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Origins · O6

Vietnam

Pangasius fillets in, fishmeal back out.

Vietnam's fishmeal story is a circle: the Mekong Delta's pangasius fillet plants export the fillets and leave the frames, trimmings and oil behind — the raw material for a domestic fishmeal industry. That pangasius by-product stream supplies around half of national output, at 150,000 to 170,000 MT a year.[1]

Anchor figures — pangasius by-product meal: 150,000–170,000 MT/yr, about half of Vietnam's output.[1]
The zero-waste loop

This is fishmeal as recycling rather than fishing: no industrial fleet stands behind the product, only a processing chain determined to sell every gram of its input. The grade profile follows the raw material — higher ash, moderate protein, batch consistency tied to fillet production rather than to seasons. For feed mills within reach of the Delta it is a regional protein that answers a cost question rather than a specification one.

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Sources
  1. SeafoodSource — Vietnam trading partner feature — www.seafoodsource.com/news/premium/supply-trade/vietnam-emerging-as-impo (accessed 2026-10-24)