🐟 Dataset: South Korea Live Yellowtail Imports

🐟 Dataset: South Korea Live Yellowtail Imports (2022–2024)

Released March 2026

This dataset provides data on the quantity, value, and average unit price (USD) of live yellowtail imported by South Korea. All live yellowtail imported by South Korea are considered farmed fish.

Farmed yellowtail species (genus Seriola), such as yellowtail (Japanese amberjack, “hamachi”), greater amberjack, and kingfish (hiramasa), are cultivated worldwide for sushi and sashimi markets and consumed across North America, Europe, Asia, and other regions.

The South Korean market is unique in that live yellowtail are imported, delivered to high-end restaurants while still alive, and prepared on-site as sashimi or cooked dishes.

Imports of live yellowtail into South Korea have shown a  continuing upward trend. This dataset allows users to track monthly import volumes from 2022 through 2024 and to quantitatively identify periods of higher demand. The data are provided in a convenient Excel format and are available for free download.

Photo: Live yellowtail swimming in restaurant tanks in South Korea

📦 What’s Included

• Single-sheet Excel file
• Monthly and country-level import performance of live yellowtail by South Korea (note: nearly all imports are from Japan)
• Import value and average unit price reported in USD, enabling international price comparisons

H.S. Code: 0301992000

Units:
Volume = MT
Value (CIF) = USD
Average Unit Price (CIF) = USD/kg

Source: Korea International Trade Association (KITA)

👤 Recommended For
• Producers of farmed yellowtail species in land-based or net-pen aquaculture
• Traders and marketers of farmed yellowtail species
• Traders supplying farmed fish to the South Korean market
• Suppliers of aquaculture equipment and materials
• Seafood consultants, analysts, and market researchers

💡 Why This Dataset Matters
• Enables quantitative analysis of import volume, value, and pricing trends for South Korea’s live farmed yellowtail
• Eliminates the time-consuming process of extracting data from statistical sources
• Identifies seasonal import trends, reflecting demand for live yellowtail in South Korea
• Delivered in Excel format, making it easy to create charts and conduct further analysis