“’Hideous’ is the term I would use,” Lance Magnuson, managing director at Blue North Trading Co., the sales and marketing arm of cod harvester Blue North Fisheries, told IntraFish.
The price range for Pacific cod on sizes is significant, but suppliers and buyers put longline frozen-at-sea H&G j-cut fish at around $2,600 - $2,800 per metric ton currently (with the caveat that prices vary significantly by size). Compare that with a rough average for the same product last year: $3,100-$3,200 per metric ton.
Pacific cod has taken an obvious hit from the abundant supply of Atlantic cod, but producers say prices have moved up slightly from a few months ago.
“Prices have been going up in response to less supply, and demand has gone up because prices are so damn low,” Magnuson said.
Higher demand has been in part the result of the larger sizes of Atlantic cod, Magnusonand others said. Unlike Portuguese buyers, who have a strong affinity for thelarger-sized cod currently coming out of the
“You can’t take a 3 kg fish and get a proper 4 oz. portion,” Magnuson said, pointing to the needs in, for example, the natural fish market in other parts of
Pacific cod harvests – currently right on target for this season – have a much better size mix. Some 56 percent of the harvest from Blue North’s vessel Blue Pacific is under 2.5 kilograms, Magnuson noted. Thirteen percent is under 1 kg.
Paul Gilliland, senior vice president with cod harvester Clipper Seafoods, agrees: processors prefer a smaller size.
And while they havelearned to handle larger fish, the end-product cansuffer.
“There’s a lot of product that just doesn’t look good,” he told IntraFish. “The fish and chip markets have to hit a certain size. They have to hit that net weight.”
Further helping the market situation for Pacific cod, Gilliland said , is that the oversupply argumenton cod is beginning to fade somewhat.
“It’s becoming more apparent that
The sluggish demand in Europe has several reasons, one European importer told IntraFish, with the most obvious being the higher supply and subsequent drop in prices for
Meanwhile,
“This isn’t the time to sell fish in
The outlook for the remainder of the year is fuzzy at best, but long-term Pacific cod is bankable.
Combined quotas from
Three new Pacific cod harvesters have been under construction, with Alaskan Leader Fisheries’ Northern Leader being launched later this month. Blue North’s new vessel is due for completion in 2014.
Despite that long-term outlook, however, in the near-term, the market in general remains spotty. “There’s no umbrella for this storm,” Magnuson said. “We have to live with what’s going on in the market.”
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) The year 2025 marked a pivotal milestone for Vietnam’s seafood industry in its restructuring process toward sustainability, transparency, and higher value creation, amid continued uncertainties in the global economic and trade environment. Prolonged inflation in major economies, the rising trend of trade protectionism, and increasingly stringent requirements related to environmental standards, traceability, and social responsibility have posed significant challenges to seafood production and exports. Nevertheless, overcoming these pressures, Vietnam’s seafood sector has gradually demonstrated its adaptability, maintained growth momentum, and laid an important foundation for the next stage of development.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Amid the increasingly evident impacts of drought and saltwater intrusion, the shrimp-rice production model in Ca Mau province continues to prove itself as a viable direction, contributing to higher farmer incomes, improved soil conditions and the promotion of ecological and sustainable agricultural development.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) The management of fishing vessels, monitoring of fishing activities, and handling of violations in the fisheries sector in Lam Dong province have continued to be implemented in a synchronized and stringent manner, contributing to raising awareness of legal compliance among fishermen and aiming to end illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Can Tho’s fishery industry sustained steady growth in 2025 with total aquatic and marine output reaching nearly 783,000 tons, fulfilling 100% of the annual target. Aquaculture, capture fisheries and fishing fleet management were further strengthened, aiming for sustainable development in the coming years.
(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.
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