Promoting UK seafood to SE Asian markets

What was the industry challenge? 

The UK seafood industry needs to build export resilience by developing opportunities in new and growing international markets. Vietnam, South Korea and Thailand offer strong potential for UK fish and shellfish exporters, with rising demand for high-quality imported seafood and supportive trade conditions creating new commercial opportunities.  

These are competitive markets where UK seafood must build recognition, trust and relationships with buyers. To make the most of this potential, UK seafood businesses needed a targeted way to showcase the quality, variety and reliability of their products directly to overseas importers. 

How did Seafish and its partners respond? 

We partnered with the Department for Business and Trade to support an inward trade mission to the UK in March 2026. We brought 14 seafood importing companies from South Korea, Vietnam, Thailand and Australia to the UK to learn more about the seafood industry and meet UK exporters.  

The mission was designed to highlight export opportunities for UK seafood businesses and help build practical trading relationships. The visitors toured UK seafood locations and took part in dedicated “meet the buyer” events, giving UK companies the chance to discuss products, market requirements and potential business links face to face.  

What was the impact? 

The trade mission strengthened the visiting companies’ awareness of the range and quality of fish and shellfish produced in the UK, while helping UK exporters build direct relationships with buyers in priority growth markets. 

As part of the visit, we arranged four meet-the-buyer events in different UK locations, giving visiting importers the opportunity to meet 50 UK seafood companies and explore potential trading links. 

While confirmed trade outcomes from this type of activity can take time to develop, the mission created a valuable platform for future export growth. It helped position UK seafood as a trusted, high-quality offer in competitive international markets and supported stronger commercial links between UK businesses and importers from Southeast Asia and beyond.