Kazakhstan boosts fish fillet exports to Europe

Based on data from the Bureau of National Statistics, analysts examined Kazakhstan's fish trade, including the main products exported and imported by the country.

In January-June 2026, Kazakh suppliers exported 12,900 tons of processed and preserved fish, crustaceans, and mollusks. The category also includes fish that has simply been cleaned, gutted or filleted.

Exports increased significantly compared with the first half of 2025, reversing a downward trend that had continued since 2023. Shipments fell by 11.1% over the whole of last year, and analysts suggest that the growth recorded in 2026 could mark the beginning of a recovery.

Assuming Kazakhstan exports only domestically caught fish and does not engage in re-exports, foreign shipments accounted for 42.4% of the country's processed and preserved fish, crustaceans and mollusks in the first half of the year. Total output stood at 30,400 tons, down 5.3% year-on-year.

At the same time, domestic sales of these products fell by 16.9% to 45,100 tons, pointing to a shift toward stronger export activity amid declining domestic consumption, according to analysts.

Detailed customs data show that frozen freshwater fish and freshwater fish fillets were among Kazakhstan's largest export categories. Shipments of frozen whole fish surged 69.2%, from 3,300 tons in the first half of 2025 to 5,600 tons in the same period of 2026. In value terms, exports increased even more sharply, rising 2.2-fold.

Analysts said the faster growth in value than in volume could reflect higher average selling prices or a shift toward more expensive products.

While official statistics do not specify the exact species exported, industry and government representatives indicate that Kazakhstan supplies carp, bream, pike-perch and other fish to foreign markets. Pike-perch fillets are considered one of the most commercially attractive export products and are already well established in European markets as a Kazakh product.

Freshwater fish fillet exports also recorded solid growth in the first half of 2026. Shipments rose 36.8%, from 3,100 to 4,200 tons, while their value increased 39.3%, from $21.9 million to $30.5 million. Denmark, Lithuania, the Netherlands, and Poland remained the main buyers, with all four countries significantly increasing imports from Kazakhstan.

The rise in exports was supported by higher domestic catches. According to the Bureau of National Statistics, Kazakhstan caught 49,600 tons of fish in 2025, up 10.1% from the previous year.

Freshwater bream accounted for around a third of the total catch, reaching 16,800 tons, nearly 20% more than in 2024. Pike-perch catches, by contrast, fell 9.8% to 4,800 tons. Higher catches were recorded for a number of other species, including kilka, roach, crucian carp, mullet, common carp, perch, pike, catfish and asp.

Aquaculture also posted strong growth in 2025, with the total volume of marketable farmed fish reaching 13,300 tons, up 63.2% year-on-year. The increase was driven by a 3.7-fold rise in common carp production to 3,200 tons, an 86.9% increase in carp production to 4,200 tons and a 23% rise in trout production to 2,500 tons.

Meanwhile, fish imports have fluctuated in recent years. After rising in 2021 and declining in 2022, they surged to 70,400 tons in 2023 before gradually falling again. The downward trend continued in the first half of 2026, when imports decreased 12.8% year-on-year to 27,600 tons, indicating reduced reliance on foreign supplies.

Kazakhstan mainly imports fish species that are not found domestically. In January-June 2026, the country imported around 4,600 tons of herring worth $7.7 million and 2,200 tons of mackerel valued at $10.9 million.

Salmon was the most expensive major fish import, with 3,600 tons worth $29 million brought into the country during the first half of the year.

Earlier, Qazinform News Agency reported that agricultural machinery production in Kazakhstan rises by 22%.