Examination of the volume and value of fish and fish products imports into Serbia from 2012 to 2021

Jelena Janjić; Milorad Mirilović; Branislav Vejnović; Spomenka Đurić; Tihana Vujanić; Milica Laudanović; Branislav Baltić

doi:10.18485/meattech.2024.65.1.5

Jelena Janjić Faculty of Veterinary Medicine University of Belgrade, Bulevar oslobođenja 18, 11 000 Belgrade, Serbia https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3351-7199
Milorad Mirilović Faculty of Veterinary Medicine University of Belgrade, Bulevar oslobođenja 18, 11 000 Belgrade, Serbia https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2771-7514
Branislav Vejnović Faculty of Veterinary Medicine University of Belgrade, Bulevar oslobođenja 18, 11 000 Belgrade, Serbia https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6328-7446
Spomenka Đurić Faculty of Veterinary Medicine University of Belgrade, Bulevar oslobođenja 18, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2992-7534
Tihana Vujanić Faculty of Veterinary Medicine University of Belgrade, Bulevar oslobođenja 18, 11 000 Belgrade, Serbia
Milica Laudanović Faculty of Veterinary Medicine University of Belgrade, Bulevar oslobođenja 18, 11 000 Belgrade, Serbia https://orcid.org/0009-0008-6381-2803
Branislav Baltić Institute of meat hygiene and technology, Kaćanskog 13, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3455-2909

DOI: https://doi.org/10.18485/meattech.2024.65.1.5

Keywords: catch, aquaculture, Serbian market, consumption

Abstract

Serbia is partially supplied with fish from its own aquaculture and fishing, both com‑ mercial and recreational, which averaged 6.70 tons for the period from 2012 to 2021. The majority of fish in the market during the same period came from imports (an average of 34,090 tons). Out of the total catch of fish and fish products on the market in Serbia, 92.80% consisted of marine fish and seafood, while only 7.14% consisted of freshwater fish. The volume of imported sea fish and fish products followed this descending order: hake > tuna > seafood > canned fish > fish fillets > herring > sardines > mackerel > other seafood. Among freshwater fish, trout was the most commonly imported, followed by other species of fish and carp. The average total value of fish imports from 2012 to 2021 was €86.030 million, and the average import price of fish was €2.50/kg. With the import of fish and fish products, and fish from domestic production and catches, the fish market in Serbia was supplied with 41,270 tons of fish during the period studied, which means that the annual per capita fish consumption in Serbia was about 7 kilograms.