SEAFDEC Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Center
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
- Public Comment Period Open: NOAA Trusted Trader Program for Seafood Imports
The U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Fisheries has announced the opening of a public comment period on a proposed rule to establish a voluntary Commerce Trusted Trader Program for U.S. importers –a valuable complement to the U.S. Seafood Import Monitoring Program (SIMP).
The National Marine Fisheries Service is proposing this Commerce Trusted Trader Program (CTTP) as part of an effective seafood traceability process to combat Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated (IUU) fishing and seafood fraud. The voluntary CTTP supplements the Seafood Import Monitoring Program (SIMP), recently implemented under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act. The public will have 60 days to comment on the proposed rule and a number of public listening sessions will be scheduled over the next 60 days. Written comments must be received by March 19, 2018.
- U.S. Seafood Import Monitoring Program (SIMP) (click to link)
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.
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.
Other Resources
Other Resources
- FAO Trade Policy Brief, No. 28, October 2017
- Fishing for the Future: Trends and Issues in Global Fisheries Trade
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/