The countries — Belize, Cambodia and Guinea — have not done enough to curb illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing. The 24 March ban means that European Union member countries cannot accept seafood from those countries, nor can E.U. vessels fish in those nations' waters.
"These decisions are historic. They demonstrate that the EU is leading by example in the fight against illegal fishing," said Maria Damanaki, commissioner for maritime affairs and fisheries. "I hope that this blacklisting will act as a catalyst for Belize, Cambodia, and Guinea to step up their efforts and work with the international community to eliminate illegal fishing."
In 2012, Damanaki issued a warning to the three countries and eight others, but in a 2013 statement, Damanaki said Belize, Cambodia and Guinea all showed little progress in addressing the issue.
Four environmental groups — Oceana, the Environmental Justice Foundation (EJF), the Pew Charitable Trusts and the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) all issued a joint statement praising the ban.
"Closing the world's most valuable seafood market to countries that do not cooperate in fighting illegal fishing is a crucial step, and we applaud the EU for taking this decision," said Steve Trent, EJF's executive director.
In the statement, the groups estimated IUU fishing costs between EUR 7 billion and EUR 17 billion annually.
"The EU's efforts to tackle IUU fishing worldwide have truly materialized today with this unprecedented step," said Maria José Cornax, fisheries campaign manager at Oceana. "We hope that fishing nations around the world are looking today at the EU's leadership, and are ready to follow this newly opened path towards the definitive elimination of IUU fishing."
The initial 2012 warning went out to Belize, Cambodia, Fiji, Guinea, Panama, Sri Lanka, Togo and Vanuatu. The commission engaged in dialogue with the countries concerned, and gave them time to remedy the situation. The commission later found that Fiji, Panama, Sri Lanka, Togo and Vanuatu had taken sufficient steps to address IUU fishing.
"There must be consequences for persistent inaction after repeated warnings," said Eszter Hidas, E.U. policy lead for WWF's transparent seas project. "We expect that Belize, Cambodia and Guinea will now take immediate action to impose effective fishing regulations."
Now, the groups and the commission will be turning their attention to three other countries — Curaçao, Ghana, and South Korea — which also got a warning in November 2013.
"The Council, by adopting this red list on non-compliant countries, has achieved a milestone in fighting illegal fishing," said Tony Long, director of the ending illegal fishing project at Pew Charitable Trusts. "This shows that the European Union is serious about confronting countries that do not stop illegal fishing or continue to trade in illegally caught fish."
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) According to a report by the General Statistics Office, the estimated pangasius output for January 2025 reached 102.5 thousand tons, representing a 6.0% increase compared to the corresponding period of the preceding year. This surge is attributed to the rise in pangasius material prices within the Mekong Delta, which has incentivized aquaculture farmers to expand their stocking activities. Concurrently, this price increase has facilitated processing enterprises to intensify procurement efforts to meet export demands during the early part of the year.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Between 2015 and 2024, Vietnamese pangasius exporting enterprises have undergone notable transformations in rankings and experienced fluctuations in developmental strategies, competitive intensity, and business efficacy. This dynamic is clearly illustrated through shifts in export turnover and the proportional contribution to the national pangasius export volume among the Top 5 enterprises.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) The outlook for Vietnam’s seafood exports remains positive, with a strong focus on maintaining growth in key markets like China and the U.S., while diversifying into new regions. As global trade policies continue to evolve, adaptability and strategic planning will be key to navigating the challenges ahead.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Thanks to improved pangasius prices and higher production, Vĩnh Hoàn's after-tax profit in Q4 2024 reached VND 440 billion, a 4.8-fold increase compared to the same period last year.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) According to data from Vietnam’s Customs, in Q4 2024, Vietnam’s pangasius exports to China & Hong Kong reached USD 163 million, a 17% increase compared to the same period in 2023, with consistent growth across all months. The total value of pangasius exports to China & Hong Kong for 2024 reached USD 581 million, a 1% increase over the previous year.
Vietnam’s seafood exports are projected to maintain strong growth this year, potentially reaching 11 billion USD.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) In the final quarter of 2024, Vietnam’s surimi and fish cake exports showed consistent growth over the last three months. For the entire year 2024, exports of these products reached USD 298 million, down 2% compared to 2023. However, the final quarter saw more promising signs for the surimi and fish cake export sector, with some markets experiencing notable growth, such as Thailand, China, and Taiwan. Particularly, exports to Taiwan, which had seen continuous declines in the previous two quarters, surged by 301% in this quarter.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Another year of pride for Vietnam's pangasius exports has concluded, reaching over USD 2 billion and contributing 20% to Vietnam's total seafood export turnover.
Vietnam maintained its position as the fifth-largest seafood exporter to Singapore for 12 consecutive months, surpassing Japan for the first time in 2024, amid the intensifying competition in this market.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Despite facing numerous challenges in the second half of the year, Vietnam's canned tuna exports concluded 2024 with a 17% increase compared to 2023, reaching USD 299 million. To maintain this growth momentum in 2025, the canned tuna production and export sector requires coordinated efforts from all stakeholders.
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