Tehran — Iran ranks as the world’s largest producer of trout, with annual output estimated at 500,000 to 600,000 tones, the head of the Iran Veterinary Organization (IVO) said.

 

Alireza Rafiei-Pour noted that Iran’s fisheries and aquaculture sector has seen remarkable growth over the past four decades, with total aquatic production increasing from roughly 30,000–40,000 tons to more than one million tons.

 

He said production of shrimp, warm-water fish, and capture fisheries products now exceeds domestic demand, allowing a significant portion to be exported. Iranian shrimp, marine fish, and canned tuna are shipped to a wide range of international markets, generating substantial foreign exchange revenues.

 

Rafiei-Pour added that offshore cage farming and marine aquaculture remain largely untapped and offer strong growth potential.

 

He said Iran could produce more than 1,000 tons of fish in its marine waters for export alone, noting that international markets are already prepared to pre-purchase these products.

 

According to the official, most of the country’s trout production is exported to neighboring countries including Persian Gulf Arab nations, as well as Russia.

 

Enjoying high quality, Iran’s fishery products are sold easily in the export markets, and also some new export destinations welcomed these products in recent years; as new markets including China, South Korea, and the Eurasian Union nations opened up for Iranian fishery products.