For the third year in a row, the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC) will ban the use of fish-aggregating devices (FADs) on all purse seine vessels in the region for three months, effective July 1. First implemented in 2009, the three-year measure aims to restrict the catch of juvenile bigeye tuna, which are caught incidentally with FADs, by 30%. Similarly, the eight Pacific island nations that make up the Parties to the Nauru Agreement (PNA) are also imposing the FAD closure for four months.
Meanwhile, in the Eastern Pacific Ocean, the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission (IATTC) will halt all purse seiners from fishing for a 62-day period, either beginning July 29 or November 18, to allow tuna stocks to recover. While it’s up to the fishing flag states to choose the first or second period, Hamby says about half of the fishing fleets refrain from fishing in the summer.
Both regional initiatives could negatively impact the raw material supply during the next few months, he says, which has canneries concerned.
“Even without stopping the fishing, the volume of raw material from the purse seiners operating in the IATTC is insufficient to meet the needs of the Latin American tuna processors. They must import substantial quantities of tuna raw material transshipped from purse seiners operating in the WCPFC. And with less tonnage expected from the WCPFC due to the FAD closure, the Latin processors expect raw material shortages and therefore increasing fish prices. Thai packers expect the same,” Hamby says.
With the FAD closure, daily catches will be reduced by as much as 20-30% depending on the vessel, says Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr., owner of Frabelle Fishing Corporation in the Philippines.
“Catching school fish is not as easy as catching fish with FADs,” Tiu Laurel Jr. says. “We have to really run our boats and burn more fuel to look for school fish.”
In contrast, the man-made, floating objects are easy lures, but they attract everything including baby bigeye and yellowfin tuna, sharks and turtles. When a seine net is set around a FAD, about 7% of its haul is juvenile bigeye, which prevents the species from breeding and contributes to overfishing.
By forcing fleets to fish on free-swimming schools of skipjack tuna – which has minimal by-catch – members are becoming better at fishing without the use of FADs, says Glenn Hurry, WCPFC’s executive director. He says the ban has been effective in reducing juvenile bigeye mortalities.
Bigeye catches have been further reduced because some fleets are now choosing to fish on free schools outside of the closure period, says John Hampton, manager of the Oceanic Fisheries Program at the Secretariat of the Pacific Community, an international organization that helps Pacific Island people achieve sustainable development.
According to Hampton, the purse seine fleets operated at high levels through the closure in 2011, but the catch rates declined significantly at the start of the ban. By its end in September, catch rates had recovered minimally, but not to the extent of previous years.
“This may have been due as much to reduced abundance of skipjack in 2011 than to a specific impact of the closure,” he says. He adds conclusions for 2011 will be confirmed when full observer data are available.
Catch rates of skipjack and yellowfin tuna were “slightly depressed” during the 2009 and 2010 closures, says Hampton, but the larger, average size of fish – characteristic of free school fishing – attracted a higher price, thereby lessening the economic blow of reduced catch rates.
With prices in Bangkok being already at the record level of USD 2200 per MT for skipjack of 1.8kg and up, and reduced catches, the general expectation in the market is that 2012 is likely to set even higher record price levels which could well reach as high as USD 2500 per MT for deliveries in August.
(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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