Shipments of canned and processed fish totaled 10,717,818 kilograms (kg) in 2025, up from 9,761,138 kg recorded in 2024, according to data from the fish processing and preservation industries released by the Azores Regional Statistics Service (SREA).

In monetary terms, the annual total rose from €74,998,688 to €77,527,685, an increase of €2,528,997 over the previous year. Despite the overall annual growth (+9.8% in net weight and +3.4% in value), the fourth quarter of 2025 showed a decline compared to the same period a year earlier.

Between October and December, total shipments reached 1,595,765 kg, down from 2,242,844 kg in the fourth quarter of 2024 (-28.9%, or 647,079 kg less). In value terms, the quarter closed at €13,097,352, compared to €17,110,242 a year earlier (-23.5%, or €4,012,890 less).

The fourth-quarter downturn was driven primarily by the domestic market. Domestic shipments fell from 1,570,778 kg in the fourth quarter of 2024 to 864,376 kg in the same period of 2025 (-45.0%), while their value dropped from €12,136,032 to €7,516,173 (-38.1%).

By contrast, shipments to the European Union increased to 420,374 kg (+9.7%) and €3,490,015 (+11.9%), while exports to non-EU countries rose to 311,015 kg (+7.6%) and €2,091,164 (+12.6%).

As a result, exports (to the European Union and third countries) gained greater weight at the end of the year. In the fourth quarter of 2025, exports accounted for 45.8% of total net weight for the quarter (compared to 30.0% in the same period of 2024) and 42.6% of total value (up from 29.1% in 2024).

On a monthly basis, the final quarter of 2025 maintained a downward trajectory: October recorded 634,164 kg and €4,850,186; November posted 561,475 kg and €4,405,467; and December marked the lowest point of the year, with 400,126 kg and €3,841,699.

In Diário dos Açores-Paulo Viveiros-director

Translated into English as a community outreach program by the Portuguese Beyond Borders Institute (PBBI) and the Modern and Classical Languages and Literatures Department (MCLL), in collaboration with Bruma Publication and ADMA (Azores-Diaspora Media Alliance) at California State University, Fresno. PBBI thanks Luso Financial for sponsoring NOVIDADES.