Russia's fish exports to China reach 926,000 tonnes in first eight months, export value surges 54% year-on-year!

The latest data disclosed by the Russian Fisheries Union (Rybny Soyuz) shows that from January to August 2026, Russia's fish exports to China reached 926,000 tonnes, up 19% in volume compared with the same period in 2025; export value was US$3.05 billion, surging 54% year-on-year. The value growth rate is nearly three times the volume growth rate, and China's position as the largest buyer of Russian fish continues to consolidate.

The structural reason for the simultaneous rise in volume and price lies in the upgrading of export categories and forms. Pollock (pollock) remains the largest category of Russian exports to China; processing plants in Shandong, China, process Russian H&G (headed and gutted) pollock into fillets and surimi for re-export, forming an intermediate link in the global pollock trade; the value contribution of crab, cod (cod) and pelagic fish exports to China has risen year by year. The 54% value growth rate far exceeding the 19% volume growth rate points to two directions: first, the share of high-value species (live crab, frozen crab, cod) is rising; second, the unit price of bulk categories itself is in an upward channel — although the landed price of H&G cod in the Chinese market in week 39 fell week-on-week, the absolute price level remains higher than the same period in 2025.

The sanctions landscape is the fundamental shaping force behind this flow. After the EU imposed import restrictions on Russian aquatic products in 2022, Russian fish products shifted eastward on a large scale from the European market, with China and South Korea becoming the main recipients. The supply prices of sanctioned Russian exporters (Norebo, Murman Sea Food, etc.) remain US$400 to US$600 per tonne lower than EU-approved supplies; this price gap has given China's processing and trading segments a significant raw material cost advantage and has also allowed the share of Russian goods in the Chinese market to continue expanding. The 2026 volume and value data of Russia's exports to China are precisely the cumulative result of this mechanism in its fifth year of operation.

The Chinese market carries critical weight in Russia's fisheries economy. Russia's national catch stood at about 3.6 million tonnes as of September 21, with the Far East basin exceeding 2.8 million tonnes; exports to China are the primary export channel for monetizing the value of its catch; the Russian government is simultaneously aligning at the institutional level: the draft legal framework for the unified Far East priority development area (ТОР) is advancing, underwater hull inspection services at seaports have been included in the natural monopoly price list, and the fisheries technical university is deepening scientific research cooperation with processing enterprises — all pointing to long-term arrangements to consolidate the trade channel with China. India recently proposed to Russia the construction of a bonded processing zone — importing Russian catch for processing in India and re-selling the finished products to Russia — adding a new variable to this landscape.

China's receiving capacity is also changing. If the expected U.S. production cut in pollock surimi (up to 50,000 tonnes) materializes, there is room for China's processing segment to become further dependent on Russian raw materials; and in the cod market, Russian and Norwegian scientists have recommended raising the 2027 Northeast Arctic cod TAC to 312,700 tonnes (pending confirmation by the Russian-Norwegian Joint Fisheries Commission); changes in the raw material base will directly affect next year's arrivals to China.

September to December is the traditional peak season for Russian fish exports to China — Far East pollock A-season catches arrive at ports in concentrated volumes, and crab quotas enter the implementation period. The final full-year 2026 export figure to China will depend on the dual trends of fourth-quarter arrival pace and RMB settlement prices.