Market Trends of seafood Industry
Fish production across the world is experiencing a recovery
- The demand for fish is growing across regions due to the rising awareness about its health benefits. The production of fish rose by 4.45% between 2017 and 2022. In 2022, production and trade grew slightly, and fish consumption recovered to 2018 levels due to increasing demand. Aquaculture production was anticipated to grow by 2.6% in 2023, slightly below its long-term growth rate of 3.3% between 2015 and 2020. High fuel prices, lower quotas for key stocks, and inclement weather in key fishing grounds all contributed to a slowdown in capture fisheries.
- Fish production in Asia-Pacific witnessed a growth of 0.5% in 2022 compared to 2021. In China, production growth continues to be driven by aquaculture production, estimated at 54.6 MMT in 2022, an increase of 1.2%. In 2021, the output value ratio of marine products to freshwater products was 45.8:54.2. In 2021, the national aquaculture area was 7009.38 thousand hectares, down by 0.38% from the previous year. Among them, the area of marine aquaculture in 2025 was 51 thousand hectares, an increase of 1.50% from 2021. The area of freshwater aquaculture was 4983.87 thousand hectares. The ratio of marine to freshwater aquaculture was 28.9:71.1.
- In 2021, about 59% of the total fish consumed in Europe came from Russia. Russia is a key market in Europe as it is one of the leading producers of cod in the world. Due to restrictions imposed on Russia's export of fish and other seafood as a result of its conflict with Ukraine, the entire region is experiencing a fish shortage. EU aquaculture accounts for around 20% of EU fish and shellfish supply. In the EU, more than 45% of aquaculture production is shellfish, more than 30% is marine fish, and more than 20% is freshwater fish.
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Fish prices are increasing across the world owing to rising production as well as production disruptions
- Unusual weather and rising fuel prices have impacted the supply of fish in all markets. At the same time, increasing global demand has led to rising fish prices. Salmon prices in 2023 started on an upward trend in both Norway and Chile, while a more erratic trend was observed in Scotland. Wholesale and consumer prices rose to record highs in some markets. However, Norwegian fresh, head-on gutted Atlantic salmon sold at USD 9.69/kg in week 13 of 2023, falling for two consecutive weeks.
- In Europe, fish prices ranged from USD 0.13/kg to USD 62/kg, where Grey Gurnard was the cheapest, and European Hake was the costliest during the first quarter of 2023. The Russian-Ukrainian conflict had a significant impact on some exports from Norway, such as fresh salmon to Asia, as the closed Russian airspace had a volume impact on shipments to countries such as South Korea (-18%) and Japan (-20%). Price hikes also distorted the flow of goods from countries where salmon is largely destined for smoking before re-export. For instance, the volume of exports to Poland fell by 18% in 2022.
- Chinese producer prices for whole tilapia hit a five-year high in 2023. In Guangdong, which accounts for nearly 40% of China's tilapia production, live tilapia weighing 500-800 g was sold at USD 1.47/kg, up by 14% from 2022. In the US domestic market, above-average inflation in the seafood category led to a jump in the price of fresh and frozen seafood sales, with the average cost of tilapias rising by over 20% in the first half of 2022. In addition to the North American market, demand in the European Union also recovered, with buyer interest in tilapia products increasing due to rising prices of other seafood species in the global market.
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OTHER KEY INDUSTRY TRENDS COVERED IN THE REPORT
- Rising supply chain costs are leading to growth in prices
- Occurrence of outbreaks and low-quality production facilities are impacting Asia's production
