Russian Pacific herring wholesale prices fall 30% after record catch

Wholesale price drops after record catch

Wholesale prices for Pacific herring in Russia fell 30% in 2025 compared with 2024, Lenta.ru reported, citing German Zverev, head of the Russian Pollock Catchers Association. The decline followed a sharp increase in fishing volumes and strengthened the position of herring among the country’s most affordable fish species.

The current wholesale price is 110 rubles per kilogram, according to Zverev. Prices offered by fishing companies start at 65 rubles per kilogram. The gap between the starting price at the fishing stage and the broader wholesale quotation reflects the additional costs and margins accumulated as fish moves through processing, storage and distribution, although the source did not provide a breakdown of those components.

Fishing volumes rose 30% in 2025

The main factor behind the price decline was higher supply. Russia’s Pacific herring catch increased 30% in 2025 and reached a record level, Agriculture Minister Oksana Lut previously said. The matching rates—a 30% increase in catch and a 30% fall in wholesale prices—show how rapidly additional volumes affected the domestic market.

For fishing companies, the larger catch expands the volume available for sale but puts pressure on the price received for each kilogram. Processors and wholesale buyers gain access to cheaper raw material, potentially improving capacity utilization and purchasing economics. The result for individual companies will depend on their fishing costs, processing efficiency, storage capacity and ability to place larger volumes with retailers and food-service customers.

Domestic fish supplies 93% of the market

Pacific herring has now entered the three most affordable fish categories in Russia, Zverev said. Its role in the market is supported by a high degree of domestic supply: by 2025, Russian Pacific herring accounted for 93% of the country’s herring market. Imported products therefore represented only a relatively small share.

This supply structure means that catch conditions in Russia’s Pacific fisheries have a direct influence on availability and wholesale pricing across the national market. Imports have limited weight as a counterbalance when domestic output rises sharply. At the same time, the high domestic share reduces Russian buyers’ dependence on foreign suppliers for this product.

Lower prices shift pressure along the chain

The central issue for the industry is whether demand can absorb the record catch without further pressure on fishers’ prices. A wholesale quotation of 110 rubles per kilogram makes Pacific herring more accessible to processors and consumers, but starting offers of 65 rubles show the much lower price level faced by some producers at the first point of sale.

Processors, distributors and retailers may benefit from the cheaper supply if demand remains stable and cold-storage and logistics systems can handle the additional fish. Fishing companies, however, must balance higher landed volumes against weaker unit revenue. With domestic Pacific herring already covering 93% of the market, further growth will depend primarily on stronger consumption, expanded processing or the development of additional sales channels rather than the replacement of large import volumes.