Global fishmeal and fish oil production well on track

“Global fishmeal and fish oil production is consistent with IFFO’s 2025 estimates at 5.6 million tons of fishmeal and 1.2-1.3 million tons of fish oil,” IFFO said.

Credits: IFFO

Sept. 8, 2025

While in 2024, the first anchovy fishing season in Peru’s North-Center region ended around June 19, fishing activity this year continued into late July 2025. With Peru accounting for around 20% of global fishmeal and fish oil production in an average year, its fishing timeline has had an impact on production volumes and market trends globally.

By July 2025, according to IFFO’s market intelligence reports*, total cumulative fishmeal production had risen by approximately 8% compared to the same period in 2024. This increase was mainly driven by higher output in most regions, except for Northern Europe. Similarly, cumulative fish oil output through July 2025 showed a year-on-year increase of around 5%. Most countries recorded positive trends compared to January-July 2024, with the exception of Spain, Iceland/North Atlantic and Peru.

“Global fishmeal and fish oil production is consistent with IFFO’s 2025 estimates at 5.6 million tons of fishmeal and 1.2-1.3 million tons of fish oil,” said Enrico Bachis, IFFO’s Market Research Director.

China

The fishing ban on the South China Sea and the southern part of the East China Sea was lifted on August 15. The ban in the Bohai Sea and the Yellow Sea was ended on September 1 and will soon be followed by the lifting of the final ban in the main areas of the East China Sea on September 16. The outlook for wild catches for the remainder of 2025 is still uncertain. IFFO’s analysts report a decline in domestic marine ingredient production in the first seven months of 2025 compared with the same period last year.

IFFO reports that farming activities have generally performed well in the recent months, despite recurring adverse weather conditions such as high temperatures and typhoons. The peak season for aquafeed production and demand for marine ingredients is still underway and is expected to continue until October. Fishmeal consumption in aquaculture so far is estimated to have exceeded last year’s level, supported by significantly improved profitability in certain farmed species. In the pig sector, however, declining piglet prices are behind weaker demand for piglet feed and fishmeal.

* These data are based on statistics shared by IFFO members in Chile, Denmark, the Faroe Islands, Iceland, the Ivory Coast, Mauritius, Norway, the UK, the USA, Peru, South Africa, and Spain, accounting for 40% of global fishmeal production and 50% of fish oil output.