South Korean pollock sales plummet on Japanese radiation fears despite it being Russian caught

News 10:37 13/09/2014
Lee Gui-ja, a South Korean housewife, will not be preparing traditional pollack pancakes for Thanksgiving celebrations this week due to worries the fish may be contaminated by radiation from Japan’s leaking Fukushima nuclear reactor.

Japan has sought to reassure the international community the facility is under control but South Korea has banned fishery imports from the affected region.

Even though most frozen pollock comes to South Korea from Russian waters, sales of fish have plunged before South Koreans mark the main annual holiday this week.

Japanese officials have been lobbying — without success — to have the ban lifted.

“I watched the news and will not put frozen pollock pancakes on the table this year, although they have always been there,” Lee said at a fish market in central Seoul. “Maybe I will prepare mung bean or beef pancakes instead.”

Pancakes are one of the dishes traditionally placed on the table to honor ancestors and then shared by the family once the ritual is complete.

“Sales are more than 60 percent down and stocks are all piled up,” said Park Sun-young, who sells frozen pollack. “We keep telling people that these are not Japanese fish but people don’t believe it.”

Kim Heon-tae, an official at the Korea Overseas Fisheries Association, said 98 percent of imported frozen pollack comes from Russian waters.

Even so, Hansung Enterprise, a South Korean fisheries company, said sales of frozen pollack fell 42.5 percent between January and August from a year earlier.

“This is the toughest time I have ever seen,” said Park as she sliced pollack that no one appeared to want. Park runs her parents’ shop, which has been in business for 20 years.

Scientists have played down the risk of contamination.

TIN MỚI CẬP NHẬT

Vietfish 2026 – A Hub for Innovation, Connectivity, and Sustainable Growth in Vietnam’s Seafood Industry

 |  11:50 07/08/2026

(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 exports stay above US$1.1 billion in July: Growth momentum likely to slow as US tariffs begin to “filter through” to orders

 |  17:09 06/08/2026

(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.

Vietfish 2026 Seminar: Global seafood market trends and the future workforce

 |  11:38 05/08/2026

(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.

Creating momentum for double-digit growth

 |  08:45 30/07/2026

(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.

In the first six months of the year, Ha Tinh province earned over 1.2 trillion VND from seafood exploitation

 |  14:55 28/07/2026

(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.

Tuna exports in the first half of 2026: One month of strong growth is not enough to ease mounting pressure

 |  08:35 26/07/2026

(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.

Vietfish 2026 Domestic B2B Program: connecting supply and demand to bring high-quality Vietnamese seafood closer to local consumers

 |  15:24 24/07/2026

(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.

Vietfish 2026 Cooking Show: Telling the story of Vietnamese seafood through culinary experiences

 |  15:15 24/07/2026

(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.

Vietnam's pangasius exports reach USD 1.1 billion in the first half of 2026

 |  08:16 23/07/2026

(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.

Strengthen control over fishing vessels and trace the origin of harvested seafood.

 |  09:34 21/07/2026

(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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