At the show, Undercurrent reported tilapia production in Mexico outstripped shrimp output by 30,000t last year, as shrimp harvestswere decimated by early mortality syndrome (EMS).
The growth means the government is now pinning hopes on tilapia, which is growing at a fast pace, as the most promising species for the country’s aquaculture.
Tilapia is also buoyed by a strong domestic demand, Alfredo Aranda, general coordinator of operations and institutional strategy at the Secretariat of Agriculture, Livestock, Rural Development, Fisheries and Food (Sagarpa) said during the event.
Mexicans consume some 130,000t of tilapia a year. Mexico’s shrimp harvest fell by 50% year-on-year last year, to just 50,000t, due in a large part to EMS. In contrast, tilapia production rose 6.6% to 80,000t.
To lure domestic customers, however, Mexican growers will have to find ways to compete with much cheaper imports from China.
“Until last year, shrimp was the most important Mexico’s aquaculture species in volumes and value, but due to EMS, tilapia already exceeded shrimp production,” Aranda said.
For next year, tilapia production is expected to reach 87,000t and, with a growth rate of 53.3%, tilapia could total 100,000t by 2016, Aranda said.
Shrimp harvest, on the other hand, is forecast to remain flat at 60,000t in 2014, before increasing to 80,000t in 2016 with a growth rate of just 9.6%. By 2018, harvests are expected to exceed pre-EMS production with volumes projected at 110,000t.
“We aim to recover shrimp volumes but, at the same time, we are betting on tilapia due to its trend in the market,” Aranda said.
Big domestic market
Tilapia has good growth potential in Mexico thanks to the country’s tropical climate, and increase domestic demand.
Its geographic location also makes it ideally poised to export to US. Last year, the US imported record high volumes of tilapia fillets, bringing in 59m pounds (26,761t).
“Mexico produces around 70,000t metric tons of tilapia annually, and it consumes 130,000t, so the potential is there,” Miguel A. Flores from Regal Springs Mexico said during the Aquamar conference.
The rest of the tilapia that Mexico consumes — 60,000t — is currently imported from China.
Competition with China could be a challenge for Mexican growers as tilapia prices from China are about 30% below Mexican prices, which are usually at around $2.5 per kilo of whole fish, Gonzalo Martinez, administration manager at the tilapia farm Tupez, based in Veracruz, told Undercurrent.
“If you export considerable volumes of fillets to the US the business will be profitable, but producing tilapia for Mexico is challenging, as retailers and consumers from the central area of the country would prefer to spend less money on tilapia,” Martinez said.
“However, locals from coastal areas will spend extra money to consume tilapia of quality,” he added.
Another Mexican tilapia player said the fodservice sector and retailers would prefer to buy big volumes from China over local tilapia, due to the price.
(vasep.com.vn) As part of the Vietnam Fisheries International Exhibition – Vietfish 2026, the technical seminar “Green and Sustainable Technology Solutions for the Aquaculture and Seafood Processing Value Chain” will take place from 09:30 to 11:45 on August 20, 2026, at Convention Room B, Level 2, SECC, Ho Chi Minh City. The seminar is jointly organized by VASEP, the Department of Fisheries and Fisheries Surveillance, and the Royal Norwegian Embassy in Vietnam, focusing on technological innovation and sustainable transformation across Vietnam’s seafood value chain.
(vasep.com.vn) As part of the Vietnam Fisheries International Exhibition (Vietfish 2026), the seminar "Global Seafood Market and the Future Workforce: Trends, Opportunities, and Sustainable Development Pathways for Vietnam's Seafood Industry" will take place from 2:00 p.m. to 4:15 p.m. on August 19, 2026, at Convention Room B, Level 2, SECC, Ho Chi Minh City. This is the first of five specialized seminars at Vietfish 2026, focusing on key issues that are shaping the long-term development of Vietnam's seafood industry.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Vietnamese seafood exports recorded impressive growth, generating nearly 6 billion USD in revenue during the first six months of the year, up 13% compared with the same period last year.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Fishermen in Ha Tinh are gradually overcoming difficulties to maintain the efficiency of seafood exploitation. In the first six months of 2026, the entire province achieved a production of more than 23,000 tons of seafood, worth more than 1,200 billion VND.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) June 2026 brought encouraging signs for Vietnam's tuna exports, with export value rising 20% year-on-year to nearly USD 72 million. However, this increase has yet to offset the prolonged slowdown seen in key markets such as the European Union (EU), where import demand remains weak. The outlook for the second half of the year is expected to become more challenging as freight rates continue to climb.
(vasep.com.vn) As part of the Vietnam Fisheries International Exhibition (Vietfish 2026), the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP), in collaboration with the Agency for Domestic Market Management and Development under the Ministry of Industry and Trade, will organize the Domestic Seafood Supply–Demand Matching Program on the morning of August 20, 2026, at the Saigon Exhibition and Convention Center (SECC), Ho Chi Minh City. The program aims to foster direct business connections between Vietnamese seafood producers and processors and domestic distributors, retailers, and foodservice channels.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) The Cooking Show will be one of the most engaging experiential highlights of Vietfish 2026. Taking place over three days, from August 19–21, 2026, at Hall B1, SECC, Ho Chi Minh City, the event will offer visitors a vibrant culinary space where Vietnamese seafood is showcased through its flavors, stories, and real-life culinary applications.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Vietnam's pangasius exports reached USD 205 million in June 2026, up 5% compared with the same month in 2025. Cumulative export value for the first six months of the year totaled USD 1.1 billion, an increase of 12% year-on-year. Growth was primarily driven by strong demand from China and CPTPP markets, while exports to the United States and Brazil continued to decline.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) In the first six months of 2026, Ha Tinh province continued to implement comprehensive solutions to combat IUU fishing; strictly manage the fishing fleet, control fishing vessels entering and leaving ports, operate vessel tracking devices, trace the origin of seafood, and severely punish violations.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Vietnam's tilapia exports reached USD 7 million in June 2026, down 32% compared with the same month in 2025. Nevertheless, thanks to strong growth in the first five months of the year, cumulative tilapia exports in the first half of 2026 totaled USD 69 million, up 67% year on year.
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