冻品攻略

Russia Boosts Chilean Salmon Imports to Fill Gap Left by Collapsing Domestic Output; Imports Surge 80% in First Ten Months

Source: 冻品攻略2026-02-06 08:00

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Russia Boosts Chilean Salmon Imports to Fill Gap Left by Collapsing Domestic Output; Imports Surge 80% in First Ten Months

In 2025, with domestic farmed output plummeting, Russia is stepping up salmon imports from Chile to maintain stable domestic supply. According to the latest statistics from the Russian Fishery Union, by the end of October, Russia's imports of frozen head-off gutted (H&G) Atlantic salmon (大西洋鲑) from Chile had grown 80% year on year in both volume and value, reaching 27,000 tonnes, worth about USD 180 million (EUR 153 million).

This growth significantly reverses last year's slump. In 2024, Russia imported only 21,100 tonnes of farmed salmon from Chile, half the 2023 level and the lowest in 12 years. Since the start of this year, import volumes have almost returned to pre-pandemic levels. Besides whole fish, Russia's imports of Chilean salmon fillets also rose sharply, up 60% year on year in volume and 55% in value, totaling about 4,000 tonnes worth USD 40 million (EUR 34 million). In addition, imports of Chilean coho salmon (银鲑) H&G products rose 10% in volume and 20% in value, reaching 4,600 tonnes worth USD 30 million.

Alexander Panin, chairman of the Russian Fishery Union, said Chile's export growth is "of great significance for offsetting the sales decline of leading domestic company Inarctica." Inarctica accounts for about 30% of Russia's farmed salmon market, but its sales volume plunged 48% year on year in the first half of this year to just 8,400 tonnes.

Due to the sharp drop in domestic output, Russia's overall reliance on Chilean seafood has risen markedly. From January to October, Russia's total imports of all types of seafood from Chile increased 40% year on year to 57,000 tonnes, with total value up 60% to USD 308 million (EUR 262 million). Among these, imports of frozen mackerel (鲭鱼) rose 7-fold in volume and 8-fold in value to 3,000 tonnes worth USD 3.6 million; imports of frozen cooked mussels (贻贝) also rose 5% in volume and 20% in value to 15,000 tonnes worth USD 35 million.

Since Russia banned seafood imports from Norway and other countries in 2014, Chile has become its main salmon supplier. Although Russia has faced sanctions from many countries over the 2022 war in Ukraine, Chilean seafood exports to Russia have remained unimpeded. Russia currently accounts for 4% of Chile's total seafood export volume and 5% of total export value.

Industry analysts believe that, with the prospects for Inarctica's production recovery unclear and European import channels restricted for the long term, Chilean salmon is likely to remain the main source for Russia's premium market, and its market share is expected to expand further in 2026.