As a country surrounded by the Arctic, Atlantic and Pacific, the Canadian fishing industry is very developed. Canada exports over 75% of seafood products to 80 countries around the world. Although being a net seafood exporter, yet Canadian fisheries still cannot meet the domestic demand, the country still has to increase the import of seafood from other countries, especially tuna.
Specifically, each year the Canadian fisheries harvested more than 3,800 tons of Pacific albacore tuna, but not enough to meet domestic demand. Therefore, the country still has to import tuna from other countries in the world. By the end of 2018, Canada is currently the 12th largest importer of tuna in the world and the sixth largest tuna importer of Vietnam.
Tuna is one of the staple foods in many Canadian families, especially canned tuna. In the past 10 years, Canada imported a lot of processed and canned tuna. The proportion of imports of processed and canned tuna into this country accounts for over 80% of the total volume of imports of tuna products in the past 10 years.
To meet the demand of domestic consumption and tuna production, Canada is importing tuna from over 39 countries in the world, in which ASEAN countries account for more than 79% of the total volume of imports of this country.
Vietnam currently accounts for 10% market share in the Canadian tuna market, while Thailand accounts for 62% and the Philippines accounts for 6%. Notably, Canada has tended to reduce tuna imports from Thailand recently while increasing imports from other suppliers, including Vietnam.
In addition, as a member country participating in the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership Comprehensive Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) Agreement, Canada is increasingly interested in tuna supply from Vietnam.
Specifically, tuna export value of Vietnam has tended to grow continuously from June 2018 until now. In the first 5 months of this year, total tuna export value of Vietnam to Canada reached US$9.8 million, an increase of 93% compared to the same period in 2018. Especially, compared to the same period in 2018, export of processed tuna Vietnam to Canada increased 245%.
Under the commitments in the CPTPP, Canada will abolish the 7% tariff on canned tuna products to 0% as soon as the agreement comes into effect. Therefore, the approval of Vietnam and Canada for CPTPP will be a good opportunity for Vietnamese enterprises to boost export of canned processed tuna to this market.
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IMPORT TAX FOR PROCESSED/CANNED TUNA HS CODE 16041490 IMPORTED INTO CANADA |
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Suppliers |
MFN tax |
Preferential tax |
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Thailand |
7% |
|
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Vietnam |
7% |
0% ( According to CPTPP) |
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Philippines |
7% |
3,5% (According to GSP) |
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Ecuador |
7% |
|
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Indonesia |
7% |
|
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Taiwan |
7% |
|
|
USA |
7% |
0% (According to NAFTA) |
|
Italy |
7% |
0% (According to FTA EU – Canada) |
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) The Quang Tri Department of Agriculture and Environment has instructed localities to base their stocking schedules on actual conditions in each farming area, while developing plans, allocating resources, and implementing synchronized measures for disease prevention and disaster risk management in aquaculture production.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) In the first two months of 2026, Vietnam’s exports of fish cakes and surimi exceeded USD 45 million, up 7% compared to the same period in 2025, indicating a positive outlook for this product segment amid recovering demand in many markets.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) During the week from April 4th to 10th, 2026, Quang Ngai province intensified its monitoring and law enforcement activities with the determination to eliminate illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing practices.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Thanh Hoa’s shrimp sector is undergoing a strong transformation by accelerating the adoption of high technology, helping to improve productivity, increase profits, and meet market demands. The province currently has about 4,100 hectares of shrimp farming, with output continuing to rise despite stable farming area, mainly due to the shift from traditional methods to intensive and super-intensive farming.
(vasep.com.vn) Amid ongoing volatility in global seafood trade, Vietnam’s crab exports have made a fairly positive start to 2026. According to Vietnam Customs statistics, export turnover in the first two months of 2026 reached nearly USD 55 million, up 24% compared to the same period in 2025 and more than 2.2 times higher than in the same period of 2024. This indicates that crab exports are entering 2026 with stronger growth momentum, particularly in Asian markets.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Da Nang City has fully implemented all recommendations from the European Commission (EC) regarding the fight against illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing, creating an important foundation for the removal of the “yellow card” in the near future.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) In Hoa Vang district (Da Nang City), red tilapia farming is demonstrating clear economic efficiency, becoming a promising livelihood that helps many households increase their income. A notable example is the model of Mr. Huynh Ngoc Nam, who operates two red tilapia ponds covering more than 4 hectares, generating stable annual income.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) In Gia Vien district, tilapia farming—particularly the “duong nghiep” strain—is expanding rapidly and gradually becoming an efficient production model for local farmers. Hatcheries in the area are supplying high-quality, uniform, and disease-free fingerlings, meeting the growing demand for commercial farming.
(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.
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