In 2012, Russia increased frozen cod fillets exports to the EU by 25% to 55,890t in 2012; while Norwegian frozen fillets to the EU decreased by 8% to 28,896t in 2012.
“The most important factor behind this is the structural alteration to the fishing fleets of Norway and Russia,” states the report, entitled Finfish 2013, and published by AIPCE-CEP.
Iceland also decreased its sales of frozen fillets into Europe, with volumes dropping 12% to 59,320t for 2012. Icelandic companies are selling more frozen-at-sea (FAS) vessels, for financial reasons, with a Russian company buying one FAS trawler last week, from Fisk Seafood.
While Iceland is moving more toward fresh fish and land-frozen fillet production, Russia has turned its attention to expanding its processing vessel fleet, the Norwegian fleet has moved away from processing at sea to boost headed and gutted (H&G) and frozen whole production.
The increase in frozen whole has boosted exports from Norway to the EU, up by 36% in 2012 to 33,807t, the report shows.
As Norway has been increasing H&G volumes for exports, value-adding processing has taken place in other countries. The biggest importer of frozen groundfish –mainly cod — from Norway in 2013 was China, with imports valued at NOK 1.3 billion ($210 million). This is 23% more compared to the previous year, according to the Norwegian Seafood Council.
However, data for 2012 shows China decreased frozen cod fillets exports to the EU by 10%, from 137,293t in 2011 to 122,986t after several years of exports growth. This could be due to species substitution as cod was still relatively more expensive than Alaska pollock and haddock in 2012, according to the report.
“Another factor could be the effect of de-stocking to the mid-year announcement of a 33% quota increase in the Barents Sea (250,000t) that led the market to anticipate lower prices ahead,” shows the report, referring to the market shock from the million-metric-ton cod quota in 2013. The Barents Sea cod quota has been adjusted down by 7,000t for 2014.
Chinese re-processing, at risk of contracting
China preeminence in fish re-processing is backed by a strong infrastructure and investment, the report says, but the country is currently facing challenges in the sector that may begin to erode its overall processing capacity.
As previously reported by Undercurrent News, production costs for re-processing have increased. This means that attracting cheap labour to the fish processing sector is becoming harder, the report shows. Also, the advantage of processing by hand, is being affected by the development of improved technology and efficiency in EU factories for certain formats.
The importance of cod processing in Europe is still evident, the report shows: with imports of around 133,000t of H&G and 39,000t of fresh whole, in addition to EU catches of 144,000t, processing is one of the core sectors of the industry.
(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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