On Monday, Undercurrent News reported that US pollock surimi exports to South Korea had boomed this year, with the country surpassing Japan as the top export market for the first time in at least a decade.
The same figures suggested exports to Japan had fallen 19% in the first seven months of the year.
However, what these figures reflect is not higher demand in South Korea, but instead much later sales to Japanese buyers as a result of this year’s slow surimi market, said Guenneugues.
With higher inventories this year, coupled with a weak yen and falling prices, Japanese buyers have remained more cautious with their purchases of US pollock surimi, a process that has seen pollock surimi prices drop 40% in US dollar price.
Faced with this, US processors, forced to ship out their product from Dutch Harbor (Alaska), moved the inventory to the South Korean port of Busan until the contracts with Japan were confirmed, said Guenneugues. The main reason is that Busan offers cheaper transportation and storage than Japan.
“Last year, [when Japan's inventories were far lower], the contracts were done in January, so the product moved directly to Japan,” said Guenneugues.
Import figures from Japan, listed in a presentation given by Nippon Suisan Kaisha (Nissui) at the Japan surimi forum, back this up.
These show Japan imported 40,604 metric tons of pollock surimi from the US in the first half of 2013, barely down from last year’s 41,291t.
This picture is in strong contrast with that given by the US export figures, which suggested that exports to Japan had fallen from 40,675t to 32,795t in the first seven months of the year, as they did not take into accounts sales via Busan.
The same export figures from the US showed South Korea purchased 39,455t of US surimi pollock from January to July 2013, compared to 23,970t in the same period last year.
While Japan’s imports of US surimi pollock have remained stable, its surimi imports from Thailand have taken a strong hit, falling by 8,000t to 18,294t.
This confirms the trend outlined by Guenneugues, that tropical surimi imports have taken a strong hit this year, as countries importing both pollock and tropical surimi (such as Japan, the EU/Russia, and South Korea) have shifted the balance in favour of pollock surimi this year, due to the lower prices.
The same presentation by Nissui shows that competition in Japan is intensifying, as overall spending by consumers is going down.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Business leader Do Ngoc Tai, General Director of Tai Kim Anh Seafood Processing Joint Stock Company, was honored by the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI) with the title “Outstanding Vietnamese Entrepreneur – Thanh Giong Cup 2026” at a ceremony celebrating Vietnam Entrepreneurs’ Day (October 13). The event took place on the evening of October 11, 2026, at the National Convention Center in Hanoi.
(vasep.com.vn) The global tilapia market is becoming increasingly segmented, not only among producing countries but also by product type and destination market. Supply is divided into groups with distinct competitive advantages: large volumes of whole fish and frozen fillets from Asia, high-value fresh fillets from Latin America, and substantial domestic consumption in several major producing countries.
(vasep.com.vn) Vietnam’s tuna exports to the UK grew in the first eight months of 2026, despite signs of slowing import demand in the market. However, sharp fluctuations in orders, competition from major suppliers, and new traceability requirements are creating challenges for Vietnamese exporters.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Vietnam is stepping up efforts to combat illegal fishing, protect marine ecosystems, expand digital monitoring, and develop science-based management to ensure the sea can support communities and the economy for generations to come.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) The EU remains a critical market for Vietnamese shrimp; however, purchasing demand and import patterns are undergoing notable changes. According to Vietnam Customs data, as of September 15, 2026, Vietnam’s shrimp exports to the EU reached nearly $374 million, down 5% year-over-year and accounting for 10.7% of the country’s total shrimp export value. Meanwhile, the EU’s stotal shrimp imports through July 2026 contracted by 7% in volume, exhibiting divergent trends across Southern Europe, Northwestern Europe and Eastern Europe. These dynamics necessitate that Vietnamese enterprises closely monitor individualized market demand, rather than approaching the EU as a monolithic consumer block.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) In the first eight months of 2026, Vietnam’s exports of surimi and fish cakes remained relatively stable year-over-year compared to 2025. Following a contraction in the initial months, export performance demonstrated improvement from June onward, peaking in August. However, the recovery has been uneven, characterized by divergent trends across major markets: robust growth was recorded in China, Japan, Malaysia, the United States, and Taiwan, whereas export volumes to South Korea, Indonesia, and select European markets contracted.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Pangasius remains one of Dong Thap’s key aquaculture species, with the province focusing on developing an integrated value chain covering seed production, commercial farming, deep processing and by-product utilization. The province is promoting high-tech, circular pangasius farming models featuring reduced water exchange and enhanced biosecurity, aiming to improve production efficiency and strengthen control over raw material quality.
(vasep.com.vn) Vietnam’s seafood exports in September 2026 are estimated at US$1.135 billion, up 11.9% year-on-year, bringing total exports in the first nine months of the year to US$9.103 billion, up 11.4%. Behind this double-digit growth, however, increasingly divergent market trends are emerging: China–Hong Kong and ASEAN posted strong growth, while the U.S., EU and Japan all recorded declines in September.
(vasep.com.vn) In the first eight months of 2026, Brazil became the largest market for Vietnamese tilapia, with export value reaching US$44 million, up 22,142% year-on-year and accounting for 49% of Vietnam’s total tilapia exports. In August alone, exports to Brazil reached US$4 million. However, behind this remarkable growth is a market that is imposing increasingly stringent requirements on imported supplies.
(vasep.com.vn) Vietnam’s tuna exports sustained their upward trajectory in August 2026, though the pace remained modest at just 2%. The month saw divergent trends across key markets: the US maintained its leading position, Japan and Canada improved, Russia surged and the EU continued to experience a steep downturn. These developments suggest that exporters are entering the final months of the year amid a market environment marked by greater uncertainty.
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