The organization gives Eurostat figures for imports of pangasius fillets by Spain, Germany, the Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Belgium and Italy for the period January to March this year alongside the figures for the same period in 2011 and 2010.
They make depressing reading for fisheries authorities in Vietnam, the world’s largest pangasius producer. With the exception of Belgium where imports remained steady at 2,200 metric tons (MT), and Italy where imports actually increased from 2,700 MT to 3,100 MT, imports by all the other countries declined when comparing the figures for 2012 with those for 2011.
Some falls were dramatic, for example imports by Spain, the biggest importer listed, nearly halved from 11,400 MT to 6,200 MT and imports by Poland again virtually halved from 6,000 MT to 3,100 MT.
With the exception of Germany where imports have been declining for the past two years, there were increases in imports for all other countries between 2010 and 2011.
So what has caused the crash? In Germany the blame for declining sales could be laid squarely at the door of the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) which first put pangasius on its red list of species to avoid and then carried out a hatchet job on the species with the television program lambasting the methods for farming and processing it.
It might be thought that this adverse publicity would have been forgotten by now, but bad news has a habit of sticking with fish. It has taken many years for consumers to stop believing that farmed salmon is not being pumped full of antibiotics. Indeed, farmed salmon today is still not highly regarded in some quarters.
Have European consumers been put off by all the bad publicity that still surrounds pangasius? Certainly opinions in the seafood industry are against the species. That “rubbish fish” was how one senior figure in Norway described it at this year’s ESE, while a fisheries consultant said that the farming methods used in Vietnam were disgraceful — actually a swear word was used to describe them.
Does pangasius deserve this reputation? The species has been subjected to far more bacteriological, chemical and physical testing that any other. According to one insider, 29 parameters are checked on fillets from every consignment exported. No other fish is checked as much.
Problems have been found with the presence of banned substances, but not one person has been reported as being harmed in any way by eating pangasius. And while Europe is still mired in recession, sales of what must be the cheapest whitefish available should be booming.
In its Globefish Highlights, FAO says that Vietnamese pangasius is being hit by a supply shortage, disease problems, high production costs and the slowing down of traditional markets. Considering these problems the Vietnamese government, it adds, is unlikely to achieve its target export value of USD 2 billion for pangasius in 2012.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) In the first six months of 2026, Ha Tinh province continued to implement comprehensive solutions to combat IUU fishing; strictly manage the fishing fleet, control fishing vessels entering and leaving ports, operate vessel tracking devices, trace the origin of seafood, and severely punish violations.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Vietnam's tilapia exports reached USD 7 million in June 2026, down 32% compared with the same month in 2025. Nevertheless, thanks to strong growth in the first five months of the year, cumulative tilapia exports in the first half of 2026 totaled USD 69 million, up 67% year on year.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Sa Giang Import-Export Joint Stock Company, a member of the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP), has been honored with the "Famous Brand - Competitive Vietnamese Brand 2026" certification at an award ceremony organized by the Vietnam Intellectual Property Association (VIPA).
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) China imported nearly $1.4 billion worth of Vietnamese seafood in the first half of the year, a 40% increase compared to the same period last year, surpassing the US to become the largest export market for the industry.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) As part of Vietfish 2026, the International Seafood Hosted Buyer Program has been designed as a dedicated B2B matchmaking initiative for selected international buyers. The program provides opportunities to meet directly with Vietnamese seafood companies, gain market insights, and experience Vietnam's seafood supply chain firsthand.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) A Story from Cà Mau’s Coast It’s 5 AM in Cà Mau. Minh, a third-generation fisherman, is ready to set sail. But unlike his father and grandfather, his boat no longer runs on an old diesel engine that burns fuel and clouds the sky with smoke. Instead, it’s powered by a hybrid engine that saves 40% fuel—funded by an ESG program from a major seafood exporter.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Vietnam's pangasius industry is shifting its focus from increasing production volume to enhancing value-added products in order to meet the increasingly stringent requirements of export markets. In An Giang Province—the country's leading hub for pangasius farming and processing—businesses and farmers are prioritizing product quality, traceability, food safety, and sustainable development rather than expanding output.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Following strong growth in 2025, Vietnam’s tuna exports to Sweden continued to edge higher during the first five months of 2026. However, the picture is far from straightforward. Orders have fluctuated significantly from month to month, indicating that this market remains cautious, with purchasing decisions closely tied to actual demand and the import cycles of Nordic distributors rather than to a steady upward trend.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) China’s shrimp imports in the first five months of 2026 continued to surpass the same period in 2025, indicating that demand in the world’s largest seafood-consuming market remains strong. However, behind the growth figures lies an increasingly competitive landscape: Ecuador dominates the competitively priced whiteleg shrimp segment, India remains the second-largest supplier, while Vietnam stands out in the lobster segment but still needs to strengthen its advantages through quality, traceability, and reliable supply.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Lobster exports to China continued to surge in the first half of this year, putting the lobster industry on the verge of reaching an export value exceeding $1 billion.
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