Russian pollock roe sales first exceed 500 tons

In 2024, the price of saury roe has been relatively sluggish, and traditional markets such as Japan and South Korea have seen growth come to a halt. Alexey Buglak, the president of the Russian Saury Fishery Association, stated in an interview with UCN: "As of now, Russia has exported over 500 tons of frozen saury roe to China. According to the plan, Russia intends to supply at least 1,000 tons of fish roe to China this year, and increase it to 5,000 tons in the next two to three years."

According to PCA statistics, in 2025, saury roe will account for 18% of the total export volume of Russian saury products, with an export volume of around 37,000 tons, valued at $194 million. Japan remains the largest single market, accounting for 56% of the export volume, followed by South Korea with 42%. The average price of saury roe last year fell by 21% compared to the previous year, with the Japanese and South Korean markets showing signs of consumer fatigue and weak price increases.

In April, at the Busan auction, Chinese buyers purchased a batch of Russian saury roe for the first time, with a quantity of about 180 tons. Vladimir Rekasov, CEO of Russian company Tralflot, highly praised the Chinese market, calling it a "breakthrough journey." Chinese companies gave positive feedback on the auction, and several companies increased their purchases in the upcoming production season.

In July, the Russian Saury Fishery Association visited the China Aquatic Products Circulation and Processing Association to exchange ideas on further strengthening the market promotion of processed saury products. During the Qingdao Fisheries Expo (October 29-31), PCA will once again hold a product promotion event, focusing on promoting value-added products such as saury roe, fish paste, and fish slices to the Chinese market.