The Japanese and the Russian governments will conclude a bilateral agreement on the prevention of crab poaching in the Russian waters in the Sea of Okhotsk, including the areas around the four disputed northern islands for which Japan claims its territorial rights, it was learned on August 25. The pact is aimed at holding in check the declining trend of crab stocks by overexploitation.
The agreement, due to be formally signed at the Japan-Russia summit meeting scheduled for next month in Vladivostok next month, purports that Moscow will issue certificates on fishing areas and quantities in exporting crab to Japan, while the Japanese government will authorize traders to import the crab after confirming the legitimacy of the crab at its customs office in a bid to prevent distribution of poached crab in the Japanese market.
The two governments are now working on finalizing the agreement including prevention of falsification of the certificates, using for reference the case of the imports of tuna – a species for which there is concern about possible depletion.
According to the Japanese competent offices, including the Foreign Ministry and the Fisheries Agency, the Russian government establishes the catch quota for crab in the Russian Far East area from the Kamchatka Peninsula to the area around Sakhalin--about 46,000 tons 2012--and permits the catch by the duly authorized fishing vessels. In spite of this regulation, however, illegal catch of crab has not been halted.
In 2011, Japan imported 32,731 tons of king crab and snow crab from Russia, but in reality there has been no way to identify whether or not the crab was caught illegally.
A Hokkaido seafood trader points out that the crab actually imported to Japan could amount to about twice or three times larger than legitimate volumes.
Russian crab account for about 40% of overall crab distributed in Japan, and market participants believe that the new agreement might most likely affect the supply and prices of crab in Japan.
At their Foreign Ministers' meeting later in July, the two countries agreed on improving the environment over the bilateral talks on the territorial issue by accumulating cooperation in the areas of national security and economy. Informed sources note that the crab agreement came fully in line with this move.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) The year 2025 marks the 30th anniversary of the normalization of diplomatic relations between Vietnam and the United States (1995–2025). In parallel with the nation's progress in international economic integration, bilateral seafood trade has followed a remarkably impressive growth trajectory, expanding from an initial scale of just tens of millions of US dollars to nearly $2 billion annually. This growth has positioned the United States as Vietnam’s largest seafood export market for many consecutive years.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) On December 12, 2025, the Vietnam Association of Seafood Processing and Export (VASEP) issued document 231/CV-VASEP regarding strengthening measures to combat IUU fishing and working with the Government to lift the EC's IUU yellow card warning.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Tilapia is easy to farm and provides high economic and nutritional value, making it a sought-after export commodity in many countries.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Vietnam’s seafood exports in the first 10 months of 2025 recorded significant progress, reaching more than USD 9.5 billion, up 15% year-on-year. This result reflects the sector’s persistent efforts amid a highly volatile market, especially policy shocks from the US Although signs of slowdown emerged in the third quarter due to countervailing taxes, key product groups still maintained strong momentum and created a foundation for full-year exports to reach USD 11 billion.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Vietnam’s agreement with the United States on a framework for reciprocal, fair, and balanced trade—reached during the 2025 ASEAN Summit in Malaysia—has generated strong optimism for Vietnamese exports, including tuna. Numerous positive points in the joint statement have raised high expectations for Vietnamese export goods, but turning these expectations into tangible benefits remains a long and challenging journey.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) At the conference on “Linking the Production and Consumption Chain of Ca Mau Crab 2025,” Vice Chairman of the Ca Mau Provincial People’s Committee Lê Văn Sử posed a central question: how to shift the province’s crab exports toward official trade channels, instead of relying heavily on small-scale border trade with China as currently practiced.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) The whitefish market in Japan is showing a clear divergence among supplying countries, in which Vietnam continues to affirm its role as a stable and high-potential exporter. Vietnam currently ranks third after the US and Russia in whitefish export value to Japan. Thanks to tariff incentives and the ability to meet Japan’s strict standards, Vietnamese pangasius continues to record a stable and positive growth trend.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) The People's Committee of Ca Mau Province has just issued a plan to expand the super-intensive, low-water-exchange, biosecure white-leg shrimp farming model (RAS-IMTA) for whiteleg shrimp farming to a scale of 1,500 hectares, aiming to develop high-tech, sustainable and environmentally friendly shrimp farming.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Sa Giang Import-Export Joint Stock Company (HNX: SGC) plans to issue over 7.1 million shares to raise nearly 465 Billion VND for Hoan Ngoc M&A Deal.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) According to Rabobank, global tilapia production is forecast to exceed 7 million tons in 2025, driven by a strong recovery in major producing countries including China, Indonesia, Egypt, Bangladesh and Vietnam. Among them, Vietnam is emerging as a potential tilapia supplier in the global supply chain, capitalizing on market fluctuations to expand production and exports.
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