China's aquatic product output up 4.3% year-on-year in first three quarters of 2026, mariculture leads with 5.84% growth

Beijing — According to the report on agricultural and rural economic operations released by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs on November 4, China's domestic aquatic product output grew 4.3% year-on-year from January to September 2026.

The breakdown of this growth rate was previously disclosed in the sector-level data released by the Bureau of Fisheries and Fishery Administration of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs on October 22. Compiled from monitoring records of 20 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities across the country, the report shows that these areas produced a combined 53.9 million tonnes of aquatic products in the first nine months, up 4.27% year-on-year. The competent authority made clear that this figure corresponds only to the 20 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities monitored in the industry report, and is not a national aggregate covering all of China's administrative divisions.

By sector, the growth gap between aquaculture and capture is pronounced. Mariculture output was 20.3 million tonnes, up 5.84% year-on-year; freshwater aquaculture output was 26.27 million tonnes, up 3.99% year-on-year; marine capture output was 6.64 million tonnes, up 1.15% year-on-year; freshwater capture output was 688,600 tonnes, up 0.54% year-on-year. Mariculture's 5.84% growth was the highest among the four sub-sectors, while marine capture's 1.15% growth was markedly lower than that of the aquaculture segments.

Other animal protein categories also showed growth over the same period. From January to September 2026, national output of pork, beef, mutton and poultry meat combined grew 4.3% year-on-year, and milk output grew 2.4% year-on-year.

For fisheries and aquaculture, higher landings and harvests correspond to an expanded domestic production base, providing supply for domestic consumption and raw material supply for the processing industry. Industry analysts also noted that an expansion in output volume does not necessarily bring about a proportional increase in export volume or an across-the-board decline in market prices; the ultimate performance of trade flows and price trends depends on the absorption capacity of end demand, the structure of operating costs, the composition of farmed species, and the specific access and commercial environment of each target trade market.

Structurally, in the first three quarters of 2026, mariculture grew 5.84% and freshwater aquaculture grew 3.99%, while marine capture grew only 1.15%, with the aquaculture segments outpacing natural capture across the board.