“This year it’s more evenly spread out, whereas last year was more of a feast or famine,” Eastern Fisheries Executive Vice President Joe Furtado told IntraFish. Scallopers are coming out of a unique situation brought on by the Japan's nuclear fallout last year.
Even though seafood from Japan was safe to eat, negative consumer perception still lingered from the Fukushima nuclear meltdown, making seafood from Japan a risky commodity to try to sell, Furtado said.
That meant circulation of Japanese scallops, which have become a staple in the giant US and Chinese markets, went down dramatically, and prices responded accordingly by increasing dramatically. Figures from Seatrade International show prices at this time last year at $10.50 per pound for most sizes, whereas this year, with supply back up, prices are at $9.75 to $10.
The higher overall supply from Northern Japan, which is expected to hit the US market by early August, is having a big affect, Furtado said.
"The northern Japanese fishery has become a staple import for both the United States and China, and with the events surrounding last year’s tsunami, buyers were forced to shift their efforts more heavily into the US fishery," Furtado said. But both supply and prices could change as the year continues.
“Right now you're going to see the (US) landings slow down a little bit, and I think you're going to see boat prices arc upward," Ross Paasche, president of the American Scallop Association, told IntraFish.
At this time last year, prices started to arc upward, and by the end of the year, they had reached a 9 year high of $11 per pound for both 10-20 and 20-30 count per pound sizes.
Prices for scallops at the auction in New Bedford, Massachusetts:
8-10 per pound count: $10.54 on July 18
10-20 per pound count: $10.10 on July 17
Twelve and under per pound count: $9.90 on July 18
Demand up in China
Chinese scallop buyers are shifting their preferences towards higher end products in an effort to keep up with the country shifting landscape.
Over the past two years, Eastern Fisheries’ biggest area of growth has been in China, where demand for dry, chemical free, unadulterated, frozen scallops has increased dramatically, Furtado said.
Two years ago, just 10 percent of the scallops Eastern shipped to China were dry and chemical free. That number shifted to 50 percent last year, and 80 percent this year. However, this may not be a direct reflection of the final product form Chinese consumers are eating.
“I don’t know how many of those customers are taking those products and further processing themselves,” he said.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) The year 2025 marks the 30th anniversary of the normalization of diplomatic relations between Vietnam and the United States (1995–2025). In parallel with the nation's progress in international economic integration, bilateral seafood trade has followed a remarkably impressive growth trajectory, expanding from an initial scale of just tens of millions of US dollars to nearly $2 billion annually. This growth has positioned the United States as Vietnam’s largest seafood export market for many consecutive years.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) On December 12, 2025, the Vietnam Association of Seafood Processing and Export (VASEP) issued document 231/CV-VASEP regarding strengthening measures to combat IUU fishing and working with the Government to lift the EC's IUU yellow card warning.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Tilapia is easy to farm and provides high economic and nutritional value, making it a sought-after export commodity in many countries.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Vietnam’s seafood exports in the first 10 months of 2025 recorded significant progress, reaching more than USD 9.5 billion, up 15% year-on-year. This result reflects the sector’s persistent efforts amid a highly volatile market, especially policy shocks from the US Although signs of slowdown emerged in the third quarter due to countervailing taxes, key product groups still maintained strong momentum and created a foundation for full-year exports to reach USD 11 billion.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Vietnam’s agreement with the United States on a framework for reciprocal, fair, and balanced trade—reached during the 2025 ASEAN Summit in Malaysia—has generated strong optimism for Vietnamese exports, including tuna. Numerous positive points in the joint statement have raised high expectations for Vietnamese export goods, but turning these expectations into tangible benefits remains a long and challenging journey.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) At the conference on “Linking the Production and Consumption Chain of Ca Mau Crab 2025,” Vice Chairman of the Ca Mau Provincial People’s Committee Lê Văn Sử posed a central question: how to shift the province’s crab exports toward official trade channels, instead of relying heavily on small-scale border trade with China as currently practiced.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) The whitefish market in Japan is showing a clear divergence among supplying countries, in which Vietnam continues to affirm its role as a stable and high-potential exporter. Vietnam currently ranks third after the US and Russia in whitefish export value to Japan. Thanks to tariff incentives and the ability to meet Japan’s strict standards, Vietnamese pangasius continues to record a stable and positive growth trend.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) The People's Committee of Ca Mau Province has just issued a plan to expand the super-intensive, low-water-exchange, biosecure white-leg shrimp farming model (RAS-IMTA) for whiteleg shrimp farming to a scale of 1,500 hectares, aiming to develop high-tech, sustainable and environmentally friendly shrimp farming.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Sa Giang Import-Export Joint Stock Company (HNX: SGC) plans to issue over 7.1 million shares to raise nearly 465 Billion VND for Hoan Ngoc M&A Deal.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) According to Rabobank, global tilapia production is forecast to exceed 7 million tons in 2025, driven by a strong recovery in major producing countries including China, Indonesia, Egypt, Bangladesh and Vietnam. Among them, Vietnam is emerging as a potential tilapia supplier in the global supply chain, capitalizing on market fluctuations to expand production and exports.
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