Revenue from Russian seafood exports to China reached US$3.57 billion in January–September 2026, up 54 per cent from US$2.33 billion a year earlier, the Russian Fishery Shipowners Association reported on October 20 in an analysis of Chinese customs data.
Pollock shipments rose 22 per cent year on year to 565,500 tonnes, while their value increased 69 per cent to US$1.07 billion.
Pollock, cod and haddock together generated around US$1.78 billion, about half of the total. Crab accounted for around US$1.07 billion, or 30 per cent.
Cod exports rose 20 per cent to 72,700 tonnes, with value up 71 per cent to US$581.5 million. Haddock volumes increased by only two per cent to 19,500 tonnes, but revenue grew 42 per cent to US$131.6 million.
The association calculated increases in average unit value of about 42 per cent for cod and 39 per cent each for pollock and haddock. Combined shipments of fillets of the three species fell 2.6 per cent to 7,200 tonnes but rose 30 per cent in value to US$22.4 million.
Live crab exports increased 21 per cent to 33,000 tonnes, with value up 34 per cent to US$965.4 million. Frozen crab shipments rose 51 per cent to 5,300 tonnes, while their value climbed 93 per cent to US$108.3 million.
A separate analysis by the Fish Union put first-half 2026 exports to China at almost US$2.3 billion, around 1.5 times the year-earlier figure, on volumes up 14 per cent to 723,000 tonnes. The organisation attributed part of the growth to high global prices for headed and gutted pollock. It linked higher cod prices to the reduced 2026 total allowable catch and said cod was pulling haddock prices up.
Russia's Federal Agency for Fisheries said in September that BRICS countries took 59.2 per cent of Russian fish-export volume in 2025, with China the principal buyer.
The association also signed a memorandum of understanding with China's Liaoyu Group in September on developing the bilateral seafood trade. Association president Stanislav Aksenov described China at the signing as "the most important market for fishermen in the Russian Federation".
