More Vietnamese tuna exports to the US in 2009

Vietnam earned US$67.3 million from exporting 19,000 tonnes of tuna to the US in 2009, up 20.4% in volume and 23% in value.

According to the General Department of Customs, the figures account for 37.2% of Vietnam's tuna export market share. The Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP) said that the numbers help maintain positive growth in both volume and value.

However, Vietnam's tuna exports in 2009 hit only US$181 million, a year-on-year decrease of 4.1%, due to the reduction in export turnovers in such major markets as the EU, Japan, and Taiwan.

The price of Vietnam's tuna is expected to soar thanks to shrinking tuna supplies, especially if bluefin tuna is listed in the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES).