“The industry has been contracting,” David Harvey, agricultural economist for the US Food and Drug Administration told IntraFish. Statistics show that catfish feed purchases have been consistently declining for the past five years, he said.
The high cost of feed and imports of cheaper catfish and similar species from Asia are making it difficult for catfish farmers to stay competitive, Lowery Aquafarms owner Joey Lowery told IntraFish.
Imports of catfish have grown dramatically in the last eight or nine years, he said.
Over the past year, the National Marine Fisheries Service Office of International Trade reports that Catfish varieties shipped from China to the United States have increased dramatically as well.
As of January, imports of the catfish species ictalurus from China had risen from 585,536 kilograms last year to 857,877 kilograms this year, while imports of pangasius had increased from 968,769 kilograms to 1,499,765 kilograms.
Feed is largely soybean-based, and that helps explain why prices for feed are higher, said Lowrey.
At $13.80 a bushel as of April 30, prices for soybeans were up $0.70 over the previous year. That is more than double the $5.61 price per bushel between 1990 and 1992, according to the US Department of Agriculture.
“Some of these guys got into catfish as a way to make money years ago, and now they’re looking at it as ‘I could just grow soybeans on my land,” Garvey said.
The high cost of feed is compounded by the consistently lower labor costs in China, Lowery said.
“I’ve been in the business 26 years, and I would say feed costs have doubled,” Lowery said.
Lower standards in China make it easier for Chinese producers to keep costs down, which gives them an unfair advantage over US producers, Lowery said.
“From a trade standpoint and from a production standpoint, just about any way you look at it, we’re not on a level playing field. Only two percent of seafood is inspected coming into the country. Less than 1 percent is inspected for chemicals,” Lowery said.
If the price of feed starts to decrease, US farmers will have a better chance to compete, Herarvey said.
(vasep.com.vn) On November 11, 2026, in Can Tho, the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP) will organize the Vietnam Seafood Summit 2026 (VSS 2026) under the theme “Seafood Market Outlook 2027–2029: Opportunities and Headroom for Double-Digit Export Growth.”
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Business leader Do Ngoc Tai, General Director of Tai Kim Anh Seafood Processing Joint Stock Company, was honored by the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI) with the title “Outstanding Vietnamese Entrepreneur – Thanh Giong Cup 2026” at a ceremony celebrating Vietnam Entrepreneurs’ Day (October 13). The event took place on the evening of October 11, 2026, at the National Convention Center in Hanoi.
(vasep.com.vn) The global tilapia market is becoming increasingly segmented, not only among producing countries but also by product type and destination market. Supply is divided into groups with distinct competitive advantages: large volumes of whole fish and frozen fillets from Asia, high-value fresh fillets from Latin America, and substantial domestic consumption in several major producing countries.
(vasep.com.vn) Vietnam’s tuna exports to the UK grew in the first eight months of 2026, despite signs of slowing import demand in the market. However, sharp fluctuations in orders, competition from major suppliers, and new traceability requirements are creating challenges for Vietnamese exporters.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Vietnam is stepping up efforts to combat illegal fishing, protect marine ecosystems, expand digital monitoring, and develop science-based management to ensure the sea can support communities and the economy for generations to come.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) The EU remains a critical market for Vietnamese shrimp; however, purchasing demand and import patterns are undergoing notable changes. According to Vietnam Customs data, as of September 15, 2026, Vietnam’s shrimp exports to the EU reached nearly $374 million, down 5% year-over-year and accounting for 10.7% of the country’s total shrimp export value. Meanwhile, the EU’s stotal shrimp imports through July 2026 contracted by 7% in volume, exhibiting divergent trends across Southern Europe, Northwestern Europe and Eastern Europe. These dynamics necessitate that Vietnamese enterprises closely monitor individualized market demand, rather than approaching the EU as a monolithic consumer block.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) In the first eight months of 2026, Vietnam’s exports of surimi and fish cakes remained relatively stable year-over-year compared to 2025. Following a contraction in the initial months, export performance demonstrated improvement from June onward, peaking in August. However, the recovery has been uneven, characterized by divergent trends across major markets: robust growth was recorded in China, Japan, Malaysia, the United States, and Taiwan, whereas export volumes to South Korea, Indonesia, and select European markets contracted.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Pangasius remains one of Dong Thap’s key aquaculture species, with the province focusing on developing an integrated value chain covering seed production, commercial farming, deep processing and by-product utilization. The province is promoting high-tech, circular pangasius farming models featuring reduced water exchange and enhanced biosecurity, aiming to improve production efficiency and strengthen control over raw material quality.
(vasep.com.vn) Vietnam’s seafood exports in September 2026 are estimated at US$1.135 billion, up 11.9% year-on-year, bringing total exports in the first nine months of the year to US$9.103 billion, up 11.4%. Behind this double-digit growth, however, increasingly divergent market trends are emerging: China–Hong Kong and ASEAN posted strong growth, while the U.S., EU and Japan all recorded declines in September.
(vasep.com.vn) In the first eight months of 2026, Brazil became the largest market for Vietnamese tilapia, with export value reaching US$44 million, up 22,142% year-on-year and accounting for 49% of Vietnam’s total tilapia exports. In August alone, exports to Brazil reached US$4 million. However, behind this remarkable growth is a market that is imposing increasingly stringent requirements on imported supplies.
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