Turkish Salmon Peaks in October Exports

November 6, 2026 · Tarım Pusulası

Surpassing seabass and gilt-head bream on a monthly basis, Turkish salmon reached over $95 million in exports in October, becoming the sector's leader.

Historic Record and Leadership in October

Turkish salmon, a prominent species in Turkey's aquaculture, rose to the top among fish types on a monthly basis in October 2026 with its $95.071 million in foreign sales. According to data from the Aegean Fisheries and Animal Products Exporters' Association, export value increased by 54% compared to $61.880 million in the same month last year. With this performance, Turkish salmon surpassed seabass and gilt-head bream. Turkish salmon alone accounted for approximately 35% of the total $275.650 million in aquaculture exports nationwide in October.

Ten-Month Exports and Product Distribution

Ufuk Atakan Demir, Chairman of the Aegean Fisheries and Animal Products Exporters' Association, reported that Turkish salmon exports in the January-October period of 2026 increased by 22% compared to the same period last year. Consequently, salmon revenue rose from $430.7 million to $526.2 million, making it the second most exported species, surpassing gilt-head bream. Frozen products accounted for the largest share of exports with $353.3 million, while fresh chilled products generated $154.3 million. In the same period, frozen fillet sales were recorded at $16.8 million, and fresh chilled fillet exports at $1.7 million. Demir emphasized that they are resolutely progressing towards the year-end export target of $650 million.

Volume Increase and the Aegean Region's Share

Turkish salmon exports saw a significant leap not only in value but also in the volume of products shipped. The quantity of products exported in the first 10 months of 2026 increased by 21% to 78,890 tons from 65,333 tons in the same period of the previous year, ranking it at the top among fish species. Members of the Aegean Fisheries and Animal Products Exporters' Association shipped 38,000 tons of this volume, bringing $256 million in foreign currency to the country. Association Chairman Ufuk Atakan Demir stated that the Aegean Region's share in Turkish salmon exports reached approximately 49% in terms of both quantity and monetary value.

Target Markets and the Sector's Overall Picture

The Russian Federation maintained its top position in the foreign markets for Turkish salmon with purchases totaling $345 million, followed by Belarus with $75 million and Vietnam with $27 million. Turkey's total aquaculture exports increased by 20% in the January-October period, rising from $1.789 billion to $2.140 billion, with expectations to exceed $2.5 billion by the end of the year. According to association data, the Aegean Region constituted 64.3% of Turkey's total exports with $1.377 billion. Seabass maintained its leadership with $666 million by species, while Turkish salmon ranked second with $526 million, and gilt-head bream third with $509 million. Rainbow trout contributed $113 million, bluefin tuna $78 million, and dusky grouper $26.7 million to the sector.

Türkçe