According to the latest statistics from the Russian Fisheries Agency (Rosrybolovstvo), Russia exported 944,000 tons of seafood to China in the first 10 months, a year-on-year increase of nearly 100%; at the same time, Russia imported 46,000 tons of seafood from China, a year-on-year increase of 9%.
The total bilateral trade volume between Russia and China was nearly 1 million tons, an increase of 92%, and the bilateral trade volume reached 2.05 billion US dollars, an increase of 35%.
In the first 10 months, Russia exported 504,000 tons of pollock to China, accounting for 53% of exports; it exported 24,000 tons of live crabs, worth approximately US$600 million.
Ilya Shestakov, head of Rosrybolovstvo, said that finding new export markets is also crucial for Russia, and that other Asian countries and the Middle East have great potential. However, it is still difficult to export live crabs to the Southeast Asian market, so it is necessary to focus on promoting frozen crab products.
This year, Russia's crab quota is 105,000 tons, but actual catches have declined in recent years due to poaching. The second phase of the crab investment quota plan requires Russian companies to build 24 new crab boats and land-based factories in the Far East. From October 16 to 18, the crab quota auction was carried out smoothly, and quotas from all production areas were sold for a total price of more than 200 billion rubles.
In December, Russia will hold a bid for pollock and herring investment quotas, requiring the construction of 20 fishing boats and factories.
The Russian government also plans to reallocate wild salmon fishing areas. This year's Far East production will reach 605,000 tons. Most of the contracts will expire in 2027-28, and negotiations for new contracts have begun. The goal of the Russian authorities is to support the development of export industries and domestic market supply, and the government uses financial subsidies to transport seafood from the Far East to other regions.