The key facts

  • The wholesale price of Atlantic herring reached 190 rubles/kg as of November 2: +40.7% over the year and +37.7% since the beginning of 2026
  • Catches in the Western basin as of November 1 totaled 16.3 thousand tons, 19.3% less than a year earlier
  • Exports of frozen herring from January to September grew by 19% to 229 thousand tons

Wholesale prices have risen by more than a third since the beginning of the year

The average wholesale price of Atlantic herring in northwestern Russia reached 190 rubles per kilogram as of November 2, 2026. That is 40.7% higher than a year earlier and 37.7% higher than at the beginning of 2026. This was reported by Kommersant, citing monitoring by FSUE Natsrybresurs; the data was also cited by Gazeta.Ru and Life.ru. A noticeable acceleration in the price growth began in September.

Catches are down, exports are up

By November 1, 16.3 thousand tons of herring had been caught in the Western basin — 19.3% less than a year earlier. The Association of Fishing Fleet Shipowners links the decline to sanctions: part of the Russian fleet has stopped fishing in the zones of North Atlantic countries, while the remaining vessels face limited options for unloading their catch and replenishing supplies in fishing areas.

What the regulator and the market say

At Rosrybolovstvo, the factors behind the price growth were named as seasonality, the volume of supply against the backdrop of steady demand, as well as harvesting and processing costs. Analysts at Natsrybresurs additionally pointed to competition between domestic and export supplies: from January to September, exports of frozen herring grew by 19% year on year and reached 229 thousand tons — these figures were calculated by the Fishery Union based on information from foreign customs services. According to Kommersant's sources in the fish market, the main increase in exports was driven by Pacific herring.

Context: record catches in the Far East

The rise in Atlantic herring prices is taking place against the backdrop of record Pacific herring catches: as Life.rupreviously reported, more than 612 thousand tons were harvested in the Far East over the first ten months of 2026 — a 57-year record. Thus, the shortage and price increase have primarily affected Atlantic herring from the western fishery, while Pacific herring shows the opposite trend in catch volumes.