View of the Caspian Sea from Cape Melovoy in Aktau, Kazakhstan. A small wooden pier with boats moored to the water.
Adobe Stock
The volume of Kazakhstan's fish products market reached 85,500 tonnes in the first 11 months of 2025, representing a 22% year-on-year increase, according to the national news agency Kazinform International News Agency.
In an announcement, Deputy Minister of Agriculture Amangali Berdalin reported that fish catches from natural water bodies totaled 38,500 tonnes, while aquaculture enterprises delivered 20,900 tonnes, reflecting increases of 10% and 15%, respectively, compared to last year.
In addition, the deputy minister stated that aquaculture production is targeted to reach 30,000 tonnes, of which 70% of the plan has already been achieved, as part of the country’s long-term fisheries development program.
According to data provided by Kazinform, in 2025 a total of eight investment projects worth 6.4 billion tenge (approximately €10.7 million) have been implemented to establish and expand fish farms. Over the next five years, 44 projects totaling 50 billion tenge (approximately €84 million) are planned to boost fish production, processing, and compound feed manufacturing.
Finally, regarding the sector's digital development, Kazakhstan will introduce the E-fish aquaculture information system in 2027 to enable real-time monitoring, record-keeping, and analysis of aquaculture operations across the country.
Government subsidies have also increased, and a preferential budget lending mechanism with an annual interest rate of 2.5% has been made available for aquaculture projects, demonstrating the government’s commitment to improving investment conditions in the sector.
A clear example of this is the investment made by Swiss Choice Holding in an aquaculture project on the Caspian Sea coast in Kazakhstan, which is expected to produce between 100 and 600 tonnes of sturgeon and 100 tonnes of caviar annually.