标题：

In-Depth Analysis: Latest Report on China's Aquatic Products Industry Released

正文：

Recently, the U.S. Department of Agriculture released the "China Aquatic Products Report," analyzing China's aquatic product production and consumption trends in recent years, along with forecasts for 2024.

The report highlights the following key points:

01

Production Overview

In 2023, China remained the world's largest producer of aquatic products, with a total output of 71 million tons, marking a 3.5% increase from 2022.

Wild-capture seafood production amounted to 12.88 million tons, a 1% decrease year-on-year, with projections suggesting stable wild-capture levels for 2024.

The overall production growth was predominantly driven by aquaculture, which saw a 4.4% increase from the previous year to 58.12 million tons, representing a net gain of 2.5 million tons.

Due to expanded aquaculture areas and improved production efficiencies, China's total aquatic product output is expected to continue growing in 2024.

02

Aquaculture

China maintained its position as the world's leading aquaculture producer in 2023.

Preliminary statistics show freshwater aquaculture production reaching 23.2 million tons and marine aquaculture production reaching 17.2 million tons in the first nine months of 2023, marking increases of 4.7% and 5.3% respectively from the previous year.

Feed production for aquaculture decreased by 4.9% in 2023 to 23.44 million tons.

However, increased demand for feed is anticipated as aquaculture production continues to shift towards industrialization and intensification.

By the end of 2023, China had established over 20,000 gravity net cages, 40 floating net cages, and 4 aquaculture vessels in its coastal waters, with a total deep-sea aquaculture volume of 43.98 million cubic meters and a production output of 393,000 tons.

03

Wild-Capture Fisheries

In recent years, seasonal fishing bans have been expanded in coastal and freshwater areas due to declining fishery resources.

Since 2021, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs has implemented a 10-year fishing ban on the Yangtze River and its main tributaries.

In 2023, most coastal and open-sea areas also implemented fishing bans lasting 3 to 4 months, resulting in a decline in marine capture fisheries.

According to the "China Distant Water Fisheries White Paper" released in October last year, China had 177 distant water fishing enterprises and 2,551 distant water fishing vessels in 2022, with 1,498 vessels operating in international waters.

Operations span the Pacific, Indian, and Atlantic Oceans, Antarctic waters, and the territorial waters of cooperating countries.

Moreover, due to the "zero growth" policy implemented by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, domestic marine capture fisheries were restricted to below 10 million tons, leading to declines in both marine and freshwater capture fisheries.。

04

Production by Species

Official production data for 2023 is yet to be released, with the report relying on 2022 figures for analysis.

In 2022, fish production totaled 29 million tons, accounting for 52.2% of total aquaculture production. Freshwater fish production reached 27.1 million tons, while marine fish production was 1.92 million tons.

The top five freshwater fish species included grass carp, silver carp, bighead carp, common carp, and crucian carp, totaling 18.7 million tons.

China is the world's largest producer of tilapia, with a production of 1.74 million tons in 2022. Guangdong, Hainan, Guangxi, Yunnan, and Fujian provinces account for 97.2% of the national total.

Catfish production has rapidly increased to 416,200 tons, with Sichuan, Guangdong, Hubei, Henan, and Guangxi provinces collectively accounting for 74.2% of total production. Moderate growth in catfish production is expected to continue.

Shellfish production reached 6.85 million tons in 2022, with marine shellfish production at 1.95 million tons and freshwater production at 4.9 million tons.

China is the world's largest producer of farmed shrimp, with production nearing 2.1 million tons in 2022.

Crayfish is another species heavily promoted in the domestic market. In 2022, China's total crayfish production reached 2.9 million tons, with Hubei, Anhui, Hunan, Jiangsu, and Jiangxi provinces collectively accounting for nearly 92% of total production.

Production of mollusks reached 15.9 million tons in 2022, with the top six provinces in mollusk aquaculture being Shandong, Fujian, Liaoning, Guangdong, Zhejiang, and Guangxi, collectively accounting for 93% of production in 2022.

05

Processing of Aquatic Products

Total processing of aquatic products in China reached 21.48 million tons in 2022, a 1.3% increase year-on-year. Marine product processing accounted for 19.76 million tons, while freshwater product processing accounted for 5.8 million tons.

China has 9,331 aquatic product processing plants with a total processing capacity of 29.7 million tons.

Shandong, Fujian, Liaoning, Zhejiang, and Guangdong are major processing provinces, collectively producing 16.1 million tons of processed aquatic products, accounting for 75% of the national total.

These provinces not only serve as major production hubs but also host numerous foreign-owned processing facilities equipped with port and cold storage facilities for importing, processing, and re-exporting aquatic products.

Recent US sanctions on Russian seafood have significantly impacted Chinese processing enterprises, especially in major centers like Qingdao and Dalian, which traditionally process large quantities of Russian seafood for export to the US and EU markets.

Therefore, the Chinese aquatic product processing industry is expected to face challenges in 2024.

06

Consumption and Market

With the reopening of the economy post-pandemic, Chinese consumers' preference for high-quality and value-added aquatic products has increased, driving the recovery of aquatic product demand.

In 2022, urban residents consumed an average of 16.2 kilograms of aquatic products per capita, while rural residents consumed 10.7 kilograms.

Coastal regions exhibit the highest consumption of aquatic products, with consumers preferring fresh products, although consumption of frozen and processed aquatic products is steadily increasing.

Improvements in processing technology, development of distribution networks, and establishment of cold chain systems have promoted the consumption growth of frozen and processed aquatic products.

The growth of e-commerce trade has also played a significant role in aquatic product consumption during the COVID-19 pandemic, shifting consumer purchasing habits from traditional seafood markets to online channels.

07

Aquatic Product Imports

In 2023, aquatic product imports to China surged to 4.6 million tons, valued at USD 18.8 billion, marking a 12% year-on-year increase.

Growth in imports was primarily driven by increases in fresh fish, frozen fish, shellfish, and mollusks, with strong demand also observed for high-value products such as salmon and lobster.

Frozen fish accounted for 51.7% of total imports, reaching nearly 2.38 million tons. Shellfish imports totaled 1.24 million tons, while mollusk imports reached 550,000 tons.

China's major seafood importers include Russia, with total imports reaching 1.27 million tons, followed by Ecuador at 700,000 tons, India at 350,000 tons, Vietnam at 300,000 tons, and the US at 290,000 tons.

The report predicts increased demand for aquatic product imports in China in 2024.

08

Aquatic Product Exports

China's aquatic product exports in 2023 reached 3.52 million tons, nearly unchanged from the previous year, but with a 12.7% decrease in value.

Exports remain below pre-pandemic levels, which averaged over 4 million tons annually from 2017 to 2019.

Japan is China's largest export market for aquatic products, followed by the United States and South Korea.

However, the value of aquatic product exports has declined across all major markets.

Certain species have a competitive advantage in international markets. For example, the US is the largest market for Chinese catfish, with China exporting 11,256 tons of catfish to the US, accounting for 59% of total exports.

Competition from low-priced Vietnamese basa fish has impacted China's tilapia exports in international markets.

However, tilapia exports showed signs of recovery in 2023, particularly for frozen tilapia, reaching 136,000 tons, a 33% increase from the previous year.