Mark Godfrey is an Irish journalist covering the agriculture and fisheries sectors in Asia, with a focus on China. Proficient in Mandarin, he has frequently traveled across China's fisheries and aquaculture regions and learned the inner workings of China's corporate world during a nearly three-year stint at the Financial Times' “China Confidential” publication. He has also reported widely across Southeast Asia and the former Soviet Union. He has educational certificates in agriculture and food science, as well as Mandarin.
Author Archive
Published on
March 27, 2026
China’s tuna-canning industry has signaled intentions to build up processing capacity domestically, which may dash the hopes of Pacific Island nations that have sought to grow their canning operations with China’s help.
Several tuna industry executives told SeafoodSource they believe Chinese cities are better located for tuna-canning expansion plans than the Pacific Islands, as their remoteness makes them far less attractive. China's vast… Read More
Published on
March 25, 2026
Chinese aquaculture equipment companies are securing contracts across the globe, taking advantage of consistently rising demand for such products.
One region in particular that has frequently partnered with Chinese firms for its aquaculture equipment needs has been the Middle East, according to Marcel Verbrugge, who is the director of Guangzhou, China-based Dahui Aquaculture, which supplies recirculating aquaculture systems (RAS), as well as… Read More
Published on
March 20, 2026
During this year’s meeting of the National People’s Congress (NPC) in Beijing, China, Liu Hanyuan, the chairman of aquafeed firm Tongwei Group, appealed to officials for national tax reform, saying that the country’s current system promotes fragmentation and limits growth in China’s fish-farming sector.
Liu said China’s fish farmers stand at a disadvantage compared to agricultural operations like pork and poultry because aquaculture… Read More
Published on
March 18, 2026
Ireland’s inshore fishing industry recently met with a government task force to request income support.
In the meeting, the National Inshore Fishermen’s Association (NIFA) proposed the Irish government pay its members an annual basic income payment and set up a climate change compensation fund – both backdated to 2020.
The organization cited reduced fishing days due to climate change, as well as pressures on the sector such as rising costs… Read More
Published on
March 9, 2026
Seafood importers and exporters in China have expressed wariness of higher freight rates prompted by recent conflict in the Middle East.
Didier Boon, the head of Beijing, China-based East China Seas, which sources shrimp and tilapia for export, said he has already seen the impact of the conflict hit his firm.
“The cost of freight has gone up by USD 1,000 [EUR 860],” Boon told SeafoodSource. “I guess boats will be diverted and/or… Read More
Published on
March 4, 2026
Recent reports from media outlets, including from the New York Times (NYT), have suggested that Chinese fishing vessels are being mobilized for military exercises, proving that “Beijing can rapidly muster large numbers of boats” to potentially “impose control in contested seas.”
However, seafood and maritime researcher Xuefei Shi said there may be another explanation for the maneuvers of boats in question and claimed the reports may have… Read More
Published on
March 3, 2026
Chinese lawmakers have voted to revise the nation’s fisheries law.
The revised law, which will take effect 1 May, overhauls many sections of China’s current legislation.
Among the changes include efforts to crack down on illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing in order to better align with obligations outlined in the Port State Measures Agreement, which China ratified in early 2025.
For instance, articles 55 to 59 of the revised… Read More
Published on
February 25, 2026
Papua New Guinea has announced plans to build 10 more tuna canneries across its archipelago, with the country’s Minister for International Trade and Investment Richard Maru announcing that the factories would be built by foreign investors.
“About 80 percent of the 550,000 metric tons of fish caught in PNG waters is not being processed in the country, and we import approximately USD 36 million [EUR 30.5 million] worth of processed fish. This… Read More
Published on
February 24, 2026
The estimated global death toll of fishers around the world for the last few decades has hovered around 24,000 to 32,000 annually, according to a FISH Safety Foundation report from 2023.
However, that same report stated that those estimates are generally considered to be overly conservative. The report, instead, placed the projected death toll at more than 100,000 fishers per year.
In an attempt to improve fisher safety and drive down the… Read More
Published on
February 19, 2026
Softer prices for key imported seafood commodities like salmon and prawns prompted an uptick in consumption in China in the run up to Chinese New Year, but the longer-term outlook for the market is showing signs of weaker consumer sentiment and a contraction of high-end purchases.
Tony Fan is the representative for China at Australia-based Stehr Group – which sells farmed bluefin tuna to Chinese sushi restaurants. Fan also distributes salmon… Read More
