TEHRAN- Iran Fisheries Organization (IFO) announced that shrimp production has reached 50,000 tons, a 37-percent increase compared to last year.

Mehrdad Mohammadidoust, Director General of the Shrimp and Saltwater Aquatics Office, referring to the ongoing shrimp harvest from farms across the country, stated: “This year, the shrimp cultivation area in the country's breeding ponds has reached 17,890 hectares, from which 13,638 hectares have been harvested so far.”

He added that shrimp farmers have so far obtained over 50,000 tons of product from this area.

The official continued that during this period, Bushehr province, with a harvest of approximately 28,170 tons of shrimp, has ranked first in production and recorded the highest production growth with a 71-percent increase compared to the same period last year.

The Director General of the Shrimp and Saltwater Aquatics Office of Iran Fisheries Organization further stated that there are still about 200 hectares of shrimp farms remaining in Bushehr province, which will be harvested in the coming days.

According to him, in Hormozgan province, 10,142 tons of shrimp have been produced so far, and about 4,000 additional hectares of breeding ponds in this province are in the harvest stage.

Mohammadidoust said: “Sistan-Baluchestan province, with a production of 4,834 tons of shrimp and a recorded 61 percent production growth compared to the same period in the last year, has taken the third rank in the country. Khuzestan province with 2,580 tons and Golestan province with 4,310 tons of production are in the subsequent ranks.”

Iran's fishery sector is a vital component of its non-oil economy and food security, strategically leveraging its access to the Caspian Sea in the north and the Persian Gulf and Oman Sea in the south. The sector is broadly divided into two categories: capture fisheries (wild catch) and aquaculture (farming). In recent years, aquaculture has become the dominant force, driving overall growth and now accounting for the majority of Iran's total fishery production.

The southern waters are far more productive than the Caspian, providing a diverse catch including various species of tuna, sardines, pomfrets, and groupers. However, the iconic Caspian Sea sturgeon, once the source of the world's finest caviar, has seen its populations crash due to overfishing, pollution, and habitat loss. Consequently, Iran has shifted to strict conservation and the development of sophisticated sturgeon hatcheries and farms to produce caviar sustainably.

The most dynamic segment is aquaculture, which focuses on high-value species for both domestic consumption and export. The primary cultured species are rainbow trout (in cold northern waters), a variety of cyprinids (like common carp), and most notably, whiteleg shrimp.

Shrimp production has emerged as a standout success story and a major export commodity. Concentrated in the coastal provinces of Bushehr, Hormozgan, and Sistan-Baluchestan, shrimp farming has seen rapid technological advancement and area expansion. Annual production often exceeds 50,000 tons, with Bushehr province alone contributing over half of this total. Production has consistently grown year-on-year, with increases of 30-40 percent not uncommon, driven by improved hatchery outputs, better feed management, and enhanced farm practices. Iranian shrimp, particularly from the southern regions, is known for its quality and is a key export to markets in Southeast Asia, Russia, and the Persian Gulf states. The government and private sector actively promote shrimp farming as a path to regional economic development, job creation, and foreign currency earnings.

MA