Türkiye's momentum in aquaculture production has continued as the nation registered a fresh record last year, the Agriculture and Forestry Ministry said in a statement on Tuesday, citing the data published earlier by the country's statistical authority.

"The total production of aquatic products in 2023 reached 1.7 million tons, up 18.6% compared to the previous year, and the record in the history of the republic was broken," Agriculture and Forestry Minister Ibrahim Yumaklı said.

He noted that the aquaculture production a year before that was 849,800 tons, which was also a record.

Yumaklı highlighted that the record production was achieved thanks to the ministry’s support, policies, and projects, which gave momentum to increased sustainable aquaculture production.

"(Some) 273,900 tons of European anchovies were caught in 2023, up 117% year-over-year, leading to a significant increase in our total production," the minister said.

"It is important to ensure the sustainability of this species instead of overfishing, and to have it on our plates for many years to come, which is why we are putting all our efforts towards that goal by including the European anchovy in the seven fish species that are in our production planning list," he added.

Yumaklı noted that the Turkish salmon species also saw a major increase in production, up 45% annually, reaching over 66,000 tons last year.

He underlined that the ministry will continue its efforts to ensure sustainable aquaculture farming for bream, sea bass, and mussel species.

He added that Türkiye exported aquaculture products worth $1.7 billion (TL 55.12 billion) in total to approximately 100 countries in 2023 and that it maintains its position as a net exporter country.