In the first three quarters of 2025, the import volume of canned tuna in the EU and UK markets has significantly rebounded, with the main driving force coming from Ecuador. With the increasing reliance of local European processors and retailers on stable sources of goods, Ecuador's position in the European canned tuna supply system is further strengthening.
Data shows that in the first three quarters of 2025, the overall import of processed and preserved tuna from the European Union and the United Kingdom increased, with Ecuador contributing the largest increase. In the third quarter alone, Ecuador supplied 63682 tons of canned tuna to the European market, far higher than other exporting countries, with an average price of $5381 per ton, an increase of 4% year-on-year and 6% month on month. This level not only consolidates its leading position in the European market, but also reflects a clear bias of European buyers in supply side selection.
In recent quarters, Ecuador's tuna exports have continued to grow. Although the catch of skipjack tuna in the country in 2025 has declined compared to the record level in 2024, overall it is still higher than the historical average. Industry insiders point out that Ecuadorian processing companies have generally expanded their production capacity after experiencing high fishing volumes and strong growth in European orders in 2024, laying the foundation for sustained volume expansion in 2025.
The tuna processing industry in Ecuador has undergone structural changes in the past year. Some enterprises no longer only play the role of upstream raw material suppliers in the European processing industry chain, but directly provide finished canned products with easy to open lids to large European retailers, entering the end market in the form of their own brands or retailers' own brands. This transformation has further transformed Ecuador from a "processing raw material base" to a "finished product supply center".
From an overall perspective, although the quarterly import volume of the European Union and the United Kingdom has fluctuated since 2020, Ecuador has always been the largest single source country, with its market share continuing to expand since early 2024. Only in the third quarter of 2025, approximately two kilograms out of every five kilograms of imported mackerel in the European market will come from Ecuador. In the first three quarters, Ecuador delivered 178618 tons of products to the European Union and the United Kingdom, accounting for over 36% of the total import volume of 488425 tons during the same period, with a year-on-year increase of 18%.
At the same time, other major suppliers are also expanding their presence in the European market. Shipments from Seychelles, Mauritius, the Philippines, and Papua New Guinea have all increased, while African countries such as Ghana and Cote d'Ivoire have remained relatively stable. In contrast, although China can still offer one of the lowest single ton prices in the European market, its market share has declined in the first nine months of this year.
In Southeast Asia, the performance of Indonesia and Thailand is also noteworthy. Indonesia's annual catch exceeds 1 million tons, accounting for about 16% of the global tuna catch. Its total shipments to the European Union and the United Kingdom increased by about 60% year-on-year in the first nine months. Against the backdrop of advancing free trade agreement negotiations with the European Union, Thailand's shipments to the European market have also increased by nearly 47% year-on-year. This trend has raised concerns among some processing companies in Europe, and the Spanish Processing Association continues to call for the exclusion of tuna from free trade agreements to avoid impacting the local processing industry in Europe.
On the raw material side, although the catch of Pacific mackerel in 2025 has decreased compared to 2024, Ecuadorian processing companies have maintained a stable production and export rhythm by importing raw materials from other regions. The overall price of mackerel this year is higher than last year's extreme low, but as of September, it is still below the level of 2023. It is worth noting that the price of mackerel in Manta Port, Ecuador is mostly higher than the Bangkok market throughout the year. Recently, the price difference between the two cities has further widened, with a single ton difference of about $70.
The demand intensity in the European market is also reflected in the import of semi-finished products. The industry expects that the EU will once again exhaust or even exceed its self imposed tariff quotas on pre cooked tuna fillets by January 2026. In the first nine months of 2025, EU processing companies imported over 85700 tons of pre cooked mackerel and fish fillet, with an import value of over 419 million euros, setting a new historical high. The continuous procurement of such products by processors objectively supports the capacity utilization and shipment pace of major exporting countries such as Ecuador.
Against the backdrop of high dependence on external supply in Europe, Ecuador is becoming an increasingly critical link in the European canned tuna supply chain with its large-scale processing capabilities, flexible raw material sources, and constantly expanding export models for finished products.
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