Russia's fish and seafood exports to China up more than 2.5 times over ten years; frozen Alaska pollock shipments in first nine months already exceed full-year 2025

Russia's fish and seafood exports to China have grown more than 2.5 times in value and 40% in volume over the past decade. The figures were disclosed by Alexey Buglak, president of the Russian Pollock Catchers Association (PCA), at the "Fish for the Future" forum held in Qingdao in November 2026. The forum was organized by the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) and held alongside China Fisheries & Seafood Expo 2026.

Buglak said live crab remains the main category driving export value growth, but in shipment volume, frozen Alaska pollock (Gadus chalcogrammus) exports to China still lead by a wide margin. In 2025, Russia's frozen Alaska pollock shipments to China reached 535,000 tonnes, up 11% from 2024. The momentum accelerated further in 2026: from January to September 2026, frozen Alaska pollock shipments to China already exceeded the total shipped in all of 2025.

The export mix is also shifting toward higher value-added products. Unlike whole frozen fish blocks, supplies of Alaska pollock fillets, minced fish and surimi to China have grown substantially over the past two to three years. In 2025, shipments of these three product types to China totaled 39,000 tonnes, roughly 20 times the combined exports of the previous four years.

Speaking at the forum, Buglak said Russian exports have to some extent replaced fillets and surimi from other origins, partly due to a more competitive price structure; these raw materials mainly go to secondary processing and the foodservice (HoReCa) sector, while also entering Chinese domestic consumption. He said consumption of Russian Alaska pollock across all product categories is steadily expanding in the Chinese domestic market.

Russia is also developing the Alaska pollock roe niche. The association launched a related promotion program in 2023. At this edition of China Fisheries & Seafood Expo (the 29th), PCA presented the first product lines made from Russian Alaska pollock roe and processed by Chinese companies. The association estimates the supply potential of Alaska pollock roe to China at up to 5,000 tonnes per year.

On the Russian harvesting side, the Russian Fishery Company (RRPC) exhibited jointly with its exclusive distributor Pacific Rim Group; the booth received more than 15,000 visitors in total, and business-to-business (B2B) meetings were held during the expo with delegations from China, Japan and South Korea.

A key commercial development was the strategic cooperation agreement signed by RRPC and Anjoy Foods Group Co., Ltd. on October 29, 2026. The agreement aims to establish a direct, traceable, integrated premium Alaska pollock surimi supply chain without intermediaries, in order to expand supply scale and promote consumption of wild protein.

On the foodservice application side, the Russian Alaska Pollock Roe Association, together with Sigma Marine Technology and the Pollock Catchers Association, held an industry business breakfast themed on turning Russian Alaska pollock roe from a specialty ingredient into a standard ingredient in Asian foodservice. Elizaveta Mizernitskaya of Sigma Marine Technology presented the fleet's processing advantages at the event: all products are processed on board immediately after catching to ensure maximum freshness of raw materials, supporting partners from wholesale supply through to final retail products.

Chinese business partners presented specific market applications at the event: Ma Zijie of Xiangxian International Trade identified Chinese cuisine, ready-to-eat meals and e-commerce as key growth segments; Gaishi Food introduced foodservice concepts such as Alaska pollock roe ice cream and baked products; Wang Guanjie of Hainan Nanyang Food showcased a low-temperature aged roe variety seasoned with Hainan yellow lantern chili; and Weihai Weidao Food reaffirmed more than 20 years of continuous cooperation with Russian producers to expand roe distribution in Chinese retail channels.