Photo: VASEP/FIS

Global Tuna Market Set for Transformation in 2025: Sustainability, Transparency Drive New Era

VIET NAM
Tuesday, July 15, 2025, 00:10 (GMT + 9)

With consumer demand stable, the global tuna market is undergoing a significant shift. Increasingly stringent requirements for sustainability, traceability, and quality are forcing exporting and importing nations to rapidly adapt, favoring those who embrace high standards over low prices.

HANOI – The year 2025 marks a pivotal transformation for the global tuna market. While consumer demand remains steady, a confluence of rising costs for raw fish and increasingly stringent international requirements for sustainability, origin, and product quality is reshaping the industry landscape. Exporting and importing countries are now compelled to adjust their strategies to adapt to rapid changes in the global seafood supply chain, according to Ms. Nguyen Ha, Tuna Market Expert at the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP).

Stable Growth with an Evolving Market Structure

The global tuna import market is projected to reach an estimated 1.75–1.8 million tons by 2025, valued at over $9 billion USD. This modest increase from 2024 occurs amidst persistently high raw fish prices and stable consumption in traditional markets like the U.S., EU, and Japan.

Leading importers of processed tuna continue to be the United States, Spain, Italy, France, the United Kingdom, and Japan, collectively accounting for more than 55% of total global imports. Meanwhile, emerging markets in the Middle East (such as Egypt, Lebanon), Eastern Europe (like Lithuania, Romania), and North Africa (such as Libya) are showing signs of improvement, driven primarily by demand for convenient and affordable food. Changes in U.S. trade policy and geopolitical fluctuations in the Middle East in 2025 are also expected to influence export trends to these burgeoning markets.

Source: VASEP

Value-Added Products Lead Growth

A key trend in the 2025 tuna market is a clear shift from traditional canned tuna towards value-added products. This includes items like frozen tuna loins, vacuum-packed loins, sashimi-grade cuts, and convenient ready-to-eat options.

Major supermarket chains and retailers in Europe, the U.S., and Japan are increasingly prioritizing these product categories, driven by evolving consumer tastes and heightened health awareness. Many importers are also transitioning from importing raw materials to ordering deep processing directly from countries like Thailand, Vietnam, the Philippines, and Indonesia. This strategy not only saves processing time but also ensures better quality control.

Source: VASEP

Supply Shifts: Asia Leads, Competition Intensifies

Asia continues to play a central role in tuna supply, with Thailand, the Philippines, Vietnam, and Indonesia standing out as main exporters offering diverse capabilities, from whole frozen tuna and loins to canned and processed products.

Notably, Asian suppliers are under significant pressure to elevate their product standards to meet the strict regulations on traceability, sustainability certifications (MSC, Dolphin Safe, etc.), and food safety imposed by the EU and the U.S. This pressure is compounded by increased competition from South American and West African countries, such as Ecuador, Ghana, and Ivory Coast, which benefit from tax incentives when exporting to the EU.

Photo: courtesy Freshliance Electronics Corp., Ltd

Persistent Challenges: Tariffs, Climate Change, and IUU Fishing

The market in 2025 also faces multiple risk factors. Changes in U.S. trade policy, specifically increased import duties on certain tuna product groups, have raised costs for many importers. Simultaneously, climate change, alterations in ocean currents, and irregular fish migration patterns are negatively impacting the output of traditional fishing grounds in regions like the Pacific and Indian Oceans.

Furthermore, illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing remains a global hot spot. The EU, the U.S., and Japan are expanding their IUU monitoring lists, placing considerable pressure on exporting countries to enhance fisheries control and comply with international standards if they wish to maintain their market share.

Photo: courtesy Indo-Pacific Defense FORUM/U.S. Coast Guard

Supply Chain Transparency Becomes the Norm

Modern consumers, particularly in Europe and North America, are increasingly demanding greater transparency and traceability of products. This imperative is forcing tuna processing and exporting enterprises to invest heavily in technologies such as QR codes, blockchain, or real-time tracking systems that provide visibility from fishing vessels to factories to supermarket shelves.

Additionally, large companies are prioritizing partnerships with fleets certified to be free of fish aggregating devices (FADs) or those that practice hand-harvesting, seeking to gain a competitive edge in the evolving sustainable market.

Photo: courtesy Wholechain, Inc/FIS

While 2025 is not forecasted to be a boom year for global tuna imports, it is anticipated to be a pivotal year for significant market structural changes. The focus will shift towards product upgrading, supply chain transparency, and competition based on quality rather than solely on low prices.

Countries and businesses that successfully meet the stringent requirements for sustainability, traceability, and product diversification are poised to be the winners in this new global game. With a market valued in billions of dollars, tuna remains a strategic commodity with immense potential—but only for those willing to embrace change and stay ahead of the curve.

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