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) Although Germany’s tuna imports have declined, Vietnam’s tuna exports to the market continue to show positive signs. Notably, export value recovered strongly in Q3/2026, and German import data also show Vietnamese products strengthening their position amid competition among suppliers.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Seafood exports are holding double-digit growth, but the opportunities are not spread evenly across product groups and markets. As businesses draw up their plans for 2027, Vietnam Seafood Summit 2026 (VSS2026) offers a chance to look ahead together: what to sell, where to sell it, and how to prepare for growth in the coming years.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) With less than two weeks to go, the Vietnam Seafood Summit 2026 (VSS 2026) will officially take place in Can Tho. Under the theme “Seafood Market Outlook 2027–2029 – Opportunities and Potential for Double-Digit Export Growth,” the Summit is organized by VASEP at a time when seafood businesses are facing rapid market shifts, changing buyer demand, trade policy changes and growing competitive pressure all at once.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) On October 28, 2026, the China Fisheries & Seafood Expo opened in Qingdao, China. The expo takes place over three days from October 28 to 30, 2026. This is a prestigious specialized seafood exhibition organized annually by Sea Fare Exposition Inc.
(vasep.com.vn) In the first nine months of 2026, Vietnam’s tilapia exports to the CPTPP bloc reached $7 million, marking a 51% year-on-year increase. The bloc rstands as the fourth-largest market for Vietnamese tilapia, trailing Brazil, the US, and Saudi Arabia.
(vasep.com.vn) VASEP has officially announced the program for Vietnam Seafood Summit 2026 (VSS 2026), featuring five in-depth sessions covering industry outlooks, trade barriers, buyer demand, the domestic market, and solutions to improve productivity and reduce costs across the seafood value chain.
(vasep.com.vn) Vietnam’s shrimp exports reached US$3.7 billion in the first nine months of 2026, up 11% year on year. Although growth has been supported by China and several markets within the CPTPP, momentum is slowing as exports to the United States and the European Union decline. Tariff pressures, international competition, and raw material challenges are creating significant hurdles for exporters in the final months of the year.
(vasep.com.vn) Markets are changing faster, buyer requirements are becoming more demanding, and trade barriers are growing increasingly complex. In this environment, seafood businesses need more than an understanding of current market conditions. They need a longer-term perspective to answer a critical question: Where will growth opportunities come from in 2027–2029, and what should businesses do now to prepare? This is one of the key reasons why VASEP is organizing Vietnam Seafood Summit 2026.
(vasep.com.vn) In the first eight months of 2026, Vietnam’s pangasius exports to the Middle East reached US$113 million, up 7% year on year from the same period in 2025. Growth has become more pronounced in recent months. In August alone, exports to the region totaled US$20 million, an increase of 24%. This indicates that demand for Vietnamese pangasius in the Middle East is gradually recovering after a slowdown in March, although the pace of recovery varies across markets.
(vasep.com.vn) China’s shrimp imports continued to grow strongly in 2026, while Vietnam’s shrimp exports to the market also recorded notable growth. However, behind these positive figures lie two distinct trends: Chinese consumption is growing more slowly than imports, and lobster accounts for a substantial share of Vietnam’s shrimp exports to China, making its product mix significantly different from those of Ecuador and India. Exporters therefore need to assess each segment carefully to understand the opportunities and risks.
VASEP - HIỆP HỘI CHẾ BIẾN VÀ XUẤT KHẨU THỦY SẢN VIỆT NAM
Chịu trách nhiệm: Ông Nguyễn Hoài Nam - Phó Tổng thư ký Hiệp hội
Đơn vị vận hành trang tin điện tử: Trung tâm VASEP.PRO
Trưởng Ban Biên tập: Bà Phùng Thị Kim Thu
Giấy phép hoạt động Trang thông tin điện tử tổng hợp số 138/GP-TTĐT, ngày 01/10/2013 của Bộ Thông tin và Truyền thông
Tel: (+84 24) 3.7715055 – (ext.203); email: kimthu@vasep.com.vn
Trụ sở: Số 7 đường Nguyễn Quý Cảnh, Phường An Phú, Quận 2, Tp.Hồ Chí Minh
Tel: (+84) 28.628.10430 - Fax: (+84) 28.628.10437 - Email: vasephcm@vasep.com.vn
VPĐD: số 10, Nguyễn Công Hoan, Ngọc Khánh, Ba Đình, Hà Nội
Tel: (+84 24) 3.7715055 - Fax: (+84 24) 37715084 - Email: vasephn@vasep.com.vn