Ex-vessel prices for H&G yellowfin tuna have risen steadily along with fuel costs, and the current selling price is up $1.50 (€1.13) to $2 (€1.51) per pound from two years ago,
Fortune Fish co-founder Mark Gorogianis told IntraFish. Gorogianis is also responsible for buying tuna, the company's second largest volume fresh fish product.
Gorogianis said he has been able to pass those costs on to the consumer without problem. Tuna loins are now fetching $2 (€1.51) to $5 (€3.78) per pound more than they did two years ago, depending upon the grade. His buyers include high-end retailers, such as Whole Foods, and restaurants.
At the wholesale level, he is charging $11 (€8.31) to $19 (€14.36) for fresh tuna loins, depending on the grade. No.2 grades are going for $11 (€8.31) to $12 (€9.07) and No.2+grades for $13 (€9.83) to $17 (€12.85). He charges $18 (€13.60) to $19 (€14.36) for No.1 grades. The retailers and restaurants he sells to, of course, add their own markup.
Despite these higher prices, demand for the species has increased in recent years at the retail level, with sales rising from 10 percent of his total sales ten years ago to 30 percent today, he said.
If ex-vessel prices continue to rise, he will raise prices further. “We’ll have to,” Gorogianis said. But Fortune is always engaged in efforts to keep their costs and selling prices down, he said. They have always bought in bulk from large suppliers and have found new ways to save costs.
“We’re trying to negotiate better freight rates with some of the key airline companies we use, like United and Southwest and Delta,” said Gorogianis, who is also Fortune’s main tuna buyer. “We also utilize our loyalty to certain air shippers to negotiate better freight rates.”
Tough times
High fuel prices, natural disasters and strong demand for tuna loins from China have all converged to bring supply down dramatically, sources told IntraFish.
In the Gulf of Mexico, where Gorogianis sources tuna, the fleet has dropped from 200 boats before Hurricane Katrina in 2005 to 80 boats today.
Demand from China has also contributed to a lack of supply, Phil Rush, Jensen Tuna vice president of sales and marketing, told IntraFish.
“China has really come on strong with their economy,” said Rush, who sells 90 percent of his fresh, H&G tuna to distributors such as Gorogianis. He sources from the Gulf of Mexico as well as China, and has stopped shipping tuna over from Vietnam 6 months ago "because the (delivery) price was so high."
Hurricane Katrina ransacked the Gulf’s tuna fishing fleet, and many fishermen never recovered the costs lost from the disaster. The cost of bate and steadily rising cost of fuel made it difficult for many to get back into the business, Gorogianis said.
Tuna operations are highly dependent on fuel in order to catch the highly migratory species, and the price of bate – squid, mackerel and sardines – has gone up 100 percent, Gorogianis said.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) On the afternoon of March 19, Vice Chairman of the Ca Mau Provincial People’s Committee, Le Van Su, chaired a meeting to address bottlenecks and propose solutions to expand the super-intensive whiteleg shrimp farming model using low water exchange and high biosecurity standards (RAS-IMTA).
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) On March 10, 2026, the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee issued Decision No. 1377/QD-UBND approving the Aquatic Animal Disease Prevention and Control Plan for the 2026–2030 period. The decision takes effect from the date of signing and replaces previous plans for the 2021–2030 period that had been issued prior to the administrative merger in Ba Ria – Vung Tau, Binh Duong, and Ho Chi Minh City.
(vasep.com.vn) In 2025, Chile imported more than USD 156 million worth of tuna, up 8.1% compared to the previous year and the highest level in the past five years. As the supply structure in this market is rapidly shifting, Vietnamese tuna is facing both opportunities to expand market share and increasing competitive pressure from Thailand, Colombia, and China.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Vinh Long Province is stepping up efforts to develop brackish water shrimp farming in a sustainable direction, identifying it as a key sector in its agricultural structure. In 2026, the province aims to reach around 71,300 hectares of shrimp farming, with an output of over 314,000 tons.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Ha Tinh Province is strengthening control over shrimp seed quality to minimize risks for the 2026 spring–summer farming season.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) In February 2026, Vietnam’s pangasius exports reached USD 119 million, down slightly 5% year-on-year. However, thanks to strong performance in January, cumulative exports in the first two months of the year still reached USD 331 million, up 28% compared to the same period in 2025. Export activity slowed somewhat in February due to seasonal factors, particularly the Lunar New Year holiday, which disrupted production and shipments at many seafood processing enterprises.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Da Nang is accelerating the development of high-tech shrimp farming toward intensive production, disease control, and improved efficiency. Many shrimp farms have invested in automated environmental monitoring systems, continuously tracking indicators such as pH, dissolved oxygen, temperature, and salinity, enabling farmers to promptly adjust pond conditions and reduce disease risks.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) The year 2025 is considered a turning point for Vietnam’s shrimp seed industry as the sector faces the need for strong transformation in technology, production management, and gradual self-sufficiency in broodstock supply. These factors are seen as key to improving seed quality and strengthening the competitiveness of the shrimp industry amid increasingly demanding market requirements.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) In February 2026, Vietnam’s shrimp exports reached nearly USD 310 million, up 17% year-on-year. Cumulatively for the first two months of the year, shrimp export value totaled USD 690 million, an increase of 20% compared with the same period last year. Compared with the 22% growth recorded in January, the pace of increase in February slowed somewhat, reflecting seasonal factors as the Lunar New Year holiday partially disrupted processing and shipment activities. Nevertheless, the nearly 20% growth in the first two months indicates that shrimp orders from Vietnam are maintaining a more positive trend than in the same period last year.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) According to the latest statistics for January 2026, Vietnam’s pangasius export value to major market blocs recorded encouraging growth compared with the same period last year, indicating that consumption demand is gradually recovering.
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