Browse Data and Analysis

Over the last couple decades, with smaller catch volumes resulting from decades of overfishing, the Turkish seafood sector pivoted and ramped up investments in aquaculture production.

Spain is one of the world’s largest markets for fish and seafood. In 2023, Spain was the fourth largest importer of fish and seafood in the world after the United States, China, and Japan.

Bulgaria’s fish and seafood imports have grown steadily over the past decade and have nearly doubled. Bulgarian fish and seafood importers are seeking to expand the variety of fish available to consumers, particularly among the mid and high-value categories.

Ukraine’s total imports of fish and seafood rebounded by 28 percent in 2023 after a major war-impacted drop in 2022. The demand for seafood remains strong, although it has shifted from more expensive species to cheaper ones. Strong imports are taking place despite a 20 percent population drop, a major disposable income decline, and new and more expensive trade routes.

Spain is one of the largest markets worldwide for fish and seafood. In 2022, Spain was the fourth largest importer of fish and seafood in the world after the United States, China, and Japan.

Since the Netherlands lifted all COVID-19 related restrictions at the end of February 2022 and most people returned to the workplace, new opportunities continue to emerge for U.S. agricultural products. Consumers are especially interested in healthier, more convenient, nutritious, and high-quality products.

Bulgarian fish and seafood importers are seeking to expand the variety of locally available fish, particularly among the mid and high-value categories. According to the Bulgarian National Statistical Institute (NSI), which measures trade data based on country of origin, and therefore captures U.S. trade routed through other European ports of entry, Bulgaria imported $166,000 of U.S. fish and seafood in 2021, up 29 percent from the difficult 2020, but significantly lower than the pre-COVID levels of $554,656 in 2019.

There are new export opportunities for oysters grown in Massachusetts and Washington since the EU lifted its import ban on live, chilled, frozen, and processed bivalve mollusks from the United States. As part of the equivalency arrangement between the EU and the United States, the U.S. market will now also be open for Dutch oysters, creating a win-win.

The Netherlands is increasingly becoming one of Europe’s leading importers and exporters of seafood products. The United States was the Netherlands’ 15th largest foreign supplier of seafood in 2021. U.S. exports were dominated by frozen Alaskan Pollock (AP) which represented two-thirds of U.S. seafood trade to the Netherlands.

Germany is an important fish and seafood market for U.S. in Europe exporters. The growing demand for high-quality fish and seafood offers opportunities for U.S. suppliers especially with the partial resumption of shellfish trade in 2022.

As the 14th largest export destination, the United Kingdom (UK) has been an important and growing market for U.S. agricultural products. Shared heritage and cultural ties have continued to bolster U.S.-UK trade. The United States is the second largest UK agricultural supplier, behind the European Union (EU). The market presents many opportunities for intermediate and consumer-oriented products.

The Polish fish processing industry is the fourth-largest in Europe, with 240 plants shipping products throughout the EU.