Fisheries & Shrimp

From July 24, the United States imposed an additional 12.5% on Vietnamese seafood. The 2.5-point gap with Ecuadorian players is eroding the profitability of Vietnamese shrimp in the US market. We unpack, from a Japanese sourcing perspective, the flat US$890 million in first-half exports to the United States, the 48% last-minute surge in June, the shift to processing, and the realignment of supply to Japan.

On July 31, 2026, US retail and seafood groups formed the "American Shrimp Alliance" to oppose import-shrimp restrictions. We unpack, from a practical standpoint, the tailwind for Vietnamese shrimp, whose exports to the United States fell 15%, and the impact on Japanese buyers who purchase from the same supply pool.

98.5% of Vietnamese lobster exports go to China. The first half of 2026 was US$584.6 million, up 44%, but we read the danger of over-concentration shown by the 2023 spiny-lobster restrictions, and the room for diversification into the Japanese market.

In Europe, Alaska pollock has topped US$5,000 per tonne, and the cod quota is also at its lowest level in 30 years. Vietnamese pangasius exports reached US$1.3 billion in January to July 2026, up 8.8%. We lay out, from a practical standpoint, the knock-on effects for Japan's white-fish sourcing and why to act now, while supply is thinning.

An entrepreneur who has spent ten years attempting squid farming off Co To, Vietnam, reveals the reality, a survival rate of about 30% and live squid at 420,000 dong/kg, sounding a warning against overconfidence in "easy money." We also consider the link with Japan's demand for premium squid.

Vietnamese tilapia exports to Japan rose 54% in the first half of 2026. We unpack, through the numbers and the global supply and demand for white fish, how a fish once used as a substitute for sea bream at conveyor-belt sushi is opening up the Japanese market as a sashimi-grade, high-value-added product.

Vietnam, ranked seventh in the world, is moving toward full membership in the WCPFC. We read how efforts to fill the gaps in fisheries data, with observer coverage at 0% and operation records at 25 to 50%, connect directly to Japan's tuna sourcing and traceability requirements.

At a meeting on July 30, the Vietnam shrimp association made the domestic production of seed stock its top priority. We read the four measures to end dependence on imported broodstock, and what the supply stability behind US$2.3 billion in first-half exports means for Japanese sourcing.

The fisheries center in Tuyen Quang province has produced more than 50,000 artificially bred fry of the premium river fish ca chien since the start of the year. By producing in-house, within the growing area, the juveniles that once depended on wild catch, the raw material for cage farming is moving toward stability. We explain the yardstick by which Japanese sourcing assesses a growing area.

A farmer in Quang Ninh province has converted unprofitable shrimp ponds into land-based farming of saltwater grouper. We read this trial, which aims for 3 to 4 kg over two years from 5,000 fish on 5,000 square meters, from the perspective of typhoon risk and sourcing for Japan.