June 25, 2026 — Vastly improved fisheries and aquaculture yields, together with soaring consumer demand, have powered substantial growth in global seafood trade over the past 50 years, but that growth will steadily ease over the next decade, according to the latest “State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture” (SOFIA) report from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations.
FAO’s latest edition of SOFIA, which the organization releases biennially, revealed that in 2024, the global value of international trade in aquatic products – involving 230 countries and territories – amounted to USD 186 billion (EUR 164 billion). Fish, crustaceans, mollusks, and other aquatic animal products accounted for 99 percent of this total, or around USD 184 billion (EUR 162.2 billion), in exports. The remaining USD 2 billion (EUR 1.8 billion) comprised trade in algae and other aquatic products such as sponges and shells.