For the Barents Sea, the world’s largest cod fishery, the International Council for Exploration of the Sea (ICES) has recommended a 25 percent hike in the 2013 quota, which would take the total cod catch up to a record high of 940,000 metric tons, compared with 740,000 metric tons in 2012.
Cod supplies from Iceland are also set to increase in line with a much-improved spawning stock. The country’s Marine Research Institute (MRI) has recommended that the government increase the quota for the year starting 1 September, 2012, to 196,000 metric tons, an 22.5 percent increase from the current season.
The MRI has further suggested that Iceland’s quota could reach 250,000 metric tons by 2016.
Also moving in the right direction, ICES has said North Sea cod stocks are now at their healthiest level in 14 years, doubling in the last six years. While fishing opportunities in the North Sea recovery zone could yet reduce further, the industry remains optimistic that the positive turnaround points to larger quotas in the future.
The proposed catch increases are certainly a well-deserved pat on the back for fisheries management, but exporters are fearful of the effects that the significantly greater supply will have on prices and subsequently their bottom lines. And their worries are not without reason: the current price of H&G cod in China stands at about USD 3,100 (EUR 2,542) per metric ton, whereas 18 months ago it was USD 5,500 (EUR 4,510).
John Rutherford, director of the Frozen at Sea Fillets Association (FASFA), which represents trawler owners and distributors of frozen-at-sea (FAS) fish from Norway, Iceland, Faroe Islands, Spain, Russia, Greenland and the United Kingdom, believes that if cod prices continue to fall it’s plausible some of the quota will remain uncaught in the sea.
“The economics have to work both for the catchers and for the consumers,” he said. “Some companies will take full advantage of the quota but I can see others saying, ‘Why should we work harder for no more money?’ There must be a floor in the price, below which the catchers simply won’t go to sea.”
In Norway, the 8 percent increase in the Barents Sea cod quota for the current season has contributed to a decrease in the export value of the country’s groundfish for the first-half of 2012. According to the Norwegian Seafood Council (NSC), groundfish exports totaled NOK 5.1 billion (EUR 685.9 million, USD 837 million) for the six-month period, representing a NOK 356 million (EUR 47.9 million, USD 58.4 million) drop, or 7 percent compared to the first half of 2011.
(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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