Russia's Aquaculture Output Reaches 3.142 Million Tonnes in First Three Quarters; Trout and Salmon Up 32.2% to 130,500 Tonnes

Russia's Federal Fisheries Agency announced on November 5 that the country's aquaculture sector continues to grow. Based on statistics for the first three quarters (nine months), commercial aquaculture production reached 3.142 million tonnes, an increase of 42,400 tonnes over the same period last year.

The most notable growth was in salmonids. Trout and salmon (Salmo) output rose 32.2% in the first nine months to 130,500 tonnes. These two fish now account for more than 40% of Russia's total farmed production. In its report, the Federal Fisheries Agency said this is particularly important for the domestic market: farmed fish supplement wild-caught products, and their production is not directly tied to the cyclical migrations of wild Pacific salmon, allowing the sector to expand the supply of red fish.

Other segments also recorded growth: output of high-value aquatic organisms reached 91,200 tonnes, up 19%; sturgeon output reached 6,700 tonnes, up 6%.

The report also recalled earlier remarks by Ilya Shestakov, head of Russia's Federal Fisheries Agency. He noted that Russia's aquaculture industry is entering a new stage of development; after years of continuous output growth, the sector needs to shift its focus to intensive farming technologies, genetics and breeding, domestic feed and seed stock, disease prevention, and expanding the list of farmed species. Shestakov believes that science and close collaboration with enterprises should become key factors in the development of the country's aquaculture.

Separately, according to the General Administration of Customs' December 2025 import and export statistics, under the combined customs commodity classification of frozen Alaska pollock (Theragra chalcogramma), frozen Alaska pollock fillets, and frozen Alaska pollock meat (HS 03036700, 03047500, 03049400), Russia exported 161.772 tonnes of pollock to China in December 2025, with an export value of USD 407,031.0 and an average export price of USD 2,516.08 per tonne.