Tuna exports have shown positive signs of recovery since the early months of 2010, according to the Vietnam Seafood Producers and Exporters (VASEP).

In January alone, tuna exports increased by 156 percent in volume and 172 percent in value compared to January 2009. Besides traditional markets such as Canada and Israel, a large volume of tuna was shipped to Bahamas and Libya.

However, tuna prices in these markets remained low, but fears that the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) will list blue fin tuna as a species on the brink of extinction are expected to drive the prices up.

To meet the increasing demand for exports, many fishermen in Binh Dinh, Phu Yen and Khanh Hoa set sail in the 11^th lunar month and they got a big catch thanks to favourable weather.