Brazil’s Farmed Fish Exports Hold Steady Despite U.S. Tariff Hike

Brazil’s fish farming exports showed only minor changes in 2025 compared with the previous year. At the same time, export revenues rose slightly by 2%, exceeding $60 million in 2025, while export volumes fell by 1% to nearly 13,700 tonnes last year. The overall outcome was one of stability, despite a negative backdrop marked by the 50% tariff hike imposed by the United States government.

In practice, however, the impact was smaller than initially expected. According to Manoel Pedroza, a researcher at Embrapa Fisheries and Aquaculture, based in Palmas, Tocantins, “the tariff hike only came into effect in August, which affected exports in the third and fourth quarters of 2025, down 28% and 34%, respectively, compared with 2024. Even so, cumulative exports for 2025 rose 2% in value due to the strong performance recorded between January and July.”

The leading export category, fresh or chilled fillets, posted a 12% increase in export value year on year, rising from $36.6 million in 2024 to $41.1 million in 2025. By contrast, frozen whole fish, the second most important category, saw a 27% drop in export value, falling from $17.6 million in 2024 to $12.9 million in 2025. The other four product categories recorded smaller volumes. Even so, frozen fillets stood out, with export value jumping 245%, reaching $3 million in 2025.

Below is a year-over-year monthly comparison of Brazilian frozen fish exports in containers (Jan 2022 – Nov 2025). Data provided by Datamar’s DataLiner platform.

Frozen Fish Exports | | 2023 – 2025 | TEUs

Source: DataLiner (click here to request a demo)

Highlights

Pedroza pointed to the decline in Brazilian tilapia exports to the United States as the main highlight of last year. “This pushed companies to look for new markets, with shipments of tilapia to Canada standing out, up 108%, as well as the resumption of tilapia sales to Mexico,” he said. He added that “the growth in exports of frozen tilapia fillets, up 421%, was another highlight, indicating a possible strategy to access new markets focused on this product.”

The researcher also highlighted “imports of tilapia fillets from Vietnam, which reached $1.5 million (374 tonnes), making tilapia the third most imported farmed fish species in Brazil, after salmon and pangasius.” In terms of export destinations, the United States remained by far the leading market, accounting for 87% of Brazil’s fish exports in 2025, worth more than $52.1 million. This was well above shipments to Canada, the second-largest destination, which totalled less than $2.4 million last year.

These and other data are available free of charge in the Fish Farming Foreign Trade Bulletin, which can be accessed via the link provided. The newly published 24th edition covers 2025. The bulletin is released quarterly, with the Brazilian Association of Fish Farming (PeixeBR) as a partner in its preparation. The publication is produced under the BRS Aqua project, coordinated by Embrapa.

Looking ahead, Pedroza said that “if the U.S. tariff hike remains in place, it is likely that fish farming exports will decline compared with 2025. Although exporters are already seeking new markets, it is very difficult in the short term to find other importing countries capable of absorbing the same volume as the United States.”

According to him, “the European market would be an alternative, but there is still no concrete prospect for the reopening of Brazilian exports. The recent trade agreement signed between Mercosur and the European Union provides for the elimination of tariffs on fish exports to Europe, which will make Brazilian farmed fish products more competitive once exports resume.”

Source: Embrapa Fisheries and Aquaculture

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