It is said that the imports of pangasius into European Union has increased 34 percent in whole fish equivalent (WFE) to 668,000 metric tons compared to 2007, this isn’t damaging the prices for other fish such as cod or saithe. Matthias Keller, vice president of the EU Federation of National Organizations of Importers and Exporters of Fish (CEP), opined that from the beginning of 2006, the import price for pangasius fillets have been higher than Alaska pollock.
Keller also said that this fact tends to counter the argument that pangasius is depressing fish prices generally. The data revealed that by the EU Fish Processors and Traders Association (AIPCE/CEP), the average import price for frozen pangasius fillets was higher than the import price for frozen Alaska pollock fillets from China up to mid-2008.
According to Keller this goes a long way to dispelling comments from fishermen’s organizations blaming cheap imports. During the recent Conxemar frozen seafood show in Vigo, Spain, the director of Spain’s biggest pangasius importer, E.Guillem, made a similar point that Spain’s wild fish industry has been particularly critical about increased pangasius imports.
E. Guillem Director J. Salvador Olmos Saturnino said this is a “commercial war” not based on the quality of the product. The issue of individually quick-froaen (IQF) fillets of pangasius not being labeled as defrosted if sold at the fresh fish counter is not a problem of the producer and processing industry.
