Top Romania Fish Catches

Romania’s fishing industry, though modest compared to its European neighbors, has a rich history rooted in its abundant rivers, lakes, and access to the Danube Delta and the Black Sea. Traditionally, the Danube River and Delta have been the heart of Romanian fisheries, yielding significant catches of freshwater species such as carp, pike, catfish, and perch, while the Black Sea coast historically provided sturgeon (notably for caviar), anchovy, and sprat. Over the decades, overfishing and environmental changes have led to a decline in sturgeon populations, shifting focus towards aquaculture, especially carp farming, which remains a mainstay of the industry. Despite these challenges, fishing continues to play an important role in local economies and cultural traditions, with Romania striving to balance sustainable practices with its long-standing fishing heritage.

Rank	Fish Species	Metric Tons
1	Veined rapa whelk	2,453
2	Goldfish	1,010
3	Mediterranean mussel	446
4	Pontic shad	360
5	Common carp	317
6	Freshwater bream	285
7	Cyprinids nei	242
8	Wels(=Som) catfish	144
9	Roaches nei	108
10	Turbot	75
11	Euro-American crayfishes nei	70
11	Pike-perch	70
13	European sprat	62
13	Silver carp	62
15	Barbel	56
16	Northern pike	55
17	White bream	50
18	Bighead carp	49
19	Freshwater fishes nei	47
20	Vimba bream	44
21	Bluefish	32
22	European anchovy	30
22	Asp	30
24	Bleak	27
25	Surmullets(=Red mullets) nei	26
26	Rudd	25
27	European perch	23
28	Mediterranean horse mackerel	20
29	Common stingray	9
31	Marine fishes nei	6
31	Grass carp(=White amur)	6
31	Gobies nei	6
33	Common nase	4
34	Golden grey mullet	3
35	Knout goby	2
37	Thornback ray	1
37	Tench	1
37	Picked dogfish	1
37	Whiting	1

Data from FAO. 2025. Global Capture Production. In: Fisheries and Aquaculture.