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) Japan continues to be one of Vietnam’s most important and stable shrimp markets. In recent years, shrimp exports to this market have fluctuated in line with Japan’s broader economic and consumption cycles, yet Japan remains a major, high-value destination with stringent standards.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) In 2025, Vietnam’s tuna exports to Spain increased by 13% compared to 2024. This growth trend has continued into the first two months of 2026. According to Vietnam Customs statistics, export turnover to this market reached nearly USD 3 million in January–February 2026, up 101% year-on-year and significantly higher than the same period in 2024. This development indicates that Spain is once again becoming a notable destination for Vietnamese tuna amid strong demand for tuna raw materials and products in Europe.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) The 2026 brackish water shrimp farming season in the Mekong Delta has started earlier than usual, mainly driven by positive market signals, as shrimp prices in 2025 remained high and supply was limited. Many enterprises and farms in Cần Thơ, Cà Mau, and Vĩnh Long have proactively stocked early to seize opportunities. By early 2026, stocking areas in many localities had reached a high proportion of planned targets, with intensive and high-tech farming models expanding rapidly.
(vasep.com.vn) Vietnam’s tilapia exports to the United States recorded remarkable growth in 2025, opening up major opportunities while also presenting considerable challenges. The U.S. remains the largest importer of Vietnamese tilapia fillets, with export turnover reaching USD 40 million—an increase of up to 499% compared to 2024. This impressive growth reflects strong demand in the U.S. market, as supply from competing countries such as China has been constrained by tariffs and rising production costs.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Pangasius remains a strategic export commodity in Vietnam’s seafood sector. Entering 2026, the industry faces a strong need to transition from volume-based growth to a value-driven development model, with a focus on quality, food safety, and sustainability.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Following damage caused by Storm No. 13 in late 2025, brackish water shrimp farming in Gia Lai is being rapidly restored. In key farming areas such as Tuy Phước and Tuy Phước Đông, farmers are focusing on rehabilitating ponds, repairing infrastructure, and treating the environment in preparation for the 2026 crop.
(seafood.vasep.com) Facing the decline in fishery resources, Vietnam is accelerating livelihood transitions for fishermen to reduce fishing pressure and move toward sustainable development. Marine fish stocks have dropped significantly from 4.82 million tons in 2000–2005 to 3.95 million tons in 2016–2020.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Vietnam’s shrimp industry is entering a period of strong transformation with the emergence of various high-tech farming models, helping improve productivity and competitiveness. Over the past 5–10 years, farming practices have shifted from traditional methods to intensive and super-intensive systems, featuring lined ponds, environmental sensors, automated feeding, and data management.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) With a focus on sustainable development, high-tech application, and climate change adaptation, An Giang Province aims to maintain its brackish water shrimp production in 2026 at a level equivalent to the previous year. Specifically, output is projected to reach over 155,510 tons, serving both domestic consumption and export processing, thereby sustaining the fisheries sector’s key role in the local economic structure.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) In the Mekong Delta, key pangasius farming provinces such as An Giang, Dong Thap, and Can Tho are accelerating the transition toward a circular economy model, contributing to higher product value and reduced environmental impact. Instead of focusing solely on farming and processing, the pangasius value chain is increasingly utilizing by-products and waste streams to generate added value.
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