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) 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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