The still nascent global seafood sector is highly fragmented across continents and markets, but some companies have emerged as leaders, in one field or across several activities.
It is these companies that Undercurrent News aims to provide an overview of with our latest World’s 100 Largest Seafood Companies 2014 report, by detailing who they are, what they do, while ranking them by the size of their 2013 or latest available turnover figure.
Salmon prices were a major driving force behind this increase — the combined revenues of salmon producers on our report this year are up $2.2bn from our 2012 report, with two new salmon players making it to the ranking.
High shrimp prices also benefited some — Zhanjiang Guolian Aquatic Products‘ revenue jumped 53%, and Minh Phu Seafood was up 23 places thanks to a 41% revenue increase.
Similarly to last year, the ten largest companies – with revenues of more than $2bn each — accounted for over a third ($35bn) of the total revenues and the 25 largest for over half ($57bn).
As in our 2013 report, Japanese companies comfortably dominate with 26 of the companies listed. The US is next largest (11) and Norway third (9), again fairly stable from last year.
However, there are also several changes from the previous report. Looking at the companies’ movements up and down the ranking from the 2013 report illustrates some of the key events and trends that shaped the seafood industry in the past 12 months.
Take for instance the spectacular drop of Pescanova, which, after a year in bankruptcy, has fallen from eighth largest in our 2013 report to 18th largest, and is likely to drop further as creditors and administrators sell off its assets.
Dutch shrimp processor Heiploeg, which was the 100th company in our ranking last year, also fell into bankruptcy, and is now largely incorporated into Parlevliet and van der Plas.
A third company from last year’s ranking went into receivership: Yihe, a US-based salmon processor. The group no longer features on our report as its revenues are thought to now be below the $300m mark.
Other players, in turn, have been incorporated into bigger ones through acquisitions: Morpol is now part of Marine Harvest; American Pride Seafood is now part of High Liner Foods; Copeinca has been engulfed by Pacific Andes; Norway Pelagic by Austevoll Seafood.
Both Maruha Nichiro and Marubeni have acquired smaller players, while Russian Sea Catching has been growing fast, gobbling up Russian pollock catchers, although not yet big enough to feature in this year’s ranking.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) In 2025, Vietnam’s pangasius export turnover reached nearly USD 2.2 billion, up 8% year-on-year. This result indicates that pangasius exports maintained their growth momentum despite significant volatility in the global market environment. In December 2025, pangasius export value reached USD 200 million, up 10% compared to December 2024. This solid performance in the final month of the year reflects increased import demand for consumption and inventory replenishment in key markets.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) In 2025, Vietnam’s tuna exports to Spain experienced significant fluctuations. According to Vietnam Customs, during the first 11 months of 2025, export turnover for the first 11 months of the year edged up by 0.3% year-on-year, reaching nearly $15 million.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Deputy Prime Minister Bui Thanh Son has signed Decision No. 16/QD-TTg, dated January 5, 2026, approving the implementation plan for the Vietnam-Israel Free Trade Agreement (VIFTA). Under the plan, in the coming period, ministries, ministerial-level agencies, government-affiliated entities and People’s Committees of provinces and centrally-run cities must institutionalize and execute tasks focused on the dissemination of information regarding VIFTA and the Israeli market; legislative and institutional development, as well as enhancing competitiveness and human resource growth...
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Beyond achieving double-digit growth, Vietnam’s fish cake and surimi exports are showing a notable year-end "inflection point": the EU his accelerating with nearly twofold growth, China & Hong Kong are rising sharply, while the largest market, South Korea, signaled a slowdown in November. According to Vietnam Customs data, export turnover of fish cake and surimi reached $327 million in the first 11 months of 2025, up 22% year-on-year; November 2025 alone accounted for $35 million, marking a 5% increase. This serves as a critical foundation for exporters to reassess market structures and competitive intensity while finalizing order strategies for 2026.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Ca Mau, widely regarded as the nation’s “shrimp capital”, continued its strong performance in 2025 as shrimp output reached nearly 600,000 tons, maintaining its position as Vietnam’s leading shrimp-producing locality.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) On December 29, 2025, at the 2025 Pangasius Industry Review Conference held in Can Tho City, the Vietnam Pangasius Association announced that fingerling prices have surged to record levels due to acute supply shortages.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) While Vietnam’s shrimp exports to the EU maintained positive growth momentum in 2025, several new regulations related to animal welfare are transitioning from “ethical recommendations” to mandatory requirements, likely reshaping the shrimp supply chain for this market from 2026 onwards.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Vietnam’s seafood exports reached $989.5 million in November 2025, up 64.6% year-on-year. The robust monthly performance played a pivotal role in driving the total export turnover for the first 11 months of 2025 to $10.5 billion, representing a 19% increase compared with the same period in 2024.
(vasep.com.vn) Vietnam’s crab exports reached USD 81 million in the first 11 months of 2025, with the United States accounting for more than 82% of total value. While newly imposed reciprocal tariffs and the enforcement of provisions under the U.S. Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) pose significant challenges for Vietnam, the European Union is emerging as a promising growth market.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) The Ca Mau Department of Agriculture and Environment has recently issued a plan to develop specialized crab raw material zones serving official export channels, covering a scale of around 50,000 hectares. This marks a significant shift in the sea crab industry towards professional production aligned with market requirements.
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