Aquaculture New Zealand reported that salmon exports surpassed the $200 million mark in 2024, reaching $203 million—a 20% increase from 2023.

Nearly all product formats saw growth, with the exception of smoked salmon. The top three categories performed strongly: chilled whole salmon rose 17% to $138.6 million, frozen fillets climbed 20% to $31.2 million, and chilled fillets saw an impressive 70% surge to $17 million.

In terms of markets, the top three destinations experienced solid growth. Exports to the USA rose 21% to $118.4 million, China was up 55% to $24.4 million, and Australia increased 15% to $21.9 million.

Credits: Aquaculture New Zealand

Other non-fed species such as mussels didn’t match the export growth of salmon. However, they still delivered a strong result, generating $390.4 million in export revenue.

Oysters continued their downward trend in recent years. Total exports for 2024 were $12.7 million, a 12% decline from 2023.