Fisheries Country Profile: Myanmar

Myanmar is the largest country in Southeast Asia with a total land area of 676,580 km2 and is bordered by Bangladesh and India in the northwest, China in the northeast, Lao PDR in the east, and Thailand in the southeast. Its exclusive economic zone is about 486,000 km2 and the 2,138 km coastline is along the Indian Ocean, Bay of Bengal, and Andaman Sea. The inland freshwater bodies cover 8.1 million ha of which 1.3 million ha are permanent and the remainder are seasonally inundated floodplains.

The richness of the country’s aquatic resources makes the fisheries sector vital to the national economy and food security. In 2021, the gross domestic product from fisheries was 8.6 % and the fish available for consumption was 67 kg/capita. The Department of Fisheries under the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Irrigation is the responsible agency for ensuring food security, food safety, and sustainable development of the fisheries sector by conservation of fisheries resources in accordance with the fisheries laws.

The fisheries sector of Myanmar is divided into marine and freshwater fisheries sub-sectors. Marine fisheries include inshore and offshore, and freshwater fisheries include aquaculture, leasable, and open fisheries. In 2020, the contribution of capture fisheries was 81 % and aquaculture contributed 19 % to the total fishery production of the country.

Total fishery production of Myanmar by quantity (MT)

2020 2019 2018 2017 2016 2015
Total 6,013,781 5,931,815 5,877,460 5,675,462 5,598,003 5,316,950
Capture Fisheries 4,872,903 4,849,750 4,747,110 4,626,770 4,577,410 4,317,320
Marine Capture 3,264,837 3,249,700 3,152,140 3,036,410 2,996,740 2,854,200
Inland Capture 1,608,066 1,600,050 1,594,970 1,590,360 1,580,670 1,463,120
Aquaculture 1,140,878 1,082,065 1,130,350 1,048,692 1,020,593 999,630

Source: Fishery Statistical Bulletin of Southeast Asia 2020

Total fishery production of Myanmar by value (US$ 1,000)

2020 2019 2018 2017 2016 2015
Total 9,759,669 9,683,528 7,122,904 9,376,809 9,534,622 8,763,047
Capture Fisheries 7,879,483 7,842,085 5,624,343 7,626,955 7,544,496 7,199,976
Marine Capture 5,386,981 5,362,005 3,152,140 5,161,897 5,094,458 4,852,140
Inland Capture 2,492,502 2,480,080 2,472,203 2,465,058 2,450,038 2,267,836
Aquaculture 1,880,186 1,841,443 1,498,561 1,749,854 1,990,126 1,643,071

Source: Fishery Statistical Bulletin of Southeast Asia 2020

Production of major species/groups of species from aquaculture of Myanmar by quantity (MT)

Major species/group 2020 2019 2018 2017 2016 2015
Roho labeo 687,582 361,345 548,962 647,974 615,352 619,512
Common carp 123,047 303,731 120,982 19,289 18,934 18,441
Silver barb 175,281 259,542 231,607 11,091 10,887 10,604
Tilapias 33,050 69,472 44,511 33,755 33,134 32,273
Shrimps/prawns 59,650 51,796 22,571 59,944 67,724 52,220
Carps 46,612 19,913 97,519 178,420 175,138 170,583
Catfishes 103 55,184 57,866 56,801 55,324

Source: Fishery Statistical Bulletin of Southeast Asia 2020

Export and import of fishery products of Myanmar by quantity (MT) and value (US$ 1,000)

Year Export Import
Quantity (MT) Value (US$ 1,000) Quantity (MT) Value (US$ 1,000)
2020 471,852 886,347 8,412 17,499
2019 583,675 728,080 13,847 16,097
2018 568,224 711,717 7,907 11,704
2017 487,886 696,302 5,410 9,724
2016 394,397 561,826 6,542 9,147
2015 338,284 482,237 6,009 10,563

Source: FAO Fishery and Aquaculture Information and Statistics Service