"We can almost say there is too much cod," Webjorn Barstad of Norwegian fishing company Strand told IntraFish.
"Fishermen have been reporting for some years that the stock is more healthy than the scientists were saying and Fiskebat has been arguing for some time that we should be taking more cod," Barstad said.
"It’s not ideal when the stock of cod, which is the largest predator, rises to levels that can be seen as too high. It’s also not a full utilization of the resources at our disposal," he said, adding that the cod stock consumes an estimated amount of fish roughly three times the amount caught by Norwegian fishermen.
While the stock is healthy, the composition of it is not clear and it could be that there is an unhealthy mix of mature to juvenile cod, and the situation is further complicated as cod will feed on smaller cod when other food sources are no longer abundant.
"They have a very diverse diet -- capelin, herring, redfish, haddock, shrimp -- as well as smaller cod," Barstad said.
"So there are serious implications for the management of other stocks. Industry is critical of anagement now, especially with the decline in haddock and we have seen evidence of this with pictures of fishermen opening large cod to find four or five decent-sized haddock falling out.
Strand is in the process of saying goodbye to its filleting operations with the new Havbryn delivered in April and the Havstrand due to follow in a few weeks. These are H&G vessels, unlike the filleter trawlers they replace – and the reason is costs.
"Prices are terrible and filleting is expensive," Barstad said, adding that the medium and large cod their vessels land is sold mostly for saltfish and dried fish production in Norway, while smaller fish are exported and find their way to processors in Europe or China -- and the largest proportion of their catches is medium and large fish, plus there is a very large amount of these big fish coming from Russia.
Cod prices halved
"The cod price is less than half of what it was 12-16 months ago. Prices fell sharply in the second half of last year and continued to decline into the first quarter of this year," Barstad said.
"Prices are so low that if we didn’t have the volume, fishing wouldn’t be cost effective and many operators would simply stop.
"At this level it is unsustainable, and I don’t understand why, as fish is not that much cheaper to the consumer, if at all. We have not had lower prices than these for 30-35 years. We are back at 1970s levels," he said, adding that no other prices are that low and for an operator in Norway this is especially difficult as they are using services in a working environment alongside the oil industry, and often paying oil industry prices.
"At this level it is not sustainable," he said, and that Strand’s groundfish operations this year will hardly show a profit and they will be satisfied to break even.
"We hope the situation will stabilize in the second half of this year – it needs to."
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) On the afternoon of March 19, Vice Chairman of the Ca Mau Provincial People’s Committee, Le Van Su, chaired a meeting to address bottlenecks and propose solutions to expand the super-intensive whiteleg shrimp farming model using low water exchange and high biosecurity standards (RAS-IMTA).
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) On March 10, 2026, the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee issued Decision No. 1377/QD-UBND approving the Aquatic Animal Disease Prevention and Control Plan for the 2026–2030 period. The decision takes effect from the date of signing and replaces previous plans for the 2021–2030 period that had been issued prior to the administrative merger in Ba Ria – Vung Tau, Binh Duong, and Ho Chi Minh City.
(vasep.com.vn) In 2025, Chile imported more than USD 156 million worth of tuna, up 8.1% compared to the previous year and the highest level in the past five years. As the supply structure in this market is rapidly shifting, Vietnamese tuna is facing both opportunities to expand market share and increasing competitive pressure from Thailand, Colombia, and China.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Vinh Long Province is stepping up efforts to develop brackish water shrimp farming in a sustainable direction, identifying it as a key sector in its agricultural structure. In 2026, the province aims to reach around 71,300 hectares of shrimp farming, with an output of over 314,000 tons.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Ha Tinh Province is strengthening control over shrimp seed quality to minimize risks for the 2026 spring–summer farming season.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) In February 2026, Vietnam’s pangasius exports reached USD 119 million, down slightly 5% year-on-year. However, thanks to strong performance in January, cumulative exports in the first two months of the year still reached USD 331 million, up 28% compared to the same period in 2025. Export activity slowed somewhat in February due to seasonal factors, particularly the Lunar New Year holiday, which disrupted production and shipments at many seafood processing enterprises.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Da Nang is accelerating the development of high-tech shrimp farming toward intensive production, disease control, and improved efficiency. Many shrimp farms have invested in automated environmental monitoring systems, continuously tracking indicators such as pH, dissolved oxygen, temperature, and salinity, enabling farmers to promptly adjust pond conditions and reduce disease risks.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) The year 2025 is considered a turning point for Vietnam’s shrimp seed industry as the sector faces the need for strong transformation in technology, production management, and gradual self-sufficiency in broodstock supply. These factors are seen as key to improving seed quality and strengthening the competitiveness of the shrimp industry amid increasingly demanding market requirements.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) In February 2026, Vietnam’s shrimp exports reached nearly USD 310 million, up 17% year-on-year. Cumulatively for the first two months of the year, shrimp export value totaled USD 690 million, an increase of 20% compared with the same period last year. Compared with the 22% growth recorded in January, the pace of increase in February slowed somewhat, reflecting seasonal factors as the Lunar New Year holiday partially disrupted processing and shipment activities. Nevertheless, the nearly 20% growth in the first two months indicates that shrimp orders from Vietnam are maintaining a more positive trend than in the same period last year.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) According to the latest statistics for January 2026, Vietnam’s pangasius export value to major market blocs recorded encouraging growth compared with the same period last year, indicating that consumption demand is gradually recovering.
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