U.S. tariffs as high as 50% have plunged the Brazilian tilapia industry into crisis.

Brazil is the 19th largest seafood supplier to the United States, with a trade volume of 39,188 tons in 2024, a year-on-year increase of 27%, valued at 23,190 million USD, a year-on-year increase of 29%. Among these, tilapia exports amounted to 10,119 tons, valued at 5,110 million USD. Brazil is also the largest supplier of frozen tilapia to the United States, with frozen tilapia products seeing explosive growth in sales in the United States in recent years.

Starting from July 10, 58 refrigerated containers carrying 1,000 tons of Brazilian tilapia were banned from entering the United States. Jairo Gund, the Executive Director of the Brazilian Fisheries Association (Abipesca), stated in an interview with a local TV station: "The entire industry is in chaos. Buyers are canceling orders, and some producers have even completely stopped production. The risk is just too high."

Gund warned, "U.S. tariffs will directly impact the tilapia industry chain, putting the entire industry's production, fulfillment, and jobs at serious risk, causing a heavy blow to agriculture and farmers, affecting the livelihoods of thousands of families."

The tilapia industry covers all 27 states in Brazil as well as over 60% of the township areas, creating 1 million direct and indirect job plans, with 237,000 individual households.

Over the past decade, tilapia farming has been one of the fastest-growing agricultural industries in Brazil, with a compound annual growth rate exceeding 10%.

The Brazilian Fisheries Association calls on government authorities to reach an agreement with the United States through diplomatic channels to cancel the tariffs; at the same time, it urges to intensify the development of other markets, especially Europe, to reduce dependence on a single market.