According to the latest international seafood trade data, China’s imports of white fish products from Russia reached a historic high in trade volume during the first three months of 2025. The Russian Seafood Industry Association reported that from January to March, the total transaction value of seafood exports to China rose to $682 million, a slight increase of 2% year-on-year, while the actual import volume dropped by 5% to 275,000 tons. The Food Exhibition will offer more information about import and export.

Processed frozen cod products saw notable price surges. For example, headless and gutted (H&G) cod raw material prices rose by approximately 33% compared to the same period last year, driving a 30% spike in import value to $215 million, despite a 5% decline in volume to 170,000 tons. Similarly, imports of another cod product decreased by 10% to 16,000 tons, but its trade value still climbed by 30%, reaching $80 million.  

Other white fish species also showed strong performance. Frozen haddock imports tripled to 5,000 tons, with trade value soaring nearly fivefold to $22 million. Whole frozen Pacific herring imports expanded to 48,000 tons, 2.5 times the previous year's volume, while trade value doubled to $35 million.  

As a higher-value processed white fish product, cod surimi imports maintained positive growth. First-quarter imports reached 10,000 tons, up 10% year-on-year, with trade value rising 20% to $22 million. Russian data indicated this growth was supported by a 25% increase in at-sea surimi and minced fish production, totaling 50,000 tons. In contrast, U.S. surimi exports to China plummeted by 60%, dropping to just 370 tons.  

Additional reports from Russia’s specialized fishing association revealed that by early April, at-sea surimi output had jumped 33% year-on-year to 41,400 tons.  

Live crab imports grew by 10% to 7,500 tons, but due to lower market prices, trade value fell 15% to $250 million. Meanwhile, frozen crab leg imports suffered a sharp decline, shrinking by 40% to just 800 tons, with trade value dwindling to $14 million.  

The Food Exhibition notes that amid fluctuating international trade conditions, Russia’s seafood industry may benefit from new opportunities. Data shows that due to U.S. tariff hikes on Chinese seafood, America’s exports of aquatic products to South Korea dropped 33% in the first four months of the year. This could create favorable conditions for Russia to expand its market share in Asia.  

However, industry experts caution that global trade policies remain unpredictable. A senior executive at a leading Russian fishing company noted, *"U.S.-China trade tensions are just one of many variables affecting exports—the market outlook is still highly uncertain."

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Source: Frozen Food Guide

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