🇺🇸 United States imports of live fish: 2024 trade data
Imports of live fish by the United States reached $129.2 million in 2024 (5.6 thousand tonnes). It ranks 6th of 172 countries for imports of this product. Value rose 7% on 2023. Across 2017-2024 the long-run trend was broadly stable.
Public statistics, latest reported year 2024. Values in US dollars.
Imports of live fish by year, 2017-2024
Hover or tap a year for detail.
Year by year
| Year | Value | Quantity |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $129.2M | 5.6K t |
| 2023 | $120.2M | 4.2K t |
| 2022 | $125.1M | 4.8K t |
| 2021 | $124.1M | 5.7K t |
| 2020 | $95.4M | 4.6K t |
| 2019 | $82.3M | 3.0K t |
| 2018 | $86.5M | 3.1K t |
| 2017 | $81.4M | 3.1K t |
Where the United States imports live fish from
Most of the value came from South Korea (15%), Singapore (9%), Indonesia (9%). Trade is spread widely: the top three suppliers together make up only 34%. Among the main suppliers, United Kingdom grew fastest (+135% on the year before).
| Supplier country | Value | Share |
|---|---|---|
| 🇰🇷 South Korea | $19.4M | 15% |
| 🇸🇬 Singapore | $12.1M | 9.4% |
| 🇮🇩 Indonesia | $12.1M | 9.4% |
| 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka | $10.0M | 7.7% |
| 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | $8.2M | 6.4% |
| 🇹🇭 Thailand | $8.1M | 6.2% |
| 🇯🇵 Japan | $8.0M | 6.2% |
| Taiwan | $7.4M | 5.7% |
| 🇵🇭 Philippines | $4.6M | 3.6% |
| 🇦🇺 Australia | $4.6M | 3.5% |
Types of live fish under HS 0301
| 0301.11 | Fish: live, ornamental, freshwater | 55% |
| 0301.99 | Fish: live, n.e.c. in heading 0301 | 25% |
| 0301.19 | Fish: live, ornamental, other than freshwater | 13% |
| 0301.92 | Fish: live, eels (Anguilla spp.) | 5.2% |
| 0301.91 | Fish: live, trout (Salmo trutta, Oncorhynchus mykiss, Oncorhynchus clarki, Oncorhynchus aguabonita, Oncorhynchus gilae, Oncorhynchus apache and… | 1.4% |
| 0301.93 | Fish: live, carp (Cyprinus spp., Carassius spp., Ctenopharyngodon idellus, Hypophthalmichthys spp., Cirrhinus spp., Mylopharyngodon piceus, Catla… | 0.5% |
| 0301.94 | Fish: live, Atlantic and Pacific bluefin tunas (Thunnus thynnus, Thunnus orientalis) | 0.1% |
| 0301.95 | Fish: live, southern bluefin tunas (Thunnus maccoyii) | 0% |
Codes and full descriptions: HS heading 0301.
Average import price of live fish
The average declared value was about $23.15 per kg, 168% above the world average of $8.63. This usually points to higher-grade or processed goods.
Declared value divided by weight, all 2024 shipments. Prices per shipment and per company are in EximDataX.
The United States also exports live fish
Exports of live fish by the United States reached $67.0 million in 2024 (3.9 thousand tonnes). It ranks 9th of 153 countries for exports of this product. The largest buyer markets were Hong Kong (41%), Canada (37%), South Korea (11%). Among the main buyer markets, Mexico grew fastest (+162% on the year before).
| Destination | Value | Share |
|---|---|---|
| 🇭🇰 Hong Kong | $27.3M | 41% |
| 🇨🇦 Canada | $25.0M | 37% |
| 🇰🇷 South Korea | $7.7M | 12% |
| 🇲🇽 Mexico | $1.4M | 2.1% |
| 🇨🇳 China | $604K | 0.9% |
| 🇩🇪 Germany | $467K | 0.7% |
| 🇧🇪 Belgium | $389K | 0.6% |
| 🇵🇹 Portugal | $330K | 0.5% |
| 🇧🇸 Bahamas | $322K | 0.5% |
| 🇯🇵 Japan | $316K | 0.5% |
Who is behind these numbers in the United States?
Public statistics stop at country totals and the last published year. EximDataX shows the shipment records underneath: the companies, dates, quantities and declared values, updated weekly.
Shipment records are in the platform
Tell us what you trade and we will show you the latest records on a live call.
Direct customs feed: shipment-level records from the official customs source.
Updated weekly on EximDataX (some markets daily), while public statistics stop at 2024.
Source: CEPII BACI (reconciled UN Comtrade data), HS 2017 edition, release 202601, Etalab Open Licence 2.0. Annual values in US dollars at the customs border; quantities in tonnes where reported. HS 0301: Fish; live.
Live fish trade in the United States: questions
What is the value of live fish imported by the United States?
The United States imported live fish worth $129.2 million in 2024 (5.6 thousand tonnes).
Where does the United States import live fish from?
The main supplier countries in 2024 were South Korea (15%), Singapore (9%), Indonesia (9%).
What is the average import price of live fish in the United States?
The average declared import value was about $23.15 per kg in 2024, against a world average of $8.63 per kg.
Does the United States export live fish?
Yes. The United States exported live fish worth $67.0 million in 2024, mainly to Hong Kong, Canada, South Korea.
What is the HS code for live fish?
Live fish falls under HS heading 0301 (Fish; live). The six-digit codes under it split the product by type.
How can I find the companies trading live fish with the United States?
These public statistics stop at country level. EximDataX has a direct customs feed for the United States with shipment-level records, updated weekly, where you can see the importers and exporters by name.
Live fish trade in other countries
More trade data for the United States
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