China: 2017 China's Fishery Annual
China continues to be the world’s largest seafood producer with overall seafood production estimated at 69.96 million tons (MMT) in 2017, up 1.4 percent from the previous year. Growth in aquaculture remains the key factor driving domestic production. This trend is expected to continue and add further to total seafood production in 2018. Conversely, wild catch production remains stagnant. Driven by a large domestic processing capacity and aimed for value-added exports, China’s imports of seafood are expected to rebound sharply in 2017. The rebound is in response to recovering global seafood demand, as well as, growing domestic consumption as a result of higher incomes. U.S. seafood exports to China are expected to increase in 2017. Best import prospects include frozen fish (salmon, flatfish, and cod), shrimp as well as high-value live seafood.
