On July 7, 2025, the Fisheries and Fishery Administration Bureau of China’s Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs released the 2024 National Fishery Economic Statistics Bulletin. According to the bulletin, the overall fishery economy remained stable in 2024, with steady growth in aquatic product output, increased transaction volume and value in wholesale markets, higher import and export volumes despite a decline in total trade value, a narrowed trade deficit, and continued income growth for fishers.

The bulletin is organized into eight sections.

I. Total economic output of the national fishery sector

At 2024 current prices, the total output value of the fishery economy reached 3,417.229 billion yuan (471.66 billion USD). This includes:

• Fishery output: 1,675.480 billion yuan (231.72 billion USD)
• Fishery-related industry and construction: 739.084 billion yuan (101.25 billion USD)
• Fishery distribution and services: 1,002.665 billion yuan (138.29 billion USD)

The proportions of the three sectors were 49.0%, 21.6% and 29.3% (Figure 1).

Figure 1. Composition of total fishery economic output value in 2024

Within the fishery distribution and services sector, recreational fishery output was 98.860 billion yuan (13.63 billion USD), a year-on-year increase of 7.05%.

Within the fishery output value (based on the National Bureau of Statistics annual data):

• Marine capture: 260.148 billion yuan (35.88 billion USD)
• Marine aquaculture: 503.438 billion yuan (69.37 billion USD)
• Inland capture: 33.229 billion yuan (4.58 billion USD)
• Inland aquaculture: 878.665 billion yuan (121.96 billion USD)

The ratio of marine to freshwater product output value was 45.6: 54.4, and the ratio of aquaculture to capture output value was 82.5: 17.5.

II. Per capita net income of fishers

According to a survey of nearly 10,000 fisher households across the country in 2024, the per capita net income of fishers was 27,131.00 yuan (3,741.52 USD), an increase of 1,353.79 yuan (186.69 USD) from the previous year, representing a year-on-year growth of 5.25%.

III. Aquatic product output and per capita availability

In 2024, total national aquatic product output volume reached 73.5759 million tons, a year-on-year increase of 3.39%, including:

• Aquaculture: 60.6003 million tons, up 4.31%
• Capture: 12.9756 million tons, down 0.69%

The ratio of aquaculture to capture output was 82.4: 17.6 (Table 1 & Table 2).

• Marine product output: 37.0887 million tons, up 3.45%
• Freshwater product output: 36.4872 million tons, up 3.34%
• Marine to freshwater product output ratio: 50.4: 49.6

Distant-water fisheries produced 2.1891 million tons in 2024, down 5.74%, accounting for 2.98% of total aquatic product output.

Per capita aquatic product availability in 2024 was 52.25 kg (based on a population of 1.40828 billion), up 1.77 kg from the previous year, a 3.51% increase.

IV. Aquaculture Area

The national aquaculture area in 2024 was 7.56788 million hectares, down 0.74% year-on-year, including:

• Marine aquaculture: 2.24006 million hectares, up 1.14%
• Freshwater aquaculture: 5.32782 million hectares, down 1.51%

The area ratio of marine to freshwater aquaculture was 29.6: 70.4 (Table 3 & Table 4).

V. Fishing vessel inventory at year-end

By the end of 2024, the total number of fishing vessels was 485,700, with a total tonnage of 11.2539 million tons, including:

• Motorized vessels: 335,400 vessels, 11.027 million tons, total power 20.0445 million kW
• Non-motorized vessels: 150,300 vessels, 226,900 tons

Among motorized vessels:

• Fishing vessels: 318,100 vessels, 9.6399 million tons, 17.2588 million kW
• Auxiliary vessels: 17,300 vessels, 1.3872 million tons, 2.7857 million kW

VI. Fishery population and employment

In 2024:

• Total fishery population: 15.8247 million, down 161,000 (1.01%) from the previous year
• Traditional fishers: 4.8808 million, down 182,000 (3.59%)
• Fishery workers: 11.7417 million, down 20,600 (0.18%)

VII. Aquatic product processing and trade

By the end of 2024:

• Aquatic product processing enterprises: 9,581
• Cold storage facilities: 9,737
• Total processed aquatic products: 22.5376 million tons, up 2.47%, including:
  • Marine products: 17.5757 million tons, up 2.59%
  • Freshwater products: 4.9619 million tons, up 2.02%

Total raw aquatic products used for processing: 26.4799 million tons, up 0.93%, including:

• Marine: 20.0957 million tons, up 1.36%
• Freshwater: 6.3843 million tons, down 0.40%

According to the General Administration of Customs, in 2024:

• Total import and export volume: 11.172 million tons, up 5.79%
• Total trade value: USD 43.836 billion, down 0.91%
  • Exports: 4.2396 million tons, up 11.62%; USD 20.74 billion, up 1.35%
  • Imports: 6.9324 million tons, up 2.52%; USD 23.097 billion, down 2.85%

The trade deficit was USD 2.357 billion, USD 954 million less than the previous year.

VIII. Fishery disasters

In 2024, fishery disasters caused:

• Aquatic product output loss: 481,500 tons
• Affected aquaculture area: 267,480 hectares
• Direct economic loss: 15.024 billion yuan (2.07 billion USD)

Note: Some totals or relative figures may show calculation discrepancies due to rounding or unit conversion and have not been mechanically adjusted.

Original source： 2024年全国渔业经济统计公报

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