 11 months of 2025, export turnover for the first 11 months of the year edged up by 0.3% year-on-year, reaching nearly $15 million.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Deputy Prime Minister Bui Thanh Son has signed Decision No. 16/QD-TTg, dated January 5, 2026, approving the implementation plan for the Vietnam-Israel Free Trade Agreement (VIFTA). Under the plan, in the coming period, ministries, ministerial-level agencies, government-affiliated entities and People’s Committees of provinces and centrally-run cities must institutionalize and execute tasks focused on the dissemination of information regarding VIFTA and the Israeli market; legislative and institutional development, as well as enhancing competitiveness and human resource growth...
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Beyond achieving double-digit growth, Vietnam’s fish cake and surimi exports are showing a notable year-end "inflection point": the EU his accelerating with nearly twofold growth, China & Hong Kong are rising sharply, while the largest market, South Korea, signaled a slowdown in November. According to Vietnam Customs data, export turnover of fish cake and surimi reached $327 million in the first 11 months of 2025, up 22% year-on-year; November 2025 alone accounted for $35 million, marking a 5% increase. This serves as a critical foundation for exporters to reassess market structures and competitive intensity while finalizing order strategies for 2026.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Ca Mau, widely regarded as the nation’s “shrimp capital”, continued its strong performance in 2025 as shrimp output reached nearly 600,000 tons, maintaining its position as Vietnam’s leading shrimp-producing locality.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) On December 29, 2025, at the 2025 Pangasius Industry Review Conference held in Can Tho City, the Vietnam Pangasius Association announced that fingerling prices have surged to record levels due to acute supply shortages.
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