Global seabream prices commenced 2024 on a positive trajectory, with only modest declines observed for certain size categories. The global seabass and seabream markets are forecast to experience continued price increases throughout 2025 due to tightening supply, rising production costs, and sustained demand in key import markets.

Trade and markets

 

Türkiye remains competitive on price. Led by strong demand from key markets, Türkiye’s seabass exports surged in 2024, with export value and volume rising by 14 percent and 21 percent, respectively, year-on-year. Greece emerged as the largest and fastest-growing market, with export volume and value soaring by 97 percent and 83 percent, respectively.

 

 

Italy and the United States of America also showed significant market growth, each accounting for an 18 percent increase in Turkish seabass export value. In contrast, export value to the Kingdom of the Netherlands fell by 13 percent. In terms of export volume, Türkiye registered increases to Italy (+20 percent) and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (+13 percent) as compared to the previous year.

 

 

Greece’s seabass sector recorded steady growth in 2024. Export volumes rose by 14 percent, while value increased by 13 percent. Leading importers Italy and Spain contributed significantly to this expansion, with Italy’s import volume and value climbing by 9 percent and 10 percent, respectively, and Spain’s surging by 18 percent and 13 percent.

 

 

There are four main types of bass commonly sold in the Chinese market: Japanese sea bass (Lateolabrax japonicus), Songjiang perch (Trachidermus fasciatus), river perch (Perca fluviatilis), and largemouth black bass (Micropterus salmoides). Farmers maintained a stable profit margin of 3–7 yuan (USD 0.41– 0.96) per kilogram in 2024. Seabass production in China is expected to grow by approximately 10–20 percent in 2025, helped by low disease incidence and continued profitability in aquaculture operations.

 

 

Nationwide shortages are driving the bullish price trends for largemouth black bass across major Chinese production regions in 2024, with inventories declining 20–30 percent year-on-year. Key markets like Guangdong, Zhejiang and Sichuan report tightening supplies and accelerating interprovincial competition, pushing premium-grade (400g+) fish to 14–16.5 yuan/500g (USD 1.91–2.26/500g). Farmers are strategically holding stock amid strong demand, particularly for larger fish. The supply crunch is expected to persist until new harvests enter the market later this year.

 

 

In 2024, Türkiye’s seabream export sector showed a value growth of  28 percent while volume remained stable (+3 percent), year-on-year. Greece remained the dominant buyer, with imports surging by 67 percent in value and 34 percent in volume, reinforcing its position as the leading market for Türkiye’s seabream exports.

 

 

Greece’s seabream exports in 2024 demonstrated stability in export value despite a notable contraction in volume. In 2024, the total export volume of seabream from Greece fell by 13 percent year-on-year, with key markets Spain and Italy registering declines of 18 percent and 16 percent, respectively. However, the impact on export value was less pronounced, with Italy maintaining flat growth and Spain experiencing only a modest  4 percent decrease.

 

In the Spanish seabream wholesale market, prices for fresh whole fish (300400g) exhibited an upward trend throughout 2024, rebounding to historically high levels. By February 2025, prices reached a record peak of approximately EUR 6.90 per kg. Larger sizes (400–600g) followed a comparable trajectory, with prices rising to a local peak of EUR 6.80 per kg in October 2024, remaining stable thereafter, and then reaching EUR 6.87 per kg in January 2025. Notably, the market for seabream over 600g experienced a sharp price surge in the fourth quarter of 2024, increasing from a yearly low of EUR 6.45 per kg in September to EUR 8.10 per kg in December. This elevated price level has continued into early 2025.

 

 

In the Spanish seabass market, prices for large-sized, farmed fresh whole fish remained subdued in the fourth quarter of 2024, hovering at a low level of EUR 11.30 per kg from September 2024. A modest rebound was observed in the first month of 2025, with prices increasing slightly to EUR 12.00 per kg. Medium-sized seabass experienced an upward price trend in the fourth quarter of 2024, following two earlier declines in February and September 2024. By the end of 2024, prices had recovered to EUR 7.20 per kg, maintaining stability into early 2025. Prices for small-sized seabass also trended upwards in the final quarter, reaching a yearly high of EUR 5.85 per kg by year-end.

 

The global seabass and seabream markets are expected to face tight supply conditions. These supply constraints stem from multiple factors, including higher input expenses—notably labour costs in Türkiye, which have now exceeded those in Greece—as well as reduced stocking efforts by major producers in response to weaker price incentives in late 2024. Furthermore, elevated seawater temperatures have contributed to higher mortality rates, exacerbating supply pressures. With demand remaining firm in Europe and the United States, the upward price trajectory is expected to persist in the near term.