Turkey's aquaculture exports during this season reached $582.2 million, with a 9 percent increase compared to the same period last year, according to the Eastern Black Sea Exporters Association (DKİB).

Some 118,954 tons of aquaculture products were exported during the season covering the period of Sept. 1, 2018, to April 15, 2019, generating $582.5 million.

During the same period of the previous year, $536.2 million was generated from the export of 93,169 tons of aquaculture products. Thus, exports in this period increased 28 percent in quantity and 9 percent in value compared to the same period of the previous year.

The Netherlands, Japan and Italy were the leading export destinations for frozen fish and fish fillets during this period, with exports worth $87.5 million, $60.2 million and $58.7 million, respectively.

From Sept. 1, 2018, to April 15, 2019, a total of 2,788 tons of aquaculture exports from the Eastern Black Region amounted to $14.8 million in income. During the same period last year, 655 tons of aquaculture products were exported, generating $3.5 million. Thus, exports from the region increased by 325 percent in quantity and 239 percent in value compared to the same period of the previous year.

Russia, Vietnam, and Germany were the top three markets in exports for the Eastern Black Sea region.

DKİB Chairman Saffet Kalyoncu told Anadolu Agency (AA) that aquaculture exports from both Turkey and the region rose compared to the same period last year.

He stressed that the EU countries were leading export destinations for frozen fish and fish fillets in this period. Kalyoncu added there was also a remarkable increase in exports to Japan. "Turkey's aquaculture exports to 76 countries have achieved significant success in terms of diversity," he said, adding that they were pleased with the record increase in exports.