“’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) Currently, Da Nang City has no fishing vessels detained, sanctioned by foreign authorities, or criminally prosecuted for IUU fishing violations. Patrols, monitoring of marine fishing activities, and handling of violations have been prioritized by competent forces, significantly reducing nearshore fishing infringements.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) According to statistics from Vietnam Customs, Vietnam’s tuna exports to Israel in the first nine months of 2025 reached just over USD 27 million, down as much as 49% compared to the same period in 2024. This is a steep and prolonged decline for many consecutive months, reflecting changes in import demand as well as shifts in the supply structure of this market.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) The first 700 tons of Vietnamese tilapia ordered and imported by JBS Group will initially be distributed through supermarket chains, the Horeca network and JBS’s product showrooms in Brazil.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) In October 2025, Vietnam’s pangasius exports hit $217 million, representing an 8% increase compared to the same month in 2024. For the first 10 months of the year, total export value has surpassed $1.8 billion, up 9% year-on-year. This growth demonstrates clear positive momentum for the pangasius industry, despite continued declines in certain markets.
In recent days, the Central provinces of Vietnam have been suffering from historic flooding, with prolonged heavy rains, landslides, flash floods, and deep inundation causing extremely serious impacts on tens of thousands of households, as well as many VASEP member exporters located in the region. With the spirit of mutual support and solidarity, and in order to promptly assist residents and member exporters in the affected areas to stabilize their lives and restore production activities, VASEP calls on all seafood exporters, organizations, and individuals to extend supports to the people and member exporters in the flood-hit areas. We urge timely and practical material and spiritual contributions to help member exporters and local communities in the severely affected provinces overcome this difficult period.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) In the final days of October 2025, Vietnam’s domestic raw shrimp market remained generally stable, though slight adjustments were recorded in several sizes across key farming regions.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Vietnam’s shrimp exports reached USD 498 million in October 2025, up 26% from the same period last year. This is one of the highest monthly revenues since the beginning of the year, reflecting solid demand in major markets and faster shipment schedules by exporters. From January to October, shrimp export value reached USD 3.9 billion, up 22% compared to the same period in 2024.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) On October 31, 2025, the US Court of International Trade (CIT) officially issued an order to suspend the case filed by the National Fisheries Institute (NFI), the National Restaurant Association (NRA), and several US seafood companies against the US Government concerning the implementation of the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA).
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) An Giang’s fisheries sector has maintained stable growth momentum during the first nine months of 2025, making an important contribution to the province’s socio-economic development. Despite facing numerous challenges, the province is implementing various measures to enhance production efficiency, expand markets, and promote sustainable fisheries development toward deeper integration into the global economy.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Vietnam’s pangasius export value in September 2025 reached USD 181 million, up 5% compared to the same period in 2024. The overall trend for the pangasius industry remains positive, with total exports in the first nine months of 2025 reaching nearly USD 1.6 billion, an increase of 9% year-on-year.
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