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Russian exports of fish, seafood to Japan down 8% to 43,000 tons in January-May
Russia's fish and seafood exports to Japan fell 8% in volume to 43,000 tons in January-May 2026, according to the Fish Union. Meanwhile, exports to China rose 16% in volume to 672,000 tons, and imports from Turkey declined 7%.
Russia's exports of fish and seafood to Japan fell by 8% in volume and 1% in value in January-May 2026, totaling 43,000 tons worth $323 million, according to the Fish Union. The decline comes as Russia's fish trade with China grew sharply during the same period.
Coverage Comparison
The figures were reported by TASS, citing the Fish Union's analytical center, which based its calculations on Japanese customs statistics. In a separate report, the Fish Union said Russian fish exports to China rose by 16% in physical terms and 53% in value terms in the first five months of 2026, reaching 672,000 metric tons worth nearly $2.06 billion, based on data from China's General Administration of Customs. A third report from the Fish Union, also carried by TASS, detailed a 7% decline in Russian fish imports from Turkey.
Key Claims
Exports to Japan fell: In January-May 2026, Russian exports of fish and seafood to Japan fell by 8% in volume and 1% in value year-on-year, to 43,000 tons worth $323 million, according to the Fish Union's calculations based on Japanese customs data.
Surimi and pollock fillet shipments to Japan rose: Surimi shipments increased by 5% in volume and 15% in value, to 10,000 tons worth $24 million. Pollock fillet shipments also rose by 5% in volume and 15% in value, reaching 2,300 tons worth $8.5 million.
Crab exports to Japan declined: Exports of frozen Opilio snow crab fell by 20% in volume and 10% in value, to 2,600 tons worth $45.8 million. Frozen king crab exports dropped by 25% in volume and 10% in value, to 1,200 tons worth $40.1 million.
Other Japan-bound products saw mixed trends: Frozen pollock supplies decreased by 5% in volume but rose by 20% in value, to 1,200 tons worth $2.3 million. Frozen squid shipments increased by 15% in volume and 2.2-fold in value, reaching 0.7 thousand tons worth $3.7 million. Live sea urchin exports declined by 5% in volume and remained flat in value, totaling 4,200 tons worth $45 million.
Exports to China surged: Russian fish and seafood exports to China increased by 16% in physical terms and 53% in value terms in January-May 2026, to 672,000 metric tons worth nearly $2.06 billion, based on Chinese customs data.
Pollock and cod exports to China grew strongly: Exports of frozen headed and gutted pollock increased by 25% in physical terms and 70% in value, to 388,000 metric tons worth $673 million. Frozen headed and gutted cod exports grew by 35% in physical terms and doubled in value, to 39,000 metric tons worth $314 million.
Live crab exports also rose: Live crab exports to China increased by 10% in physical terms and 25% in value, to 17,000 metric tons worth $527 million.
Imports from China increased: Russian imports of fish and seafood from China rose by 7% in physical terms and 11% in value, to 43,000 metric tons worth $171 million. Notable increases included frozen Pacific mackerel (up 5% in volume, 65% in value), frozen saury (up 10% in volume, 50% in value), and frozen trout (up 5% in volume, 10% in value).
Imports from Turkey declined: Russian fish imports from Turkey fell by 7% in physical terms and 6% in value terms, to 20,000 metric tons worth $134 million in January-May 2026, based on Turkish customs data.
Trout supplies from Turkey showed mixed performance: Frozen trout supplies from Turkey to Russia surged by 25% in physical terms and 20% in value, to 12,000 metric tons worth $79 million. Chilled trout imports lost 35% in physical terms and 40% in value, falling to 5,000 metric tons worth $34 million.
Other Turkish seafood products saw volume declines: Frozen dorado supplies fell by 40% physically and 30% in value, while chilled dorado deliveries lost 10% in physical terms but edged up by 5% in value. Frozen seabass imports dropped by 20% in weight but increased by 10% in value, and chilled seabass imports lost 10% in weight but surged by 25% in value, to 700 metric tons worth $6.3 million.
How this outlet told it
TASS — English
Framing: Russia's fish exports to Japan decline — Neutral
Facts Included:
Russia's exports of fish and seafood to Japan fell by 8% in volume and 1% in value in January-May 2026
Exports totaled 43,000 tons worth $323 mln
Surimi shipments rose by 5% in volume and 15% in value
Pollock fillet shipments increased by 5% in volume and 15% in value
Frozen Opilio snow crab exports fell by 20% in volume and 10% in value
Each row is one claim, attributed to the outlet whose wording states it most clearly. Confidence rates how directly the source text states the claim — explicit and unhedged rates high; hedged, pieced-together, or internally inconsistent statements rate lower. It does not measure whether the claim is true. Status counts the distinct outlets we found asserting it — so a single-source claim can still show high confidence, and a multi-source claim can show medium. Every one of those outlets is named beside the status, so you can check the count against the list. For claims extracted before we began storing that list, the row says so: it names the outlet the claim is quoted from and states that we have not recorded which outlets backed it. Outlets wrote at different times, so a figure that evolves — a casualty count, for example — can legitimately differ between rows; check the "as of" time next to each claim's source.
Claim
Confidence
Status
ClaimRussia's exports of fish and seafood to Japan fell by 8% in volume and 1% in value in January-May 2026 to 43,000 tons worth $323 mln.
ClaimRussia increased exports of fish and seafood to China by 16% in physical terms and by 53% in value terms in January-May 2026, to 672,000 metric tons worth nearly $2.06 bln.
ClaimExports of frozen headed and gutted pollock from Russia to China increased by 25% in physical terms and by 70% in value terms, to 388,000 metric tons worth $673 mln in January-May 2026.
ClaimImports of fish and seafood from China to Russia rose by 7% in physical terms and by 11% in value terms, to 43,000 metric tons worth $171 mln in January-May 2026.
ClaimRussian fish imports from Turkey declined by 7% in physical terms and by 6% in value terms to 20,000 metric tons worth $134 mln in January-May 2026.
ClaimFrozen trout supplies from Turkey to Russia surged by 25% in physical and by 20% in value terms to 12,000 metric tons worth $79 mln in January-May 2026.