Top 10 Largest Fish Producing Countries In The World

Fish is a major source of proteins and Omega 3 fatty acids that are required for maintaining a healthy body. Many of the proteins and fats found in fishes are considered as the best supplements for improving cardiovascular health and even prevent mental decline. Now, you know eating fish is important. To meet the growing demand for fish in the global market many countries have boosted the fish production by adopting several techniques and methods like aquaculture.

Here is a list of world’s largest fish producing countries.

10. Russia

Russia produces 3,305,749 metric tons of fish annually. Russia is one of the countries that have least used its natural resources for fish farming and production. It is estimated that the country has 2 million rivers flowing across its land and has vast coastlines. Russia has been facing several issues for the past few decades, however, the government is working efficiently to eliminate the issues and increase the production.

9. Vietnam

Vietnam produces 3,367,853 metric tons of fish annually. Majority of the fish produced in this country is through aquaculture and this country has been utilizing aquaculture for fish production since 1960’s. This country is well-known for the vast number of fish species which numbers to 2,458 which is comparatively higher than any other countries. Vietnam offers a wide diversity of fish products and they find a majority part of income by exporting fish products.

8. Thailand

Thailand produces 3,743,564 metric tons of fish annually. This country has an 80-year history of practicing aquaculture of imported Chinese carp and this method was borrowed from Bangkok. The annual production of fish by this country has been increasing for the past few years as they have adopted using brackish water aquaculture system.

7. Japan

No list would be complete without Japan. This country is well known for its seafood dishes and the country produces 4,819,116 metric tons of fish annually. The majority of the fish produced in the country is exported. One of the notable features of Japans fish industry is that they are a source of some of the world’s rarest and delicious fish products.

Fact: Fungu is a species of fish found in Japan. This fish is poisonous if handled and cooked improperly, but, they are still captured and used to prepare delicious meals.

6. Chile

Chile has one of the best and greatest productive marine ecosystems in the world and also has a total of 2,500 mile coastline. This country produces 5,028,539 metric tons of fish annually and the income from this industry is one of the major sources of income for this country. One of the notable things about this countries fish industry is that majority fish produced by this country is collectively from the small-scale farming done by individual families in order to find income for their survival.

5. United States of America

United States of America is an all-rounder in many industries like cotton, coffee beans, and fish. This country produces 5,360,597 metric tons of fish annually. This country has one of the largest aquatic zone in the world that covers over 11.4 million square kilometres. The country also has total a 200 mile coastline. The United States of America has always seen to the fact that the quality of the fish production never decline under any circumstances. This country also fish farming across the land in order to meet the domestic and the global demand.

4. Peru

Peru produces 5,854,233 metric tons of fish annually and is the 4^th largest producer of fish in the world. This country has been a leading producer of fish since 1960 and the fish production has declined recently due to over fishing that even led to the extinction of some species. This country is blessed with a 3000 km coastline and 12,000 lakes and lagoons that hosts over 50 species of fishes. The fish industry in Peru is one of the major sources of income to a majority of people.

3. Indonesia

Unlike China and India, income from fish industry accounts for 3% of the total GDP of the country. This country produces about 6,101,725 metric tons of fish annually. Even though the quantity of fish produced by this country has declined over the past few years, the country has managed to adopt more efficient techniques and methods to increase the production. Today, this adequate adaption helped the country to become the third largest fish producing country in the world. One of the notable features of the country is the presence of Coral Triangle coral reef which is one of the world’s largest hosts for fish diversity. It is estimated that this coral reef hosts about 1650 species of aquatic animals.

2. India

India is today the 2^nd largest producer of fish in the world. One of the key notable things about Indian Fish industry is that the aquaculture was established in the 19^th century. It was in the year 2017 the country became the 2^nd largest producer of fish in the world. This country produces about 9, 45,892 metric tons of fish annually. Indian fish Industry accounts for the 6% of total fish produced in the world. Some of the recent studies show that India is a country with huge potential to increase the fish production if the government supported the industry. This country also exports a large quantity of fish products to various parts of the world.

1. China

China is the largest producer of fish in the world. This country produces about 58.8 million metric tons of fish per year. As a matter of fact this country has maintained its position as the global leader in fish production for the past few years and never encountered any competition. It is estimated that this country accounts for the 1/3 of worlds total fish production. One of the key reasons for such enormous fish production is that the government encourages fish farming as well as aquaculture cultivating for many years. The techniques and methods used by this country for aquaculture is highly efficient and has a gained a reputation all over the world. In fact, these techniques are borrowed by many other countries to increase their production.

All the above-mentioned countries were selected only on the basis of total fish produced in the country. All the data mentioned below each nation and the annual production quantity was collected from reputed websites like Wikipedia, worldfishing.net etc.