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Updates on International Fish Trade

Southeast Asian Trade in Fish and Fishery Products

The Southeast Asian countries have already secured a niche in the global market for their fish and fishery products, contributing about 14% to the world’s total exportation of fish and fishery products in 2015 in quantity and value, and a little less than 40% to the total exportation from Asia, also in terms of quantity and value. Viet Nam, Thailand and Indonesia had remained the Southeast Asian region’s highest exporters of fish and fishery products during the past five years or so. In fact, in 2014, Viet Nam and Thailand ranked as the world’s third and fourth highest exporters, respectively. The efforts made by the Southeast Asian countries to improve their respective fisheries management policies and regulations towards sustainability have greatly contributed to this success. Such initiatives also enabled the countries to comply with the requirements of importing countries. SEAFDEC will continue to assist the Southeast Asian countries in these endeavors in order that the growth of the region’s exportation of fish and fishery products would remain positive in the future. The information provided in this webpage is meant to keep the Southeast Asian countries abreast of the developments in the international trading arena of fish and fishery products, to be able to cope with the downsides that challenge the fisheries industry.

Overview on Importation-Exportation

Overview on Importation-Exportation

Table 1. Importation of Fish and Fishery Products from the Southeast Asian countries (MT)

  2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
Brunei Darussalam 7,661 9,926 13,993 12,196 9,380
Cambodia 5,553 7,190 7,869 21,924 14,555
Indonesia 354,394 269,316 264,741 237,163 211,439
Lao PDR 5,747 5,731 6,000 6,629 7,467
Malaysia 365,460 417,029 463,235 465,400 419,279
Myanmar 6,102 7,124 9,529 8,962 17,035
Philippines 203,682 268,477 257,910 302,923 385,052
Singapore 220,710 213,305 206,906 204,894 205,346
Thailand 1,668,020 1,662,765 1,667,819 1,624,949 1,618,755
Viet Nam 332,027 330,521 339,272 413,344 431,136
Total 3,169,356 3,191,384 3,237,274 3,298,384 3,319,444

Source: FAO Fisheries Global Information System (FIGIS)

Table 2. Importation of Fish and Fishery Products from the Southeast Asian countries (US$ 1000)

  2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
Brunei Darussalam 32,605 42,728 51,302 45,897 40,660
Cambodia 5,197 6,867 7,396 20,969 11,080
Indonesia 410,213 357,841 378,379 354,345 317,073
Lao PDR 6,126 6,957 7,632 9,221 12,557
Malaysia 998,720 1,071,037 1,070,210 1,131,857 945,414
Myanmar 15,760 18,300 22,711 23,570 38,300
Philippines 193,314 263,038 278,737 266,158 369,746
Singapore 1,160,247 1,072,760 1,070,573 1,106,783 1,090,490
Thailand 2,788,193 3,205,504 3,238,545 2,840,219 2,615,969
Viet Nam 726,215 837,929 916,980 1,289,819 1,300,954
Total 6,336,590 6,882,961 7,042,465 7,088,838 6,742,243

Source: FAO Fisheries Global Information System (FIGIS)

Table 3. Exportation of Fish and Fishery Products from the Southeast Asian countries (MT)

  2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
Brunei Darussalam 730 1,271 1,497 1,724 1,540
Cambodia 30,000 31,025 32,000 31,684 32,424
Indonesia 1,100,842 1,216,617 1,225,233 1,249,873 1,049,234
Lao PDR 9 3 1 0 6
Malaysia 295,022 266,469 246,024 239,451 252,718
Myanmar 373,898 387,371 376,848 345,247 338,284
Philippines 231,711 253,838 317,973 275,166 235,185
Singapore 57,218 52,786 47,906 35,392 44,032
Thailand 1,762,955 1,762,131 1,604,445 1,664,372 1,545,968
Viet Nam 1,373,363 1,418,313 1,528,848 1,714,803 1,591,002
Total 5,225,748 5,389,824 5,380,775 5,557,712 5,090,393

Source: FAO Fisheries Global Information System (FIGIS)

Table 4. Exportation of Fish and Fishery Products from the Southeast Asian countries (US$ 1000)

  2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
Brunei Darussalam 1,701 2,435 4,311 4,146 3,342
Cambodia 60,000 61,020 62,500 63,900 65,900
Indonesia 3,360,852 3,752,132 4,024,926 4,499,959 3,788,848
Lao PDR 17 33 28 21 89
Malaysia 916,456 846,169 800,030 866,051 688,272
Myanmar 555,515 654,129 652,840 536,255 482,237
Philippines 711,155 850,344 1,185,788 1,054,005 804,825
Singapore 416,096 366,907 338,942 322,822 376,662
Thailand 8,159,613 8,144,920 7,067,700 6,657,459 5,701,788
Viet Nam 6,259,788 6,291,141 6,900,612 8,046,560 6,774,148
Total 20,441,193 20,969,230 21,037,677 22,051,178 18,686,111

Source: FAO Fisheries Global Information System (FIGIS)

Synthesis on International Fish Trade

Synthesis on International Fish Trade

Importing Countries' Regulations

Importing Countries' Regulations

United States

This final action implements the import provisions of the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA). This rule establishes conditions for evaluating a harvesting nation’s regulatory program to address incidental and measures to address intentional mortality and serious injury of marine mammals in fisheries that export fish and fish products to the United States. Under this rule, fish and fish products from fisheries identified by the Assistant Administrator in the List of Foreign Fisheries can only be imported into the United States if the harvesting nation has applied for and received a comparability finding from NMFS. The rule establishes procedures that a harvesting nation must follow and conditions to meet, to receive a comparability finding for a fishery. The rule also establishes provisions for intermediary nations to ensure that intermediary nations do not import, and re-export to the United States, fish or fish products subject to an import prohibition.

The Seafood Import Monitoring Program (SIMP) establishes for imports of certain seafood products, the reporting and recordkeeping requirements needed to prevent illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU)-caught and/or misrepresented seafood from entering U.S. commerce, providing additional protections for the U.S. national economy, global food security and the sustainability of our shared ocean resources.

European Union

The European Commission’s Directorate- General for Health and Food Safety establishes import conditions for shery products and shell sh (bivalve molluscs). By following these rules non-EU countries can guarantee that their exports of such products fulfil the same high standards as products from the EU Member States – not only with respect to hygiene and consumer safety but, if relevant, also to their animal health status.

The EC Regulation 1005/2008 sets out a European Community system to prevent, deter and eliminate IUU fishing. This system applies to all IUU fishing and associated activities carried out within the territory of Member States, within European Community waters, within maritime waters under the jurisdiction or sovereignty of third countries and on the high seas. These provisions include rules on inspections of third country fishing vessels in European Community member States ports, a catch certification scheme for importation and exportation of fishery products, as well as provisions on identification of fishing vessels engaged in IUU fishing.

The European Commission works to ensure that Europe’s food supply is the safest in the world and that the same standards of food safety apply to all products regardless of origin. As the world’s biggest importer and exporter of foodstuffs, the European Union works closely with international organisations and offers advice as well as assistance to non-EU country trading partners.

Other Resources

Other Resources

Sumaila, U. Rashid, Christophe Bellmann, and Alice Tipping. Fishing for the Future: Trends and Issues in Global Fisheries Trade. E15Initiative. Geneva: International Centre for Trade and Sustainable Development (ICTSD) and World Economic Forum, 2014. www.e15initiative.org/

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