Premium size Norwegian line-caught haddock is fetching anything up to £2.80 (€3.30/$4.50) per kilo on auction at the moment, Ken Wood, business development manager at Carisma UK, told IntraFish.
“We’ve seen trawler-caught haddock start to move upwards as well, but not to such a dramatic price as line-caught, while fresh haddock has been making a premium on the Grimsby market,” Wood said.
'People will just switch off'
There will be a point where people will just switch off, however, another UK buyer told IntraFish, although this hasn’t happened just yet.
“I think what is happening is people have tried to transfer their haddock business to cod without it being successful because retailers do not switch products so quickly, and there are also a lot of people buying haddock to service existing contracts fast,” th buyer said.
“There will have to be a point when people say, 'We just can’t supply it anymore,' but when that will be is the $64 million question.”
According to the buyer, headed & gutted (H&G) prices are currently standing at more than £4,000 (€4,745/$6,418) a metric ton. When negotiating future contracts, suppliers are quoting as much as 20 percent above this on some lines, he said.
“If you are looking to forward buy at China at the moment, with a shipment in November time, prices are up maybe 15-20 percent on where they were last time you placed a contract,” he told IntraFish.
Additionally, people who are buying cod at the moment are probably using that to get access to haddock.
“There is an abundance of cod and people have cod so if you can throw any cod business to a possible supplier, you are going to want to make sure you get some haddock as well with that because everybody has the cod,” the buyer said.
But simply, the biggest problem is that there is a shortage of haddock available for the market, he said.
Quotas
The supply of haddock has been, and continues to be constrained, confirmed Jon Stefansson, head of research at Marko Partners, which has affected the price and kept it relatively high for most of the year. This trend is likely to continue for some time.
“There has been some substitution – cod being substituted for haddock – in those markets where the supply is constrained, but maybe not to the extent that you would have expected,” Stefansson said.
Meanwhile, until the quotas have been decided and are out there in “black and white," no one knows what is going to happen to haddock, added Ken Wood. “But I forecast a very difficult year ahead on haddock,” he said.
In particular, buyers are concerned with reports quotas could fall a further 20 percent next year on top of the 20 percent drop that happened this year, which would add up to “quite a severe drop,” one buyer said.
On July 22, 2026, the Government issued Decree No. 292/2026/ND-CP detailing certain articles and providing measures for the organization and implementation of the Law on Foreign Trade Management. The Decree takes effect on September 5, 2026, replacing Decree No. 69/2018/ND-CP.
(vasep.com.vn) Vietnamese pangasius producer Vinh Hoan has won the top prize at the 2026 Seafood Excellence Asia Awards for its Cured Panga Croquette, highlighting the growing potential of value-added pangasius products in international markets.
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(seafood.vasep.com.vn) On the afternoon of August 19, 2026, as part of the Vietnam International Seafood Exhibition – Vietfish 2026, the Hosted Buyer Program continued with the seminar “Vietnam Seafood Outlook 2026–2027: A Strategic Sourcing Destination,” followed by 1-to-1 B2B meetings between international buyers and Vietnamese seafood businesses.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Speaking at the Opening Ceremony of VIETFISH 2026 on August 19 at the Saigon Exhibition and Convention Center (SECC), U.S. Consul General Melissa Brown highlighted the important role of the exhibition in connecting Vietnam’s growing seafood industry with buyers, suppliers, and partners from the United States and around the world.
(vasep.com.vn) Tomorrow, August 19, 2026, the Vietnam International Seafood Exhibition – Vietfish 2026 will officially open at the Saigon Exhibition and Convention Center (SECC) in Ho Chi Minh City. Taking place over three days, from August 19–21, Vietfish 2026 promises to provide a dynamic platform for business networking, trend updates, product experiences and comprehensive cooperation across the domestic and international seafood community.
(vasep.com.vn) The global tilapia market continues to grow, creating significant opportunities for countries with strengths in aquaculture, processing, and exports. Against this backdrop, Vietnam’s tilapia industry is gradually developing toward higher quality, greater product diversification, and broader market reach. At Vietfish 2026, the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP), together with the VASEP Tilapia Producers and Exporters Club, will host a joint booth to promote the image and potential of Vietnamese tilapia to domestic and international buyers.
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