Commercial fishermen in Ukraine’s water bodies harvested 5.1 thousand metric tons of aquatic biological resources from January through August 2026, according to the State Agency for the Development of Land Reclamation, Fisheries, and Food Programs (State Fisheries Agency).
Silver crucian carp accounted for the largest share of the catch—1,500 metric tons, or 31% of the total. Other major species caught included bream—1,100 metric tons, roach—793 metric tons, silver bream—448 metric tons, pikeperch—272 metric tons, and herbivorous species, including silver carp and white amur, — 212 metric tons, perch — 123 metric tons, and Black Sea herring — 103 metric tons.
The largest volumes of aquatic biological resources since the beginning of the year were harvested in the Kremenchuk Reservoir—2,300 metric tons—and the Kamyanskoe Reservoir—over 1,000 metric tons. In the lower Dniester, including the lakes and the Turunchuk branch, as well as the Dniester Estuary, the catch totaled 445 metric tons.
In the Dnipro Reservoir, 416 metric tons of aquatic biological resources were harvested; in the Kyiv Reservoir, 306 metric tons; and in the Kaniv Reservoir, 294 metric tons. In the waters of the Dnipro-Bug estuary system and the Danube River, the catch totaled 118 and 117 metric tons, respectively.
The smallest catch volumes were recorded in the Berezan and Tiligul estuaries—23 and 21 metric tons, respectively—as well as in the Chernihiv region: 9 metric tons in the Dnipro River and 5 metric tons in the Desna River, including lakes.
Due to the Black and Azov Seas being blocked as a result of Russia’s military aggression, fishing for marine species—including sprat, glos, mullet, anchovy, rapana, shrimp, and pilengas—is currently virtually nonexistent; these species accounted for a significant share of the fish market in the pre-war years, the report states.
BIOLOGICAL RESOURCES, CATCH, FISH, State Agency for Fisheries, UKRAINE
The catch of fish and other aquatic biological resources by Ukrainian fishing companies in 2025 amounted to 44.7 thousand tons, according to the State Agency for Land Reclamation and Fisheries (Derzhrybangentstvo).
“These figures confirm that the Ukrainian fishing industry remains capable of operating systematically both in national waters and in fishing areas of the World Ocean. Our task is to combine economic efficiency with unconditional adherence to the principles of sustainable use of biological resources,” said the agency’s head, Ihor Klymenok.
The largest catch was recorded in waters outside Ukraine’s jurisdiction—20.16 thousand tons. In particular, Ukrainian vessels caught 19.5 thousand tons of biological resources in the Antarctic region, of which more than 18.8 thousand tons were Antarctic krill. In addition, for the first time since 2006, a Ukrainian business entity resumed fishing in the northwestern part of the Atlantic Ocean (NAFO zone), where 637 tons were caught.
The aquaculture segment showed positive dynamics: the catch and sale of commercial products increased by 17.5% compared to 2024, to 10.78 thousand tons. Experts attribute this to the growing demand for domestic fish in the domestic market. At the same time, special commercial fish farms (SCFF) provided 2.26 thousand tons of biological resources.
In the fishery water bodies of Ukraine, industrial fishing was carried out by 126 entities, which in total caught almost 11.5 thousand tons. The main volume was provided by the Dnipro reservoirs (10.2 thousand tons), which exceeded the previous year’s figures by 3%.
Auctions for the right to special use of aquatic biological resources in fishery water bodies (or parts thereof) in 2026 will be held on December 8 in the Prozorro.Prozori state electronic trading system, according to the State Agency for Fisheries.
“This will allow entrepreneurs to prepare their material and technical base in advance and plan their economic activities,” the agency noted.
A total of 246 lots will be put up for auction for industrial fishing in 2026, namely: Kremenchuk Reservoir – 59 lots, Dnipro-Buzka Estuary System – 35 lots, Kamyanske Reservoir – 32 lots, Kaniv Reservoir – 27 lots, the lower reaches of the Dniester River (with lakes, the Turunchuk branch) and the Dniester Estuary – 17 lots, the Danube River – 16 lots, Kyiv Reservoir – 15 lots, Dnipro Reservoir – 11 lots, Tiligul Estuary – 10 lots, Berezan Estuary – 8 lots, Dnipro River within Chernihiv Oblast – 8 lots, Desna River with lakes within Chernihiv Oblast – 8 lots.
The State Agency for Fisheries invited business entities that plan to engage in commercial fishing and have declared their right to do so by submitting a corresponding electronic declaration to participate in the auction.
“This is your opportunity to legally, transparently, and honestly obtain the right to industrial fishing, contributing to the food security of the state,” the agency emphasized, adding that detailed information about the lots, auction dates, starting prices, guarantee deposit amounts, volumes and types of aquatic biological resources, fishing gear, etc. can be found on the State Agency for Fisheries’ information resources and in the state system “Prozorro.Sales.”
