Vietnams total fisheries output in 2012 reached 5.876 million tons, up 8.5% over 2011, according to the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP).
Wild catch was 2.633 million tons, up 10.6%, whereas aquaculture production was 3.212 million, up only three percent from 2011. Shortage of capital, an outbreak of epidemic and EMS (early mortality syndrome) in farmed shrimp and difficulties in consumer markets put a dent in aquaculture production in 2012.
Due to a shortage of raw material and difficulties in importing markets, exports of key farmed fish reported negative results -- shrimp shipments slid by 6.6% and pangasius exports by 3.4 percent. However, exports of tuna, marine finfish and other marine finfish products (including fish paste and surimi) posted a positive results thanks to high landings. Shipments of tuna and other marine finfish reported the most positive growth of 50.1% percent and 21.1%, respectively.
Top 10 importers of Vietnamese seafood were the US, the EU, Japan, South Korea, China and Hong Kong, ASEAN, Australia, Canada, Mexico, Russia; making up 85% of total seafood export value. But exports to major markets suffered, especially in the EU -- down nearly 15% because importers demand for seafood and payment capacity were badly impacted by the regional sovereign debt crisis.
