Buyers in Europe have high inventories of Alaska pollock and US fishing companies -- which are out catching their Marine Stewardship Council (MSC)-certified fish in the A-season at the moment – have high stock levels, sources told IntraFish.
“I believe US sellers have a lot of stock on their hands which makes them put pressure on price,” said Dmitry Fedotov, founder of Superocean, a Hong Kong based supplier with access to around 80,000 metric tons of Alaska pollock in Russia.
“Rumors are that they are offering Alaska pollock blocks at $3,150 (€2,355) per metric ton,” he told IntraFish.
A buyer at a large European processing firm said he had also seen this price level. “I have heard that, but it depends on the selling terms and the quality,” he said.
$3,200 (€2,393) is a more realist level for frozen-at-sea pollock from the US, while some of the land-frozen pollock from the US is down at $3,150 (€2,355), he said.
However, neither executive feels the price will drop below $3,000 (€2,243).
A European trader is more bullish.
“I have not heard of $3,100 (€2,318) -- I think the general price is around $3,300 (€2,468) to $3,400 (€2,542) at the moment but sales are sporadic,” he told IntraFish. “I think lots of buyers are holding back until Boston seafood show to see if prices are going up or down.”
It will be “interesting to see where we land,” he said.
Russian prices down
Prices for headed and gutted (H&G) pollock from Russian to China are also down at $1,350 (€1,010), said Fedotov.
“Buyers in China are saying that they have lots of stock, but companies are still buying,” he said. “I have sold roughly 3,600 metric tons of H&G pollock into Chinese plants over the last week and a half.”
The Chinese message of high stocks could be a message in the lead up to Boston, in order to drive down US prices and compete on prices, he said. “Maybe the Chinese are playing the game in the lead up to Boston, which promises to be very interesting.”
Frank Zhou, an executive with Chinese processor Ocean One Enterprise, said prices have fallen further, to the $1,300 (€972.1) level.
“Demand is very low from the EU and the United States, especially EU,” he said. “Chinese plants here have big inventories. Many have to stop processing, since their cold storages are full with finished
products. Not many plants want to buy pollock now.”
The weak euro is also a factor, which means costs for EU customers are almost 10 percent higher, he said.
“Single frozen pollock products are sold at low prices, very close to twice frozen, which has caused many customers turn to buy single frozen instead.”
Price fall normal
It is normal that the prices fall this time of year, said Daniel Lin, an executive who has set up his own company, Ocean Kingdom Seafood, to supply wild-caught frozen at sea fish to the processing industry and wholesalers.
“It’s normal that the price falls from $1670 (€1,249) to $1350 (€1,010) per metric ton -- for H&G, 25+ centimeters -- from January to February, every year this thing happens,” he said.
“Unlike cod or other high-value species -- bought as spot against customer orders -- pollock is a species processing plants can buy in advance and corner as inventory,” he said.
Most Chinese processing plants buy pollock to a set plan, said Lin.
This involves buying 70 percent of annual demand in February to April, because there is a catch of around 100,000 metric tons in the Sea of Okhotsk.
Then, they buy the rest of the demand in November up to January, before the Chinese New Year festival. “Therefore, in January and February, there is very little trading. That causes the price falls dramatically.”
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Vietfish 2026, the Vietnam International Seafood Exhibition, will officially take place from 19–21 August 2026 in Ho Chi Minh City. As Vietnam’s largest annual seafood trade event, organized by the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP), Vietfish 2026 will once again bring together leading seafood companies, industry experts, and international partners from across the global seafood value chain.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Vietnam’s seafood exports reached USD 1.1 billion in July 2026, up 4.8% compared to the same period in 2025. Cumulative exports in the first seven months of the year totaled nearly USD 6.86 billion, an increase of 11.5% year-on-year. Exceeding the USD 1 billion mark in July further reinforces the prospect that Vietnam’s seafood exports could surpass USD 12 billion in 2026. However, the July figures also send a clear signal that the most favorable growth period may have passed: overall export growth slowed to just 4.8%, pangasius exports fell 6.1%, tuna exports were virtually flat, while exports to the EU, South Korea, and the Middle East all recorded double-digit declines.
(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.
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