Fish, seafood exports hit $125m

74% increase in Q1 reflects opening of new global markets including Russia, US

ISLAMABAD:

Federal Minister for Maritime Affairs Muhammad Junaid Anwar Chaudhry said on Monday that Pakistan's fish and seafood exports rose by 74.4% during the first quarter of the current fiscal year, reaching $125.4 million against $71.9 million during the last two fiscal years.

"The increase in export earnings underscores the growing economic potential of the marine fisheries sector as Pakistan seeks to expand its blue economy," he said in a statement. Chaudhry noted that export volume rose by 74.8% over the three-year period, increasing from 35,294 tonnes in the first quarter of 2024-25 to 61,679 tonnes in the same quarter of 2026-27.

Fish exports stood at $93.28 million during the first quarter of 2025-26, before rising to $125.4 million in the first quarter of the current fiscal year. In terms of volume, exports increased from 35,294 tonnes in Q1 2024-25 to 43,995 tonnes in Q1 2025-26 and reached 61,679 tonnes in Q1 2026-27. The minister noted that both the value and volume of fish exports had grown substantially over the past three years, with the rise in export earnings broadly keeping pace with the increase in volume.

He said the fisheries sector was an important component of Pakistan's coastal economy, providing livelihoods to fishing communities while generating foreign exchange through exports of fish and other marine products. Chaudhry appreciated the performance of the Marine Fisheries Department, particularly its record export earnings of $568 million during FY2025-26.

He said the opening of new international markets, particularly Russia, for Pakistani fisheries' products was another significant achievement, adding that recent initiatives to resume shrimp exports to the United States, along with the revival of fishing licensing regime in Pakistan's Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), would help promote the sustainable utilisation of the country's marine fisheries' resources.

The minister stressed the need for addressing institutional, technical and capacity-related bottlenecks to enhance fish and seafood exports to lucrative international seafood markets, particularly the European Union. He also called for the revival of the Fisheries Training Centre of the Marine Fisheries Department to strengthen human-resources capacity, improve technical and professional standards, and enhance compliance with international fisheries and seafood safety requirements.