Toan Dao has written about Vietnam’s business community, with a focus on energy and agriculture, for a number of Vietnamese and international outlets for more than 10 years. As a contributing editor for SeafoodSource in Southeast Asia, he also covers other major seafood producers in the region including Indonesia and Thailand.
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Recent tests by Thai government agencies have revealed alarmingly high levels of pollutants in a number of rivers across northern regions of the country.
The toxic pollution is threatening local fishing activities, and Thai officials suspect the cause is stemming from waste discharged by upstream mining operations in neighboring Myanmar.
In early April, the Pollution Control Department under Thailand’s Ministry of Natural Resources and
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Vietnamese seafood exporters are turning to markets outside of the U.S. – a traditionally key export destination – due to proposed tariffs and growing protectionist measures implemented under the administration of President Donald Trump.
Total Vietnamese seafood exports in May were worth USD 851 million (EUR 738.4 million), which was up 2.7 percent from the same month a year earlier but marked a significant deceleration from the
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Samut Sakhon, Thailand-based food and beverage manufacturing company Thai Union reported a decline in its sales and profits in the first quarter of 2025 as the company said it was affected by tariffs announced by the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump during the period.
According to Thai Union’s Q1 2025 results report released on 9 May, its sales in the quarter dropped 10.3 percent year over year to THB 29.8 billion (USD 902.9
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Attempting to take advantage of the ongoing trade standoff between China and the U.S., Vietnam has floated the idea of scaling up exports of tilapia, particularly to the U.S. market.
Though tilapia is not currently a key export commodity for Vietnam, which deals greater numbers of farmed pangasius and shrimp, exports of Chinese tilapia to the U.S. market are set to decrease dramatically due to the standoff, creating a market gap.
“[U.S.
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Indian aquaculture technology company Aquaconnect announced plans to invest USD 4.5 million (EUR 4.1 million) into the research and production of aquaculture biological solutions that should help the firm provide science-driven health innovations for shrimp and fish farmers.
In order to make this happen, Aquaconnect said it plans to leverage its network of 850 aqua partners across India – its own term for entrepreneurs in rural areas who
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Publicly listed seafood companies in Vietnam saw shares drop dramatically on 3 April after U.S. President Donald Trump announced a 46 percent tariff rate on all goods from the country.
Government officials in Vietnam said they were shocked by the high rate, and the VN-Index, representing the Ho Chi Minh Stock Exchange (HoSE), plunged 6.68 percent to 1,229.84 on 3 April – the sharpest decline in the index’s history.
Listed seafood
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Following delays, Indian seafood exporters are continuing their work to obtain Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certifications for several wild-capture fisheries in the country.
Since 2019, exporters in the South Asian nation have implemented various fishery improvement projects (FIPs) aimed at improving sustainability within India’s fisheries and achieving MSC certification, according to MSC India Consultant Ranjit Suseelan.
The FIPs,
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Brazil has lifted a ban on imports of tilapia from Vietnam in an effort to boost trade between the two countries.
On 15 February 2024, Brazil’s Agriculture Ministry halted all tilapia imports from Vietnam, pending a review of health protocols and concern over introduction of the TiLV virus into its domestic aquaculture industry.
“It means being cautious, guaranteeing quality and health in Brazilian production,” Brazil
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A law that Thailand’s House of Representatives approved in late 2024 aiming to roll back reforms the nation had made to its fisheries industry has stalled in parliament after facing steady backlash.
In 2015, Thailand issued a new Fisheries Act that contained stringent regulations seeking to address alleged illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing and labor violations in the country’s fishing industry.
The reforms responded
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The United Kingdom will provide funding for universities and research institutions to implement four projects supporting sustainable aquaculture in Southeast Asia.
On 7 March, U.K.’s national funding agency – U.K. Research and Innovation (UKRI) – announced that it has launched a GBP 12 million (USD 15.5 million, EUR 14.3 million) program to provide funding for four projects to strengthen sustainable aquaculture in Southeast
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