As part of the reform of the fisheries sector, Ukraine continues to create conditions for the development of national aquaculture; however, total production volumes declined in 2025, ProAgro Group reports.
According to the State Agency of Ukraine for Land Reclamation, Fisheries and Food Programs, 3,305 business entities were engaged in aquaculture activities last year, of which 1,925 enterprises submitted official reports. Total employment in the sector increased by nearly 20% compared to 2024, reaching 6,465 people, indicating gradual recovery and adaptation of enterprises to new operating conditions.
Total aquaculture production in 2025 decreased by 13.4% to 16,133 tons. The largest share came from pond aquaculture, accounting for 15,439 tons. Production in tanks and basins reached 245 tons, in recirculating aquaculture systems (RAS) 239 tons, and in cages 210 tons.
The decline in pond aquaculture output is attributed to the consequences of military hostilities, including shelling, power supply disruptions, and damage to production infrastructure. At the same time, more controlled aquaculture systems – cage farming and recirculating aquaculture systems – showed growth.
Despite the drop in production volumes, sales of marketable aquaculture products increased by 17.5% in 2025 to 10,781 tons, which may indicate rising domestic demand for Ukrainian aquaculture products.
Carp species traditionally accounted for the largest share of production, including common carp, bighead carp, and grass carp. Ukrainian aquafarmers also actively produced rainbow trout, African catfish, pike, pike perch, and sturgeon species. In addition, nearly 3.7 tons of edible fish roe were produced in 2025.
The leading regions in aquaculture production remained Cherkasy, Khmelnytskyi, Lviv, and Sumy regions.
As reported earlier, at the end of 2025 the Chernihiv region approved a Fisheries Development Program for 2026–2030. One of its key measures предусматриває large-scale restocking of the Desna and Seim rivers with 3.5 million fish.
