The association, which represents the interest of service providers to the tuna industry, said the levy of USD 350 per tonne imposed in June last year on foreign fish exported directly from Fiji has led to job losses for locals.
Spokesperson John Lee said the tax was applied without having consulted with service providers. "The fish is caught outside Fiji's waters and is considered foreign," he said, Fiji Times reports.
The government's effort to help the industry failed to take into account the deleterious economic effect the levy would have on service providers.
"Imposing tax on trans-shipment of cargo or fish on an international port is in breach of World Customs Organisation and World Trade Organisation (WTO), of which Fiji's Customs Authority and the government are party. The alternate way this levy could be imposed is through an affordable service fee as mentioned in the budget on the Fisheries segment," Lee continued.
Most fishing boat owners, he noted, were now seeking other countries with which to conduct trans-shipment. Some businesses have had to deal with this shift by laying off workers, he explained.
Grahame Southwick, Fiji Tuna Boat Owners Association spokesperson, said the fisheries authority two years ago started to let foreign fishing vessels based in Fiji to export without the use of Fiji’s processing plants.
"This allowed them to come to the Kings Wharf, and using their own crew, unload the fish directly into containers and ship it out. This meant no fish for all the Fiji processors, and Pacific American Fish Company, Inc (PAFCO) was reduced to three-day weeks, the five Suva processors had empty factories and staff members were laid off,” he said.
His association supports the expansion of the Fiji fleet beyond the exclusive economic zone (EEZ), although Southwick specified that it must be carried out by way of arrangements with neighbouring states or on the high seas – and the expansion arrangements must be for Fiji boats.
Meanwhile, the Fisheries Department has informed that Fiji is evaluating how to lower the number of chartered fishing vessels because “partners” may offer the service at lower costs.
The Fiji Tuna Boat Owners Association has already voiced its concern about the number of licences granted to operators as well as about overfishing, and there have been recent consultations among stakeholders and key players of the fisheries sector over the Tuna Management Development Plan.
(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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