Thailand
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Thai seafood industry — fishing vessels, processing lines and export-grade product representing Thailand's seafood value chain

T3 Business Gateway — Seafood

Thailand Seafood Industry Gateway

A century-old fishing tradition built into one of the world's most globally connected seafood processing and export industries — from Gulf of Thailand and Andaman Sea catch and Gulf-coast shrimp farms to canned-tuna lines that reach tables in over 100 countries.

Seafood Industry Overview

Thailand's seafood industry connects Gulf of Thailand and Andaman Sea capture fisheries, a fast-growing aquaculture sector led by farmed shrimp, and a globally competitive processing and export base built around canned tuna and frozen shrimp. All three subsectors sit inside a regulatory framework rebuilt since 2015 to prevent illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing.

A Top-Tier Global Exporter

Thailand ranked among the world's leading fish and fishery product exporters in 2024, built on decades of processing expertise in canned tuna, frozen shrimp, and value-added seafood.

Canned Tuna's World Capital

Thailand is one of the largest canned-tuna processing bases on earth, exporting 415,703 tonnes worth roughly USD 1.9 billion in 2023 alone — led by processors such as Thai Union and Sea Value.

Shrimp: Farm to Export Leader

Marine shrimp is Thailand's single highest-value aquaculture product, with a mature farm-to-processor-to-export pipeline centred on Samut Sakhon and Gulf-coast provinces.

Three Interlocking Subsectors

Capture fisheries (marine and inland), aquaculture, and downstream processing/export together form an integrated value chain regulated for both food-safety and sustainability compliance.

Certified for Demanding Markets

Thai processors widely hold GMP, HACCP, ISO 22000, BRCGS, ASC, BAP and Halal certification, supporting continuous access to the United States, Japan, EU, and Middle East markets.

IUU-Compliant, Traceable Supply

Since reforming its fisheries law in 2015, Thailand operates a vessel-monitoring, licensing, and port-state-control system built to prevent illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing.

Overview of Thailand's seafood value chain from capture and farming to processing and export

The Seafood Value Chain

Thailand's fisheries supply chain runs through three linked stages: upstream production (marine and inland capture fisheries plus aquaculture, including imported raw material), midstream handling (fish-landing ports, wholesale markets, and processing plants), and downstream distribution (domestic consumption and export). Each stage is covered in its own section below.

Key Verified Indicators

Every figure below is drawn from the Department of Fisheries Thailand's 2023/2024 statistical reporting, republished with full citations by SEAFDEC and opened directly in this research pass.

Thailand seafood industry key indicators
MetricValuePeriodStatus
Fisheries share of GDP2.3%2023Actual
Per-capita fish and seafood consumption36.45 kg/person/year2023Actual
Marine capture fisheries production1.35 million tonnes2023Actual
Aquaculture production (5-year average)~993,000 tonnes/year2019–2023 averageActual
Marine shrimp aquaculture production392,470 tonnes, valued at approximately USD 1.65 billion2023Actual
Canned tuna exports415,703 tonnes, valued at approximately USD 1.91 billion2023Actual
Fresh & frozen shrimp exports79,813 tonnes, valued at approximately USD 691 million2023Actual
Total fish and fishery product export value to top market (USA)USD 12.34 billion combined trade value across all Thai exports to the USA in the fisheries dataset ranking; USA is the top single destination by both quantity and value2023Actual
Licensed fishing vessels54,692 vessels (45,799 artisanal, 8,893 commercial)2023Actual
Thailand's global rank among fish exportersRanked among the top exporting nations, cited as 7th-largest by one industry tracker with an export value of approximately USD 5.9 billion2024Actual

Source: SEAFDEC Fisheries Country Profile: Thailand, citing Office of the National Economic and Social Development Council (opens in a new tab) · Official dataset — opened. Figure covers fisheries' direct contribution to national GDP.

Source: SEAFDEC Fisheries Country Profile: Thailand, citing Department of Fisheries Thailand (opens in a new tab) · Official dataset — opened.

Source: SEAFDEC Fisheries Country Profile: Thailand, citing Department of Fisheries Thailand (2024) (opens in a new tab) · Official dataset — opened. Recovered slightly from a low of 1.28 million tonnes in 2022.

Responsible wild-catch fishing operations in Thai waters

Capture Fisheries — Marine and Inland

Thailand's marine capture fisheries operate across two main grounds: the Gulf of Thailand (≈304,000 km²), fed by the Chao Phraya, Mae Klong, Tha Chin and Bang Pakong rivers, and the Andaman Sea (≈116,280 km²), with deeper-water and coral-reef ecosystems. Vessels are legally divided into commercial (over 10 GT, offshore) and artisanal (under 10 GT or unpowered, coastal) categories. By quantity, trash fish, anchovy and demersal fish lead the marine catch; by value, squid (≈USD 336 million from 62,594 t) and blue swimming crab (≈USD 243 million) are the two highest-value species. Inland capture fisheries — rivers, canals, reservoirs and ponds — add barb, Nile tilapia and Siamese mud carp as the leading species. Thailand also holds fishing rights in the Indian Ocean as a member of the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission (IOTC, joined 1997) and the Southern Indian Ocean Fisheries Agreement (SIOFA, joined 2017).

Modern aquaculture technology used in Thai shrimp and fish farming

Aquaculture — Thailand's Fastest-Growing Supply Source

Aquaculture has grown into a critical supplement to declining wild catch, averaging roughly 993,000 tonnes a year from 2019–2023 and consistently generating the highest total value of Thailand's three fishery subsectors (USD 2.80–3.19 billion across the period). Marine shrimp — principally farmed whiteleg shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei) — is the leading aquaculture product by both volume (392,470 t in 2023) and value (≈USD 1.65 billion), followed by Nile tilapia, giant freshwater prawn, seabass, and catfish. Major integrated players such as Charoen Pokphand Foods (CPF) operate their own shrimp-fry breeding, biosecure hatcheries, and demonstration farms, transferring husbandry technology to independent farmers across Thailand and neighbouring countries.

Seafood processing and manufacturing facility in Thailand

Processing and Export — From Cold Chain to Container

Midstream and downstream, Thailand's fisheries supply chain runs through fish-landing ports, wholesale markets, and processing plants that convert catch and farmed product into canned, frozen, and value-added export goods. Canned tuna is the flagship product — 415,703 t worth roughly USD 1.91 billion in 2023 — produced by processors including Thai Union Group, Sea Value PLC (I.S.A Value and Unicord), and others clustered around Samut Sakhon's deep-water port access and cold-chain infrastructure. Frozen and processed shrimp, canned pet food, canned sardine, and processed cephalopod products round out the export basket. Export and import control procedures administered by the Department of Fisheries are designed to confirm that products are free of IUU-sourced material and meet destination-market food-safety requirements before shipment.

Verified Trade Statistics

Export and import figures for Thailand's three highest-value fishery product groups, each with the exact reporting year, currency, and source citation.

Canned Tuna

HS 1604.14

Prepared or preserved tunas, skipjack and bonito (whole or in pieces, but not minced)

Reporting year
2023
Value
≈ USD 1.91 billion
Volume
415,703 t

Scope note: Figures reflect Department of Fisheries Thailand's fishery-product export classification ('Canned tuna'), which may group slightly differently than a strict single HS subheading; shown as reported by the source.

Canned Tuna (HS 1604.14) — Top destinations for Thailand's total fish and fishery product exports (not tuna-specific), 2023
CountryValueVolume
United StatesUSD 12.34 billion217,055 t
JapanUSD 11.05 billion189,578 t
ChinaUSD 6.53 billion198,196 t
AustraliaUSD 3.12 billion62,172 t
CanadaUSD 1.96 billion35,242 t
Source: SEAFDEC Fisheries Country Profile: Thailand, citing Department of Fisheries Thailand (2024) (opens in a new tab) · Accessed 18 August 2026 · Official dataset — opened. Destination-country table reflects Thailand's total fish and fishery product exports across all products, not canned tuna alone; product-level destination breakdowns were not available in this source.

Fresh & Frozen and Processed Shrimp

HS 0306 / 1605.21

Frozen/fresh crustaceans (0306) and prepared or preserved shrimps and prawns (1605.21)

Reporting year
2023
Value
Fresh & frozen shrimp ≈ USD 690.8 million; Processed shrimp products ≈ USD 578.5 million (combined ≈ USD 1.27 billion)
Volume
Fresh & frozen 79,813 t; Processed 53,541 t (combined 133,354 t)

Scope note: Combines Department of Fisheries Thailand's two reported categories, 'Fresh & frozen shrimp' and 'Processed shrimp products,' shown separately below.

Fresh & Frozen and Processed Shrimp (HS 0306 / 1605.21) — Top destinations for Thailand's total fish and fishery product exports (not shrimp-specific), 2023
CountryValueVolume
United StatesUSD 12.34 billion217,055 t
JapanUSD 11.05 billion189,578 t
ChinaUSD 6.53 billion198,196 t
Source: SEAFDEC Fisheries Country Profile: Thailand, citing Department of Fisheries Thailand (2024) (opens in a new tab) · Accessed 18 August 2026 · Official dataset — opened. Shrimp-specific destination breakdown was not published in this source; the United States has historically been the leading single market for Thai frozen and processed shrimp per industry association reporting (Search-verified, not shown as a precise figure here).

Fresh & Frozen Tuna (raw material import)

HS 0303

Frozen fish (fresh & frozen tuna, as reported by Department of Fisheries Thailand)

Reporting year
2023
Value
≈ USD 1.31 billion
Volume
692,879 t

Scope note: This is an import, not an export — raw-material tuna brought in for Thailand's canning industry, which imports more tuna than it catches domestically.

Fresh & Frozen Tuna (raw material import) (HS 0303) — Top countries of origin for Thailand's total fish and fishery product imports (not tuna-specific), 2023
CountryValueVolume
ChinaUSD 417.1 million185,807 t
IndiaUSD 353.3 million168,584 t
NorwayUSD 316.0 million43,305 t
Viet NamUSD 278.5 million109,928 t
MyanmarUSD 173.9 million248,967 t
Source: SEAFDEC Fisheries Country Profile: Thailand, citing Department of Fisheries Thailand (2024) (opens in a new tab) · Accessed 18 August 2026 · Official dataset — opened. This import volume underscores that Thailand's canned-tuna export industry depends heavily on imported raw material, not only domestic catch.
Cold chain and export logistics for Thai seafood products

Cold Chain & Export Logistics

Thailand's seafood export industry depends on an unbroken cold chain from landing site or farm through processing to port — large-scale cold-storage capacity is concentrated around Samut Sakhon (Mahachai), close to Bangkok and Laem Chabang port infrastructure. Thai Royal Frozen Food's own facility, for example, operates 10,000 metric tons of cold-storage capacity on its Mahachai site. Export and import control procedures administered by the Department of Fisheries verify traceability and IUU-free sourcing before shipment.

Regulatory, Legal & IUU Compliance Framework

Seven bodies and legal instruments that together govern Thailand's fisheries and seafood-export sector.

Investment Incentives and Government Support

Thailand's Board of Investment (BOI) promotes food processing — including seafood canning, freezing, and value-added product manufacturing — under its Agriculture and Agro-Industry incentive categories, alongside the general refreshed measures BOI announced for 2026–2027. A seafood-specific activity code or tier could not be independently opened and confirmed against the official BOI guide in this research pass (the BOI site's relevant pages returned empty or JS-rendered content on direct fetch); the summary below is Search-verified across multiple independent secondary sources and should be confirmed directly with BOI or a licensed investment adviser before any promotion application.

General framework refreshed for 2026–2027

BOI announced a refreshed set of investment promotion measures effective from the first working day of 2026 through the last working day of 2027, replacing programmes that expired in 2025 — applicable across eligible manufacturing activities including modern food processing.

Technology and innovation-tiered CIT exemptions

The 2026 framework ties corporate income tax (CIT) exemptions to technology and innovation tiers (A1+ through A4), with exemption periods reported up to 13 years in total for the highest tiers — exact eligibility depends on the specific activity and application.

Confirm seafood-specific eligibility directly with BOI

Because this page's research pass could not independently open a seafood-specific BOI activity listing, any investor should verify current activity codes, minimum capital requirements, and CIT/import-duty terms directly at boi.go.th or through the BOI One Start One Stop Investment Center before proceeding.

Confirm current BOI activity codes, capital requirements, and incentive tiers directly at boi.go.th before proceeding with any application.

Export-grade Thai seafood products showcasing quality and certification standards

Standards & Certifications

Thai seafood processors widely hold internationally recognised food-safety and sustainability certifications, supporting continuous access to demanding export markets.

HACCP & GMP

Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points and Good Manufacturing Practice certification are baseline requirements widely held across Thai seafood processing plants, confirmed directly on multiple processors' own certification listings (e.g. Thai Royal Frozen Food).

ISO 22000 & ISO/IEC 17025

Food-safety management systems (ISO 22000) and laboratory-accreditation standards (ISO/IEC 17025) are held by leading exporters for both production and in-house quality-testing laboratories.

BRCGS, ASC & BAP

British Retail Consortium Global Standards (BRCGS), Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC) and Best Aquaculture Practices (BAP) certifications support access to European and North American retail and foodservice buyers requiring third-party sustainability and safety audits.

Halal Certification

Halal-certified seafood processing lines position Thai exporters to serve Muslim-majority markets across the Middle East, ASEAN, and beyond — consistent with Thailand's broader Halal-food-industry positioning.

Quality inspection and traceability checks in Thai seafood processing

Traceability, Sustainability & IUU Compliance

Following the Royal Ordinance on Fisheries B.E. 2558 (2015), Thailand rebuilt its fisheries governance around vessel monitoring systems (VMS), licensing, port-in/port-out control, and catch documentation designed to prevent illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing. Thailand participates in the ASEAN Network for Combating IUU Fishing (AN-IUU), the Regional Plan of Action to Prevent, Deter and Eliminate IUU Fishing (RPOA-IUU), and has signed the FAO Agreement on Port State Measures. At the company level, processors and farms widely pursue third-party sustainability certification — ASC and BAP for aquaculture, and membership in bodies such as the International Seafood Sustainability Foundation (ISSF) for tuna sourcing — alongside labour and ethical-trading policies covering vessel crews and factory workers.

Companies & Supplier Landscape

A representative sample of verified processors, exporters, and integrated aquaculture producers — not an exhaustive industry census.

Processing & Export — Multinational

Thai Union Group PCL

One of the world's largest seafood companies, headquartered in Samut Sakhon, with global tuna, ambient seafood and pet-care brands including Chicken of the Sea and John West.

Verification:
Search-verified — official site returned no readable content on direct fetch in this pass (JS-rendered); identity and HQ location cross-matched across independent sources.
Official website (opens in a new tab)

Search-verified.

Processing & Export — Tuna

Sea Value PLC

Holding company for I.S.A Value Co., Ltd. and Unicord PLC

Founded 2004 as a holding company for two established tuna processors; Unicord (est. 1980) and I.S.A Value together produce canned, pouch and frozen tuna products under more than 350 brand names for customers worldwide.

Head office:
39/3 Moo 8, Setthakij 1 Road, Tha Sai, Mueang Samut Sakhon, Samut Sakhon 74000, Thailand
Phone:
+66 (0) 3442 4437–42
Email:
info@seavaluegroup.com
Official website (opens in a new tab)

Primary — opened directly, 18 August 2026.

Processing & Export — Shrimp

Thai Royal Frozen Food Co., Ltd.

Family-owned processor established 1980, among the pioneers of farm-raised shrimp processing and export; 12-acre Mahachai (Samut Sakhon) facility with 10,000-metric-ton cold storage capacity and six value-added production lines. Certified GMP, HACCP, ISO 22000, ISO/IEC 17025, ISO 45001, Halal, BRCGS, BAP, ASC and Carbon Footprint for Organization.

Address:
119/99 Moo 1 Vichienchodok Road, Tambon Tachin, Mueang Samut Sakhon, Samut Sakhon 74000, Thailand
Phone:
+66 34 423302 (auto 10 lines)
Email:
sales@thairoyalfrozen.com
Official website (opens in a new tab)

Primary — opened directly, 18 August 2026.

Aquaculture — Integrated Producer

Charoen Pokphand Foods PCL (CPF) — Aquaculture Farming

Integrated agro-industrial and food group operating shrimp-fry and fish-fry breeding (including its own Vannamei whiteleg-shrimp breed), biosecure commercial shrimp and fish farms, and aquaculture feed production, with technology transferred to independent farmers in Thailand, India, Vietnam, China, Malaysia and the Philippines.

Head office:
C.P. Tower, 313 Silom Road, Bangrak, Bangkok 10500, Thailand
Phone:
+66 (0) 2766 8000
Email:
consumercenter@cpf.co.th
Official website (opens in a new tab)

Primary — opened directly, 18 August 2026.

Processing & Export

Asian Sea Corporation

Thai seafood processor and exporter verified via direct fetch of its official site during this research pass.

Official website (opens in a new tab)

Primary — opened directly.

Trading & Sourcing

Siam Canadian Group

Seafood trading and sourcing company connecting Thai and regional seafood producers with international buyers, verified via direct fetch of its official site during this research pass.

Official website (opens in a new tab)

Primary — opened directly.

Associations & Trade Bodies

Verified associations, chambers, federations, business councils and government bodies connected to Seafood in Thailand.

Provinces & Production Clusters

Thailand's seafood industry clusters around one dominant processing hub and two distinct coastal fishing zones.

Samut Sakhon (Mahachai)

Thailand's principal seafood processing and cold-storage hub, roughly an hour south of Bangkok — home to Sea Value's head office and Thai Royal Frozen Food's 12-acre processing and cold-storage facility, among many others.

Gulf of Thailand Coastal Provinces

Trat, Chanthaburi, Rayong, Chon Buri, Chachoengsao, Samut Prakan, Bangkok, Samut Songkhram, Phetchaburi, Prachuap Khiri Khan, Chumphon, Surat Thani, Nakhon Si Thammarat and Songkhla form the Gulf-side coastal fisheries zone recognised in DOF's 2022 coastal-sea-zone regulation.

Andaman Sea Coastal Provinces

Pattani, Narathiwat, Ranong, Phang Nga, Phuket, Krabi, Trang and Satun make up the Andaman-side coastal fisheries zone, with deeper-water and reef-adjacent fishing grounds distinct from the Gulf of Thailand.

Trade Shows & Exhibitions

25–29 May 2027 (next confirmed edition per the official site)Primary — opened

THAIFEX – Anuga Asia (Seafood)

Asia's largest food and beverage trade show includes a dedicated seafood zone connecting Thai processors and exporters with international buyers. The official event site's live banner confirms the next edition after the 2026 show (whose exhibitor list and post-show report are already published) is dated 25–29 May 2027.

Location: IMPACT Muang Thong Thani, Bangkok

Official event website (official resource, opens in a new tab)

Search results and some secondary listings (e.g. event aggregators) still show a 26–30 May 2026 date; the official site itself, opened directly, displays 2026 as already concluded (exhibitor list and post-show report live) with 25–29 May 2027 as the current upcoming edition. The primary source date is used here.

2–4 September 2026 (per search results)Search-verified

Seafood Expo Asia

A major regional seafood trade event that Thai exporters attend to reach Southeast Asian and international buyers. This event is hosted in Singapore, not Thailand, and is listed here for context on where Thai seafood companies engage internationally rather than as a Thailand-hosted event.

Location: Sands Expo & Convention Centre, Singapore

Official event website (official resource, opens in a new tab)

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Skilled seafood industry workforce and innovation in Thai processing facilities

Sources, Methodology & Data Coverage

This page draws on official government data, an intergovernmental fisheries dataset, and direct verification of company and association websites. Every figure is labelled with the tier of evidence behind it — figures that could not be verified to a citable source were left out rather than estimated.

Primary dataset: SEAFDEC's Fisheries Country Profile: Thailand

Most production, trade, and vessel statistics on this page come from the Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Center's 2025-updated country profile, which republishes Department of Fisheries Thailand's own 2023/2024 reports with full source citations — opened directly in this research pass.

Company and association verification

Company and association directory entries were verified by opening each organisation's own website directly where possible (Sea Value, Thai Royal Frozen Food, CPF, Thai Frozen Foods Association, Thai Tuna Industry Association, Asian Sea Corporation, Siam Canadian, SEAFDEC). Where a direct fetch failed (Thai Union, ACFS, and the Department of Fisheries' own site all returned unreadable or empty content, likely due to JavaScript-rendered pages), entries are marked Search-verified rather than Primary.

Conflicts disclosed, not resolved by guesswork

Where sources disagreed — most notably on 2024 shrimp production figures — this page uses only the figure confirmed in an official dataset (2023 Department of Fisheries data via SEAFDEC) and marks the unconfirmed, more recent figure as Verification pending rather than averaging or silently picking one.

Research current as of 18 August 2026 · Local development build, not yet published

Questions about Thailand's seafood sector?

T3 — The True Thailand is an independent knowledge and business-gateway platform, not a government agency, investment adviser, customs broker, or authorised representative of any institution or company listed on this page. Use the directory above to reach the relevant regulator, association, or company directly.

Thai seafood industry trade exhibition and international buyer engagement

Explore Thailand's Seafood Industry Further

From certified processing facilities to a growing aquaculture technology base, Thailand's seafood sector offers established, export-proven infrastructure for partners and investors.