As a country with a highly developed fishing industry, Canada catches more than 3.800 MT of Pacific albacore tuna, however the amount is insufficient to meet domestic demand. Therefore, Canada still has to import tuna from other countries in the world. By the end of 2017, Canada is currently the 14th largest market for tuna imports in the world.
Tuna is one of the staple foods in many Canadian families, especially canned tuna. According to the statistics of the International Trade Center, the first half of 2018, Canada's canned tuna imports accounted for more than 86% of the country's total volume of tuna imports.
To meet the demand of domestic consumption and tuna production, Canada is importing tuna from 46 countries around the world. Thailand, the US, Vietnam, Philippines, Italy, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Japan and South Korea are the main tuna supplies for this market in the first 8 months of 2018.
Among them, ASEAN countries account for more than 84% of the total volume of Canadian tuna imports. According to ITC statistics, the export of tuna of ASEAN countries to this market in recent years is not stable with constant sin-shaped fluctuations. The volume of Canadian tuna imports from ASEAN countries ranged from 1.7 to 3.7 thousand MT in the first 6 months of this year.
Currently Thailand, Vietnam and the Philippines are the three largest tuna suppliers in ASEAN for this market. With the largest market share, accounting for nearly 75% of the total volume of Canadian tuna imports, Thailand is dominating the Canadian tuna market, especially in the market segment of canned tuna. Meanwhile, the Philippines and Vietnam only account for 4% market share.
Notably, while there was a tendency to reduce tuna imports from Thailand, imports from other sources, including Vietnam increased. This shows that Canadian businesses tend to diversify their supply sources, avoiding dependence on suppliers from Thailand. In addition, the high price of skipjack in Bangkok has reduced the competitive advantage of Thai canned tuna products in the Canadian market.
In addition, because the amount of tuna caught in Thailand tended to decrease in the previous time due to the ban on sea exploitation, Thailand's supply of processed tuna also became limited. Therefore, Canada must find alternative sources from other countries like the Philippines and Vietnam.
According to statistics of Vietnam Customs, in the first 9 months of this year, Canada has imported nearly 11 million USD of tuna products from Vietnam, up by 13.5% compared to the same period in 2017. In which, export value for frozen tuna / fillet products accounted for the highest proportion of 69%. Compared to last year, the export of tuna from Vietnam to Canada increased over the same period, except for the one of frozen tuna fillet.
While canned tuna products imported into Canada are subject to tax, fresh and frozen tuna products are exempted from import duty. Currently, Vietnam's canned tuna exports to Canada are subject to 4% tax, while the number for Thailand, Philippines, the US and Italy are 5.8%, 4%, 0% and 5.8% respectively.
With the exemption of import tax on fresh and frozen tuna and low tariff on canned tuna processing, Canada is the remarkable export market for businesses at this time, especially when the demand for tuna imports of traditional large markets like the US and EU are becoming more unstable.
(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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