Taiwan Tilapia Exports Decline, Fisheries Agency: 'Inventory in Largest Market, the US, is Sufficient'

Central News Agency, Taipei, May 27. According to statistics from the Ministry of Agriculture, Taiwan tilapia exports decreased by about 0.7% last year, but from January to April this year, they fell by 25.1% compared to the same period last year. Wang Mao-cheng, Director-General of the Fisheries Agency, said today that the main reason is that US distributors currently have sufficient inventory of Taiwan tilapia, and it is expected that aquaculture production will decrease this year. Taiwan tilapia is a representative export aquatic product of Taiwan. The export volume in 2025 was 16,743 metric tons, a slight decrease of about 0.7% compared to 16,859 metric tons in 2024. However, the export volume from January to April this year was 4,154 metric tons, a decrease of about 25.1% compared to 5,546 metric tons in the same period of 2025. The United States is the largest export market for Taiwan tilapia, accounting for nearly 80%. According to Ministry of Agriculture statistics, 13,073 metric tons of Taiwan tilapia were exported to the US in 2025, a decrease of about 1% compared to 13,257 metric tons in 2024. From January to April this year, 3,271 metric tons were exported to the US, a decrease of about 23.5% compared to 4,279 metric tons in the same period of 2025. Wang Mao-cheng attended a press conference on the promotion of Taiwan aquatic products this morning and accepted media interviews to discuss the export situation of Taiwan tilapia. In 2025, affected by US tariffs, exports to the US increased significantly in the first half of the year but decreased slightly in the second half. However, the total annual export volume to the US only decreased slightly. Because US distributors imported a large amount of Taiwan tilapia in 2025, inventory is currently sufficient and the digestion speed is slow, causing Taiwanese farmers to adopt a wait-and-see attitude this year. Wang Mao-cheng mentioned that Taiwan is dominated by small-scale farmers, making it difficult to compete with mainland China and Southeast Asia in terms of price and mass production. Product exports need to redefine the market, emphasizing compliance with international certifications and legal production to establish a competitive advantage through differentiation. Wang Mao-cheng stated that businesses are evaluating whether to continue farming Taiwan tilapia or switch to milkfish. Since the price of milkfish remained high last year, it attracted businesses to switch, and it is expected that the aquaculture volume of Taiwan tilapia will decrease this year, while milkfish aquaculture volume may increase. The Fisheries Agency is closely monitoring the stocking quantity at the production end. If the stocking quantity of milkfish exceeds historical levels, measures need to be formulated in advance to avoid market supply and demand imbalances. The Fisheries Agency held a 'Eat Good Fish with Production and Sales History' press conference this morning, promoting domestic aquatic products verified by production and sales history with 'Santa Cruz,' a chain store under the Uni-President Group. Culinary expert Tsai Chi-fang demonstrated how to make salad with Taiwan tilapia fillets. The Fisheries Agency hopes to improve the complete records of domestic aquatic products from aquaculture, production, and processing to circulation through the promotion of the production and sales history system, ensure the transparency and traceability of product information, and build consumer confidence. Wang Mao-cheng pointed out that there are currently about 20,000 aquaculture farms in Taiwan, and about 1,300 have joined the production and sales history system. He hopes to increase this by 200 farms every year in the future.