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
April 20, 2026
After nationwide protests and blockades of fuel depots, the Irish government has released a EUR 505 million (USD 595 million) emergency fuel support aid package, which includes money set aside specifically for the country’s fishing industry.
Under the scheme, which has been greenlit by the E.U., up to EUR 5 million (USD 5.92 million) per month will be allocated to support the nation’s fishing industry and other sectors affected such as… Read More
Published on
April 13, 2026
Chinese feed company Guangdong Haid has broken ground on a new plant in Vietnam, further consolidating its position as a top feed producer in the Southeast Asian country.
The plant, operated by the company’s subsidiary Yongfu Hailong Agricultural Feeds Co., is undergoing construction in the northern Phu Tho province and is projected to produce 200,000 metric tons (MT) of feed annually for use in local aquaculture, poultry, and pig farming… Read More
Published on
April 8, 2026
The United Nations Agreement on Marine Biological Diversity of Areas beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ Agreement), also widely known as the High Seas Treaty, entered into force in January after crossing the ratification threshold in September 2025.
The Pew Charitable Trusts said the new treaty, which took decades of negotiations to pass, will finally create a mechanism for the world to preserve two-thirds of the ocean lying outside national… Read More
Published on
April 6, 2026
As nearshore and land-based aquaculture operations face more stringent regulations, the Chinese aquaculture sector continues to look offshore for growth opportunities.
According to presenters at the 2026 Deep-Sea Aquaculture Equipment Conference, held in March in Nanjing, China, the nation has exceeded 100 offshore aquaculture platforms and ships in operation.
“The shift offshore is accelerating,” Xuefei Shi, an affiliated researcher at… Read More
Published on
March 30, 2026
The U.S. has reopened its market to all imports of Irish seafood, finding that the country’s aquaculture and wild catch sectors meet stipulations outlined in the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA).
Last year, the U.S. National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) found 240 foreign fisheries did not comply with MMPA regulations, which meant as of 1 January 2026, products from those fisheries would be banned from entering the U.S. market.
That… Read More
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
