An initial US$100,000 grant will fund a scoping study to establish The Marine Change Enterprise (MCE), combining experts from Southeast Asia with 40 years of experience in seafood trading, fisheries management, and advocacy. Using for-profit and non-profit strategies, MCE will analyze the current state of Asia’s fishing industry using environmental, social, and economic criteria. MCE’s research will be used to improve the efficiency of the supply chain between small to medium sized regional fishing operations and Southeast Asian markets, creating sustainable and equitable fishing practices that are economically viable.
“Right now 30% of all fish caught in Asia is wasted before it even makes it to the marketplace,” explains Our Source Consultancy and MCE founder Andrew Bassford, “if the small-to-medium size fleets that dominate Asia can improve the efficiency of their operations, it will improve the supply chain as a whole.”
MCE’s work has global implications as well. Over the past 50 years, seafood production has shifted from the developed to the developing world. The Asia Pacific region alone produces over half of the world’s wild caught seafood and a staggering 90% of farmed seafood. Compounded by environmental degradation and climate change, the industry’s exponential growth has placed enormous stress on fish stocks, the fishing industry, and fishing dependent communities.
The uncertainty of Asia’s fishing industry has made it harder for local fishing communities to access needed funding from investors. In turn, Southeast Asian communities whose livelihoods have depended on fishing for generations have suffered an economic downturn, further perpetuating unsustainable fishing practices.
Despite the growing awareness of the private sector that current practices are not sustainable, the response by governments, NGOs, independent fisherman, and fishing fleets have not been collaborative, or comprehensive enough, to create substantial change. Give2Asia’s new partnership facilitates the broad response needed by experts, funders, and Southeast Asia’s fishing industry, to help reverse this trend.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Vietnam's tilapia exports to Japan posted strong growth in the first half of 2026, while a promising new trend has emerged in the value-added product segment. Notably, Vietnamese tilapia fillets have been exported to Japan for use in sushi and sashimi, creating new opportunities to enhance the value of the industry in one of the world's most demanding seafood markets.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) After a relatively sluggish first quarter, Vietnam's exports of fish cakes and surimi showed a clearer recovery in the second quarter, particularly in June. Export value in the first six months of 2026 reached USD 148 million, down 2% year on year. However, the newly imposed 12.5% additional U.S. tariff on Vietnamese goods, intensifying competition in Northeast Asia, and increasingly stringent traceability requirements in the EU are making the outlook for the second half of the year more uncertain.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) In June 2026, Vietnam's shrimp exports reached nearly USD 458 million, up 24% year-on-year. In the first six months of 2026, export value totaled USD 2.35 billion, an increase of 14.2% compared with the same period last year. Growth was driven mainly by the Chinese market and the strong performance of lobster exports, while shrimp exports continued to face pressure from U.S. tariffs and rising logistics costs.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) As part of Vietfish 2026, the Hosted Buyer Program is designed as a specialized B2B matchmaking initiative for selected international buyers, providing opportunities to meet directly with Vietnamese seafood exporters, gain the latest market insights, and experience Vietnam's seafood supply chain firsthand.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) A project titled "Sustainable Shrimp Industry Governance" has been launched in Ca Mau Province with the aim of supporting the transition of the province's shrimp industry toward higher quality, lower emissions, stronger governance capacity, improved supply chain traceability, and the development of a sustainable shrimp brand that meets the increasingly stringent requirements of export markets.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Khanh Hoa Provincial Agricultural Extension Center, in collaboration with the Northern Center for Marine Aquaculture Research and the Van Hung Public Service Center, recently organized a training course on disease-free golden pompano seed production. The program is part of a National Agricultural Extension Project aimed at developing industrial-scale seed production models to support sustainable marine aquaculture.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Vietnam’s pangasius exports have shown encouraging signs of recovery in 2026. In the first four months of the year, total export turnover reached USD 720 million, up 17% compared to the same period last year. This result reflects improving demand across many markets, as well as the efforts of Vietnamese pangasius enterprises to maintain production, secure orders, and adapt to changing market conditions.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) The application of high technology in shrimp farming is delivering positive results in the coastal areas of Vinh Long Province, contributing to improved production efficiency and creating significant potential for further industry expansion. However, to fully capitalize on this potential, the province is focusing on aquaculture zoning, infrastructure investment, and promoting modern, sustainable production.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Đồng Tháp Province has intensified efforts to curb illegal fishing by strengthening vessel monitoring, law enforcement and seafood traceability.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Seafood businesses need solutions to overcome bottlenecks such as labor shortages, difficulty accessing capital, high input costs, and administrative procedures in order to maintain production, adapt to market fluctuations, and effectively exploit export opportunities.
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