Global Tuna Market Late October 2026: Southeast Asia Frozen Prices Hold Firm, Mediterranean Farms at Full Capacity Supplying Japan's Year-End Season

In the last week of October through early November 2026, the global tuna market entered an intensive logistics and stocking phase. On the canned raw material side, after earlier sharp price increases driven by declining catch rates in the Western and Central Pacific Ocean (WCPO), frozen inventory prices at major Southeast Asian processing hubs showed firm, resilient resistance to declines. In the high-value sashimi and raw-consumption segment, farming facilities in the Mediterranean, Australia and Mexico are accelerating harvest and selective slaughter schedules to supply Japan's year-end seasonal sales. On the regulatory front, regional fisheries management organizations (RFMOs) are finalizing the technical agendas for their annual plenary meetings, with particular attention on the 25th special meeting of ICCAT held this month in Vilamoura, Portugal.

Bluefin tuna

Atlantic and Mediterranean bluefin tuna (Thunnus thynnus): Farming operations in Malta, Spain (Cartagena and L'Ametlla de Mar), Tunisia and Turkey are at full-capacity harvest and processing, preparing frozen shipments aboard processing vessels equipped with -60°C ultra-low-temperature holds, while also arranging air-freighted chilled cargo. In European wholesale markets, sashimi-grade trimmed loins are stable between EUR 26.50/kg (USD 28.88/kg) and EUR 34.50/kg (USD 37.60/kg). Chilled forward contracts for Japanese commercial operators, gilled and gutted (GG) grade, range from JPY 3,500/kg (USD 22.70/kg) to JPY 4,850/kg (USD 31.45/kg).

Pacific bluefin tuna (Thunnus orientalis): Farming concession areas in Baja California, Mexico, report normal landings from purse seine catches, completing the 2026 annual direct catch limit of 1,285 metric tons set under the IATTC regulatory framework. Product flows mainly into high-end restaurant distribution channels in California, USA, supplemented by consolidated air-freighted cargo to Tokyo.

Southern bluefin tuna (Thunnus maccoyii): In Port Lincoln, South Australia, operators are completing sales of frozen net-pen inventory, under the global CCSBT total allowable catch (fixed at 20,647 metric tons for this cycle). Japanese wholesale prices vary by fat marbling grade (otoro and chutoro) between JPY 2,600/kg (USD 16.85/kg) and JPY 4,500/kg (USD 29.18/kg).

Yellowfin tuna (Thunnus albacares)

Longline landings in the Indian Ocean and Central Pacific are moderate. In General Santos, Philippines, and Indonesia (Bitung and Benoa), dock ex-vessel prices for whole fish meeting export loin specifications range from USD 5,200/t to USD 5,600/t.

Brine-frozen raw material for pre-cooking lines at Southeast Asian canneries is stable on a CFR basis in the range of USD 2,750/t to USD 2,880/t.

Bigeye tuna (Thunnus obesus)

Taiwanese and Korean distant-water longline vessels report moderate catches in international waters. Asian wholesale auction supply is somewhat tight, maintaining a firm premium over yellowfin tuna. In the Japanese wholesale market, frozen-at-sea -60°C bigeye tuna ranges from JPY 1,850/kg (USD 12.00/kg) to JPY 3,200/kg (USD 20.75/kg), depending on size and flesh quality.

Skipjack tuna (Katsuwonus pelamis)

The raw material benchmark for the canning industry in Bangkok, Thailand, for direct purse seine landings on a CFR basis, is firm at USD 2,300/t to USD 2,350/t, reflecting upward pressure accumulated from reduced WCPO fishing effort.

In Manta, Ecuador, ex-vessel dock prices have stabilized at USD 1,900/t to USD 2,100/t, with processing plants operating near minimum buffer stock levels ahead of the IATTC's second seasonal closure.

Wholesale auctions and international fish markets

Japan (Tokyo Toyosu Central Wholesale Market)

Standard daily market auctions at Toyosu (excluding exceptional New Year ceremonial auctions) show the following wholesale price ranges:

Domestic chilled bluefin tuna (Thunnus thynnus / T. orientalis): coastal landings (Aomori/Oma ports and domestic purse seine and longline deliveries) average between JPY 6,500/kg (USD 42.15/kg) and JPY 16,000/kg (USD 103.75/kg), with some high-fat lots exceeding JPY 22,000/kg (USD 142.65/kg).

Imported farmed bluefin tuna (chilled/refrigerated): combined trading levels of JPY 4,200/kg (USD 27.25/kg) to JPY 6,800/kg (USD 44.10/kg).

Frozen bigeye tuna (Thunnus obesus): traded at JPY 1,800/kg (USD 11.67/kg) to JPY 3,200/kg (USD 20.75/kg) for regional restaurant distribution and retail supermarket chains.

Chilled yellowfin tuna (Thunnus albacares): auction throughput stable at JPY 1,200/kg (USD 7.78/kg) to JPY 2,100/kg (USD 13.62/kg).

South Korea (Busan Fish Market) and Taiwan (Kaohsiung)

Busan: Frozen longline catch arrivals continue. Frozen gilled and gutted loins of yellowfin and bigeye tuna for domestic reprocessing and export trade are stable at first-sale prices of KRW 16,200/kg (USD 11.85/kg) to KRW 17,000/kg (USD 12.45/kg).

Kaohsiung: Taiwanese distant-water longline operators are maintaining orderly unloading schedules, keeping deep-frozen inventory at -60°C to maximize returns ahead of peak winter demand from Tokyo and Osaka traders.