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With tilapia generating 17 million dollars in just the first three months of the year and Brazil already as the third largest supplier to the American market, fish exports hit a record and aim for leadership in the United States
There is a fish that has become an export phenomenon in Brazil and almost no one associates it with agribusiness, tilapia. According to the Ministry of Fisheries and Aquaculture, in the 2025 report, between January and March, Brazil exported 18.5 million dollars in farmed fish, a growth of 112% compared to the same period in 2024, with the volume reaching 3,938 tons, an increase of 89%. Fish farming exports more than doubled.
And one fish dominates this volume almost absolutely. According to the Ministry of Fisheries and Aquaculture, tilapia leads by far the exports of Brazilian fish farming, generating 17 million dollars in the first quarter of 2025, equivalent to 92% of the entire value exported by the sector, with more than 3,455 tons shipped. Practically all exported farmed fish is tilapia.
Where does Brazil’s fish go
The main buyer of Brazilian tilapia is in North America. According to the Ministry of Fisheries and Aquaculture, the United States was the main destination for tilapia in the first quarter of 2025, with 95% of the movement, totaling more than 16.2 million dollars. The American market takes almost all the Brazilian fish exported.
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And Brazil is climbing in the supplier rankings. According to the Ministry of Fisheries and Aquaculture, Brazil was the third largest supplier of tilapia to the United States in the first two months of the year, compared to the fifth position in the same period of 2024. The country jumped two positions in one year.
This rise in the American market is the most strategic data for the sector. The United States is one of the largest consumers of tilapia in the world, and gaining space there, moving from fifth to third supplier, shows that Brazilian fish has gained quality and scale to compete with traditional giants in the sector.
How much fish does Brazil produce
National tilapia production is growing at a steady pace. According to Seafood Brasil, tilapia production in Brazil grew 6.83% and exceeded 707 thousand tons, consolidating the fish as the main one in national fish farming. It is more than seven hundred thousand tons of tilapia raised per year.
And the sector aims for even higher flights in the external market. According to Seafood Brasil, Brazilian aquaculture is growing and aiming for leadership in the North American tilapia market by 2025. The goal is to move from the third to the first supplier to the United States.
This production growth is based on modern aquaculture. According to Seafood Brasil, tilapia production exceeded 707 thousand tons in Brazil, with an increase of 6.83%. Unlike extractive fishing, which depends on what the sea or river offers, tilapia is raised in controlled tanks and reservoirs, allowing for production planning, quality assurance, and scaling the volume of fish exports.
Why tilapia is growing so much in Brazil
The advantage starts with nature. Brazil has a warm climate all year round and a huge amount of fresh water in dams and reservoirs, ideal conditions for raising tilapia, a fish that grows quickly, adapts well to captivity, and has white, boneless meat, highly valued in the international market.
Add to this the proximity of grain. Tilapia feed is made from corn and soy, which Brazil produces abundantly and at a competitive price, reducing the cost of breeding and putting Brazilian fish in an advantageous position to compete on price in the American market.
The numbers confirm the strength of this movement. According to the Ministry of Fisheries and Aquaculture, the export of farmed fish increased by 112% in value in the first quarter of 2025, with tilapia accounting for 92% of the total and the United States for 95% of the fish purchase. It is a sector in full ascent.
How much fish export has advanced
The sector’s leap appears in the first quarter numbers. According to the Ministry of Fisheries and Aquaculture, the export of farmed fish totaled 18.5 million dollars between January and March 2025, a growth of 112% compared to the same period in 2024. External sales more than doubled in one year.
And the volume grew at almost the same pace. According to the Ministry of Fisheries and Aquaculture, 3,938 tons of fish were exported in the first quarter of 2025, an increase of 89% over the same period of the previous year. More Brazilian fish going abroad than ever before.
This growth rate is rare in foreign trade. Doubling the export value in a single year shows that Brazilian tilapia found a demand window in the American market and knew how to occupy it, making fish export one of the most promising bets in the national agribusiness.
What fish export means for the country
Each ton of tilapia exported is dollars entering the trade balance and a chain functioning in the interior, from the breeder to the fish processing plant, passing through the feed factory and refrigerated transport. It is an activity that generates income in the countryside and takes advantage of the abundant water Brazil has, transforming reservoirs into fish farms.
In the end, the numbers from 2025 show a booming sector. With fish exports growing 112% in value, tilapia accounting for 92% of the total, more than 707 thousand tons produced, and Brazil rising to the third supplier to the United States, Brazilian aquaculture broke records and aims for leadership. As long as Americans want tilapia, Brazil has tanks to fill. Tell us in the comments: do you eat tilapia frequently?
