New fishing record set in international waters: IFO chief
Iran exports $451m aquatics in seven months
The head of Iran's Fisheries Organization (IFO) said the country’s fishermen had set a new record in fishing across transboundary waters, with some Iranian vessels catching up to 160 tons — a figure that was previously between 100 and 130 tons.
Hamzeh Rostampour made the announcement while speaking at Tehran Permanent International Fairgrounds on the sidelines of the 9th Iran International Fisheries Industry Exhibition (IFEX) on Wednesday.
Rostampour said that $451 million worth of aquatics was exported from the country in the first seven months of the current Iranian calendar year (started March 21, 2025).
Stressing that sea-based development in the fisheries sector, as one of the pillars of food security and job creation, holds a strategic position, Rostampour said the IFO had thus far generated employment opportunities for 285,000 job-seeking people directly and for one million others indirectly.
The official also announced a 20 to 30 percent growth in production compared to the current year's forecasts and the export of $400 million worth of various fishery and aquatic products in the first half of the year.
Pointing to the export of over $400 million worth of fishery products since the beginning of the year, Rostampour stated that about 80% of it consisted of shrimp, with European and neighboring countries as its destination.
The IFO chief also emphasized the importance of supplying the domestic market and reducing the price of aquatic products for consumers, saying, “Warm-water fish have high protein content, and their consumption plays an important role in people's health.”
Rostampour added that, “By reducing production costs and increasing productivity, the price of fishery products in the domestic market can be lowered so that people can benefit from healthy and high-quality food.”