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 |
|
Thailand |
7% |
|
|
Vietnam |
7% |
0% ( According to CPTPP) |
|
Philippines |
7% |
3,5% (According to GSP) |
|
Ecuador |
7% |
|
|
Indonesia |
7% |
|
|
Taiwan |
7% |
|
|
USA |
7% |
0% (According to NAFTA) |
|
Italy |
7% |
0% (According to FTA EU – Canada) |
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(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Amid the increasingly evident impacts of drought and saltwater intrusion, the shrimp-rice production model in Ca Mau province continues to prove itself as a viable direction, contributing to higher farmer incomes, improved soil conditions and the promotion of ecological and sustainable agricultural development.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) The management of fishing vessels, monitoring of fishing activities, and handling of violations in the fisheries sector in Lam Dong province have continued to be implemented in a synchronized and stringent manner, contributing to raising awareness of legal compliance among fishermen and aiming to end illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Can Tho’s fishery industry sustained steady growth in 2025 with total aquatic and marine output reaching nearly 783,000 tons, fulfilling 100% of the annual target. Aquaculture, capture fisheries and fishing fleet management were further strengthened, aiming for sustainable development in the coming years.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) In 2025, Vietnam’s pangasius export turnover reached nearly USD 2.2 billion, up 8% year-on-year. This result indicates that pangasius exports maintained their growth momentum despite significant volatility in the global market environment. In December 2025, pangasius export value reached USD 200 million, up 10% compared to December 2024. This solid performance in the final month of the year reflects increased import demand for consumption and inventory replenishment in key markets.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) In 2025, Vietnam’s tuna exports to Spain experienced significant fluctuations. According to Vietnam Customs, during the first 11 months of 2025, export turnover for the first 11 months of the year edged up by 0.3% year-on-year, reaching nearly $15 million.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Deputy Prime Minister Bui Thanh Son has signed Decision No. 16/QD-TTg, dated January 5, 2026, approving the implementation plan for the Vietnam-Israel Free Trade Agreement (VIFTA). Under the plan, in the coming period, ministries, ministerial-level agencies, government-affiliated entities and People’s Committees of provinces and centrally-run cities must institutionalize and execute tasks focused on the dissemination of information regarding VIFTA and the Israeli market; legislative and institutional development, as well as enhancing competitiveness and human resource growth...
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Beyond achieving double-digit growth, Vietnam’s fish cake and surimi exports are showing a notable year-end "inflection point": the EU his accelerating with nearly twofold growth, China & Hong Kong are rising sharply, while the largest market, South Korea, signaled a slowdown in November. According to Vietnam Customs data, export turnover of fish cake and surimi reached $327 million in the first 11 months of 2025, up 22% year-on-year; November 2025 alone accounted for $35 million, marking a 5% increase. This serves as a critical foundation for exporters to reassess market structures and competitive intensity while finalizing order strategies for 2026.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Ca Mau, widely regarded as the nation’s “shrimp capital”, continued its strong performance in 2025 as shrimp output reached nearly 600,000 tons, maintaining its position as Vietnam’s leading shrimp-producing locality.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) On December 29, 2025, at the 2025 Pangasius Industry Review Conference held in Can Tho City, the Vietnam Pangasius Association announced that fingerling prices have surged to record levels due to acute supply shortages.
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