Top Pacific Sandlance Fishing Countries

The Pacific sandlance (Ammodytes hexapterus), a small, slender forage fish found along the North Pacific coasts, plays a crucial role in marine ecosystems as prey for seabirds, marine mammals, and larger fish. This species is primarily harvested for use as bait in commercial fisheries and, to a lesser extent, for fishmeal and oil. The top Pacific sandlance fishing countries are Japan and South Korea, where targeted fisheries have developed, particularly in coastal waters where sandlance aggregate in large numbers. In North America, particularly in Alaska, the United States has historically allowed limited sandlance harvest, but most regions now restrict or prohibit commercial fishing to protect their ecological importance. As a result, the bulk of commercial exploitation remains concentrated in East Asian countries, where sandlance is valued both as a food source and as an essential bait fish in larger fisheries.

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