The U.S.’s usage of pangasius increased in 2024 as an uptick in the price of tilapia drove customers to find an inexpensive whitefish alternative.
A panel of experts at the 2025 Global Seafood Market Conference – which ran from 20 to 23 January in Palm Desert, California, U.S.A. – highlighted U.S. customs data which shows a steady decline in U.S. tilapia imports since 2020.
That decline is occurring even as global production continues to increase and is expected to approach 16 billion pounds in 2025.
Pangasius production is also projected to increase in 2025, with Vietnam producing most of the world’s supply. As that product’s price remains stable and frequently ends up lower than the price for tilapia, it often ends up as a substitute for tilapia in the U.S.
Data for 2024 highlights some of that relationship.
Tilapia imports in 2024 declined, while imports of pangasius were up 37 percent.
According to Grobest Seafood Global President Ron Risher, the core driver of that shift is an uptick in the price of tilapia.
“Just focusing on the U.S. right now, we’re seeing that the current price for shallow skin-frozen [tilapia] fillets from China have been moving up over the last two years due to a number of different reasons – a lot of which just has to do with the cost of feed – and, of course, we have the Section 301 tariff which adds 25 percent and could go even higher,” Risher said. “Then, you compare that to pangasius, which has been stable for the last couple of years, and that is definitely a much lower price item compared to tilapia.”
Risher said another benefit offered by pangasius on top of its lower price is its ability to be substituted for some other higher-value species in applications that tilapia isn’t as suitable for.
“There’s substitution for other higher-priced species or unavailable species that pangasius can fill that gap. You’re seeing other applications and preparations where pangasius works really well,” Risher said.
While tilapia can and has been used for applications like hot pot or stir fries, pangasius usually holds up better and doesn’t fall apart as easily – meaning when it’s cheaper it is the go-to choice, Risher said.
Another big benefit for pangasius is that it's much more readily available, Risher added, with a steady supply coming out of Vietnam.
As pangasius gets more popular, though, there is the potential that that overall supply begins to become constrained, according to Risher.
“There’s a cap. Farmers can only grow so much fish, and we could be at that level now,” Risher said. “Then, either another country needs to step up where it can be grown – potentially India – then we’ll see how it goes from there for sales and pricing.”
One issue pangasius has compared to tilapia is tighter growing constraints, making expansion of its aquaculture limited.
“Tilapia is a great fish … you can pretty much throw it in any temperate water and it will survive and do well. It’s disease-resistant and lends itself to a number of environments, whether it’s salinity, water temperatures, things like that,” Risher said. “Pangasius has a little bit more limited growing area, so that is going to be some of the limiting factors of where it is produced and what it is going to replace.”
Risher said the supply of pangasius to the U.S. becoming constrained is not unprecedented.
At one point, the species began to gain traction in Europe, which caused a constrained supply that drove pricing higher.
Kickstarting new production won’t happen overnight, however, and Risher said there could be a squeeze on supply if demand grows rapidly.
“Demand will start pushing for other areas to start growing that species,” Risher said.
