First - the business climate. Europe is not monolithic, and although you may see headlines about European economic problems, they are impacting different countries very differently.
The biggest problems for seafood are Spain and Greece, with the Spanish market being especially vulnerable. Spains weakness may spill over into the cod market, and into some types of shrimp, as sales that would have gone to Spain seek homes elsewhere.
But business is strong in Germany, the UK and other parts of Europe, including Russia, and so there is no indication that somehow the European market is suffering a crisis at this time.
One of the major themes is value added seafood. At the Dutch seafood breakfast, major importer and European distributor Culimar introduced new branding, for its responsible artisanal seafood.
Marketing manager Martin Van Geest also said they were competing with a plague of adulterated products - particularly shrimp, where a 20% glaze product often does not produce 800 grams of net weight - but 750 or less. In southern Europe, price is supreme and it is very hard to sell 100% net weight. Their business is targeting high end foodservice and customers who want guaranteed quality.
Culimar also introduced a new snow crab item, a merus pack of snow crab meat harvested in Korea and processed in their plant in Vietnam. There is an opportunity for snow crab in Europe, both as sections and meat, and it is being driven by chefs who want an alternative to high priced king crab.
Over time, snow crab should become a more important item in Europe.
There is a huge ongoing debate here about marketing sustainability. There is a lot of spin from different organizations about how important their label is, and there is a sense that the fight over sustainability certifications is hurting the industry.
Alaskan companies have both reported some customers who wish to retain an MSC label - for marketing reasons such as having packaging created, and having invested in educating customers, while others say their buyers in some of the most sophisticated markets, like Germany, are fine with the Global Trust Certification.
In fact, Mark Tupper, president of Triad Fisheries which markets troll caught kings and coho under the Bruce Gore label, said his customers in Germany were fine with their switch to Global Trust Certification.
In fact, Triad is just completing the chain of custody inspection, and plans to be the first Alaskan company certified with the Global Trust chain of custody certification.
We will have much more about the sustainability issues, but long term, it is clear that there is a different environment emerging about how to market sustainability, and the discussion has moved from whether a fishery is sustainable or not, to how to best convey that to consumers.
Finally - cold water shrimp prices are still not settled, and may not be settled at the show this year. Some major Canadian companies want to get some feedback from customers and then look at their costs to determine final pricing - but no one thinks the market can sustain an increase. The issue is how to maintain stability.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) A project titled "Sustainable Shrimp Industry Governance" has been launched in Ca Mau Province with the aim of supporting the transition of the province's shrimp industry toward higher quality, lower emissions, stronger governance capacity, improved supply chain traceability, and the development of a sustainable shrimp brand that meets the increasingly stringent requirements of export markets.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Khanh Hoa Provincial Agricultural Extension Center, in collaboration with the Northern Center for Marine Aquaculture Research and the Van Hung Public Service Center, recently organized a training course on disease-free golden pompano seed production. The program is part of a National Agricultural Extension Project aimed at developing industrial-scale seed production models to support sustainable marine aquaculture.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Vietnam’s pangasius exports have shown encouraging signs of recovery in 2026. In the first four months of the year, total export turnover reached USD 720 million, up 17% compared to the same period last year. This result reflects improving demand across many markets, as well as the efforts of Vietnamese pangasius enterprises to maintain production, secure orders, and adapt to changing market conditions.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) The application of high technology in shrimp farming is delivering positive results in the coastal areas of Vinh Long Province, contributing to improved production efficiency and creating significant potential for further industry expansion. However, to fully capitalize on this potential, the province is focusing on aquaculture zoning, infrastructure investment, and promoting modern, sustainable production.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Đồng Tháp Province has intensified efforts to curb illegal fishing by strengthening vessel monitoring, law enforcement and seafood traceability.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Seafood businesses need solutions to overcome bottlenecks such as labor shortages, difficulty accessing capital, high input costs, and administrative procedures in order to maintain production, adapt to market fluctuations, and effectively exploit export opportunities.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) The FTA would widen access to markets with strong demand for premium food products in line with the country’s strategy of shifting exports towards increasing added value.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) On the morning of July 13th, Mr. Ho Quoc Dung, Member of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam and Deputy Prime Minister, along with his delegation, visited and worked with businesses in An Giang province to promptly resolve obstacles and promote production and business activities.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) As importing markets increasingly focus on biosecurity and traceability, Vietnam has established a relatively comprehensive legal framework and disease management system for aquaculture, covering tilapia farming as well as other cultured species. This system is based on the Law on Animal Health, regulations on the prevention and control of aquatic animal diseases, the National Plan for the Prevention and Control of Major Diseases in Farmed Aquatic Species, and environmental monitoring and early warning programs for aquaculture areas.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) On July 9, 2026, the Embassy of Vietnam in Brazil organized the seminar titled “Sharing Information on Vietnam-Brazil Economic, Trade and Investment Relations in the First Half of 2026” to provide updates on bilateral cooperation and strengthen connections among government agencies, industry associations, and business communities of the two countries.
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