Speaking at the European Maritime Day in Sweden on May 22, Ewos’ CEO Kjell Bjordal argued that farmed seafood supply must reach 120 million metric tons by 2030 if the industry wants to meet the needs of a growing population. The world’s population is set to reach 8.2 people in 2030, up 17 percent from 7 billion today.
Fish is not only the best poised protein to meet this growing demand, the industry is also able to take on this growth by using substitutes for marine feed and by continuing to innovate, Bjordal said.
According to him farmed fish’s efficiency -- its low feed conversion ratio and carbon footprint -- combined with its healthy attributes mean it will be the winner on the global market. “We believe that the market allocates the raw materials to the most efficient production -- and fish, is the winner,” his presentation read. Carnivorous fish are only a drop in the ocean of farmed fish.
Only 3 percent of global farmed fish are carnivorous, and their production is expected to increase at an annual rate of 3.5 percent, reaching 5.2 million metric tons in 2030, up from 2.6 million metric tons in 2010. In contrast non-carnivorous fish production is expected to grow by 4.8 percent to 149 million fish in 2030, up from 57 metric tons in 2010.
“We can expect [the] percentage of non-carnivore fish ‘on feed’ to increase from 50 percent in 2010 to 80 percent in 2030, Bjordal’s presentation says.
Marine proteins are often cited as the main limitation to expanding aquaculture. While marine proteins can “to a large extent be replaced by vegetable proteins, the “only obvious limitation” consists of marine oils, namely the EPA and DHA fatty acids, Bjordal said.
However, here again there is hope. “We now have the technical capability to grow salmon on zero marine raw material,” even though the solution is not commercial viable at this stage, he said.
His comment referred to the industry’s progress in using oil from omega-3 rich algae to replace marine raw material. However, this technique is still relatively expensive compared to using fish oil.
In the future, the industry will look at solutions such as genetically modified vegetable oils, omega-3 producing micro-organisms and “harvesting oceans down the chain” to increase supply of the valuable fatty acids, Bjordal said.
This refers to the possibility of using algae as a potential future substitute for fish oil. Ewos is notably behind a project called CO2Bio which aims to take purified CO2 from the industrial site of Mongstad in Norway to cultivate algae.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) After a fairly strong upward trend in 2025, Vietnam’s clam exports entered 2026 with a mixed picture: strong growth at the beginning of the year, followed by a slowdown from March onward. According to Vietnam Customs data, Vietnam’s clam export turnover in the first four months of 2026 reached more than USD 38 million, up 2% compared to the same period in 2025.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Vietnam’s pangasius industry is facing new opportunities to expand its development space as many localities and businesses begin promoting marine farming models aimed at diversifying farming areas and adapting to climate change. However, for pangasius to truly “go offshore” and develop into a large-scale industry segment, significant challenges related to technology, broodstock, and markets still need to be addressed.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Vietnam’s tilapia exports in April 2026 reached USD 11 million, up 92% compared to the same period in 2025. This strong growth indicates that Vietnamese tilapia products are continuing to penetrate and expand rapidly in international markets. Cumulative export turnover in the first four months of 2026 reached USD 49 million, up 151% year-on-year.
(seafood.vasep.com) At VietShrimp Asia 2026, disease management trends in shrimp farming are shifting strongly from treatment-based approaches toward proactive prevention through environmental and pond ecosystem control.
(vasep.com.vn) After a period of strong growth, with export turnover reaching USD 38 million in Q1/2026 — up 174% year-on-year — the sector’s rapid expansion clearly reflects growing market opportunities.
(vasep.com.vn) In the first quarter of 2026, Vietnam’s pangasius exports to the ASEAN bloc reached USD 44 million, up 7% compared to the same period in 2025. After falling to the lowest level of the quarter at USD 9 million in February — reflecting the seasonal slowdown in orders after the festive period — exports recovered strongly to USD 18 million in March, the highest monthly value of the quarter. This development shows that import demand for pangasius in ASEAN remains relatively stable despite short-term fluctuations.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) On May 11, 2026, the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) announced a positive comparability finding for Vietnam’s swimming crab fisheries, along with those of Indonesia and Sri Lanka, under the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA). With this decision, seafood and seafood products harvested from Vietnam’s swimming crab fisheries will continue to be eligible for import into the US market.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) After a slowdown in 2025, Vietnam’s tuna exports to Germany showed more positive signs in the first quarter of 2026. However, the recovery remains uncertain as consumer demand in Germany is still cautious, while market competition is increasingly driven by pricing and supply stability.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) After a sharp decline in 2025, Vietnam’s tuna exports to Israel are showing positive signs of recovery in the early months of 2026. According to Vietnam Customs data, export turnover to this market grew steadily month by month in Q1/2026, reaching nearly USD 10 million, up 33% compared to the same period in 2025. However, compared to Q1/2024, this level remains significantly lower, indicating that the recovery is still in its early stage following last year’s strong adjustment.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Entering 2026, the U.S. whitefish market has shown complex developments as global cod supply continues to tighten, while the U.S. trade environment becomes less stable. In this context, the U.S. market has had to become more flexible in sourcing alternative whitefish. However, relying heavily on Alaska pollock is not a long-term solution, as it is a strictly managed fishery with quotas and sustainability regulations, limiting any rapid increase in output to offset cod shortages.
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