World: High tuna prices have affected consumer demand for final products

In the first half of 2023, tuna catches in major fishing areas were lower than in the same period a year ago. Catches in the central and western Pacific (CWP) were particularly disappointing. By comparison, catches in the eastern Pacific were better and provided a steady supply of raw materials to tuna processors in Manta, Ecuador. Relatively stable catches in the Indian Ocean have offset supply shortfalls for Southeast Asian tuna processors, but at prices higher than the last four years. The price of shipping frozen tuna to Thailand reached a five-year high of US$2,000–2,030 per tonne between April and July 2023. In Thailand, imports of raw frozen and pre-cooked tuna have fallen this year. Raw material import trends Tuna processors in Southeast Asia and Europe reduced raw material imports in the first quarter of 2023 amid declining ocean tuna catches, rising fish prices and sluggish demand for end products in North America and Europe. Since the last quarter of 2022, tuna packers ...