Russia’s fish exports rose 13 percent to $3.1 billion in January–July 2025, as sanctions push trade towards Asian markets
Russia has reported a significant increase in fish and seafood exports, rising 13 percent in value to more than $3.1 billion between January and July 2025, according to figures released by the federal centre Agroexport.
Export Growth in Value and Volume
In volume terms, shipments grew by 5 percent compared with the same period in 2024, reaching over 1.2 million tonnes. The rise was largely driven by strong demand for frozen fish, crustaceans, and processed products such as fillets, canned fish, molluscs, caviar and live fish.
Agroexport said frozen fish accounted for the bulk of deliveries, making up 52 percent of total export value. Crustaceans ranked second with 34 percent, while fish fillets and other processed products made up the remainder.
Key Markets for Russian Seafood
China remained the largest buyer of Russian seafood, followed by South Korea, the Netherlands, Norway and Japan. These five markets accounted for the majority of Russia’s seafood trade during the first seven months of 2025.
Trade Shifts Under Sanctions
Western sanctions imposed after the invasion of Ukraine continue to restrict Russia’s wider agri-food trade, particularly with the EU, US and UK. Seafood exports, however, are not subject to the same blanket prohibitions as other sectors.
The latest figures indicate that Russia’s seafood industry is consolidating its reliance on Asian buyers, with China in particular absorbing much of the output that would previously have been destined for European markets. While the Netherlands and Norway remain among the top five importers, their share has declined compared with pre-2022 levels.
Analysts note that this redirection underscores how sanctions have reshaped Russian trade flows, pushing seafood exports increasingly towards Asia while limiting access to traditional Western markets.
Source: TASS