To counter the shrinking of the US catfish business, many traditional catfish companies have broadened their product mix in an effort to grow larger and more diverse.

The average price of fillets –basa and panga- imported in April was USD 3,167/t, down 1% on that of March and 14% on that of April 2012. During the first four months of the year the average was USD 3,217/t, down 14% on that of the same period last year.

Sales of responsibly-sourced seafood are on the rise in the Netherlands. Now Dutch shoppers can enjoy even more choice as the first product carrying the ASC logo for responsible aquaculture and the MSC ecolabel for sustainable wild-catch hits the shops. From this month, Queens Panga & Shrimp Noodles Red Curry, combining farmed pangasius and wild-caught shrimp, will be available with major retailers.

(vasep.com.vn) In 2012, EU imported nearly US$4.5 billion of shrimp products, down over 30.5 percent compared to that of 2011. This was the sharpest drop since 1995.

Norway's seafood exports totaled NOK 51.6 billion (€7 billion/$9.3 billion) in 2012, a fall of NOK 1.8 billion (€243.9 million/$322.7 million) from the previous year, according to the Norwegian Seafood Export Council.

The value of seafood exports in April totalled NOK 4.4 billion (EUR 577.4 million), representing an increase of NOK 795 million (EUR 104.3 million) or 22 per cent compared to April 2012, according to the Norwegian Seafood Council (NSC).

Unloading of frozen tuna for canned production by Philippine fishing companies has been in a huge downtrend in the first two quarters, but a fisheries official said Thursday the catch is expected to improve towards the end of the year.

Fisheries officials are projecting an increase of 50,000 metric tons in tuna landings this year following the deployment of more Filipino fishing vessels in the Pocket 1 High Seas in western Pacific Ocean.

(vasep.com.vn) Japan is a large consumer market of Vietnam seafood every year. Fish paste and surimi exports to the market have reported a stable growth.

"We want the EU to consider extending such tax privileges for a certain period of time while Thailand is trying every way to defeat the disease," said Somsak Panitatyasai, president of the Thai Shrimp Association.

(vasep.com.vn) In 2012, Vietnam had faced many difficulties in shrimp exports to big markets as the U.S., Japan or EU and the year 2013 is expected to expose shrimp exporters to a lot of new challenges.

Bluefin tuna eggs from the broodstock cages of the EU Transdott project are being collected off the south east coast of Malta, and flown to Europe for rearing trials.

(vasep.com.vn) Australia is a potential market for seafood products. The country is importing averagely 200,000 MT per year, making up 70 percent of its annual fish consumption. Fish from Vietnam accounted for 25 percent of total Australian imports.

(vasep.com.vn) As three large markets – the EU, Japan and the U.S. – got a sharp drop in imports of bivalve mollusk, Vietnamese exporters accelerated exports of this species to South Korea, Australia and Canada in the first five months of 2013. However, earnings from these countries did not compensate losses from important markets because consumption demand has been weakened globally.

The lifting of the ban on fishing on some of the High Sea Pockets for Philippine vessels in the Pacific boosted domestic production by 25 percent year-on-year in the first quarter, both in volume and in value, according to the Philippine Bureau of Agricultural Statistics (BAS).