The newly revised Fisheries Law of China was officially implemented in the first half of 2026, paired with the 2026 marine fishing moratorium law enforcement campaign. It strictly cracks down on illegal fishing and unregistered vessel operations,

The updated EU IUU regulation took effect in January 2026, prioritizing digital traceability certificates via the CATCH system and abolishing the priority of paper documents. Non-compliant seafood shipments will be detained and related enterprises blacklisted.

In May 2026, China Customs added 55 aquatic manufacturers from 23 countries to the approved export list for China. China’s seafood import value surged 27.6% year-on-year in the first half of the year. Imported Ecuadorian white shrimp, Vietnamese basa fish and Southeast Asian sea bass have enriched domestic market supply and lowered retail prices, but brought fierce price competition to local aquaculture.

Ecuador’s white shrimp output is expected to reach 1.75 million tons in 2026 with a 12% year-on-year increase. Sufficient supply has led to a global oversupply, pushing farm-gate shrimp prices down by 25%-30% to the lowest level in a decade.

In June 2026, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs launched the National 50g+ Seafood Consumption Campaign and the National Seafood Consumption Week. Hundreds of online and offline activities including e-commerce subsidies, origin live streaming and supermarket experience events were held to boost daily seafood consumption.