SEAFDEC Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Center
Malaysia covers a total area of 329,847 km² consisting of two geographical regions, namely: West Malaysia (also known as Peninsular Malaysia) and East Malaysia. The country’s total coastline length is 9,323 km and total area of the exclusive economic zone is 198,173 km2.
The fisheries sector is vital to the economy and food security of Malaysia as it supports rural development by creating employment opportunities as well as serves as an important source of animal protein. In 2021, the gross domestic product from fisheries was 0.8 % and the fish available for consumption was 34.08 kg/capita. The Department of Fisheries Malaysia under the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Industries is the leader in the transformation of a sustainable and competitive fishery in the country.
The two major components of the fisheries sector are marine capture fisheries (coastal and offshore) and aquaculture. The greatest bulk of the fish landings come from the capture fisheries with the rest from aquaculture, while production from the inland fisheries is small.
Total fishery production of Malaysia by quantity (MT)
| 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 | |
| Total | 1,750,790 | 1,788,940 | 1,872,797 | 1,846,530 | 1,897,305 | 1,987,682 | 1,998,251 |
| Capture Fisheries | 1,333,603 | 1,388,923 | 1,461,015 | 1,455,066 | 1,470,290 | 1,580,295 | 1,491,975 |
| Marine Capture | 1,328,041 | 1,383,297 | 1,455,446 | 1,448,977 | 1,465,113 | 1,574,447 | 1,486,051 |
| Inland Capture | 5,562 | 5,626 | 5,569 | 6,089 | 5,177 | 5,848 | 5,924 |
| Aquaculture | 417,187 | 400,017 | 411,782 | 391,464 | 427,015 | 407,387 | 506,276 |
Source: Fishery Statistical Bulletin of Southeast Asia 2021
Total fishery production of Malaysia by value (USD 1,000)
| 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 | |
| Total | 3,444,088 | 3,249,624 | 3,612,486 | 3,588,104 | 3,586,643 | 3,181,205 | 3,205,698 |
| Capture Fisheries | 2,622,646 | 2,422,926 | 2,792,056 | 2,812,260 | 2,797,988 | 2,468,899 | 2,400,783 |
| Marine Capture | 2,588,123 | 2,403,129 | 2,770,023 | 2,781,682 | 2,774,062 | 2,447,329 | 2,382,430 |
| Inland Capture | 34,523 | 19,797 | 22,033 | 30,578 | 23,926 | 21,570 | 18,353 |
| Aquaculture | 821,442 | 826,698 | 820,430 | 775,844 | 788,655 | 712,306 | 804,915 |
Source: Fishery Statistical Bulletin of Southeast Asia 2021
Production of major species/groups of species from marine capture fisheries of Malaysia by quantity (MT)
| Major species/group | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 |
| Scads | 136,450 | 106,553 | 161,547 | 160,446 | 177,647 | 234,764 | 185,661 |
| Mackerels | 145,977 | 152,586 | 144,321 | 141,336 | 123,183 | 192,596 | 190,088 |
| Tunas | 62,235 | 82,820 | 90,751 | 70,963 | 80,689 | 76,449 | 64,340 |
| Squids | 57,157 | 62,583 | 70,603 | 69,691 | 71,243 | 73,880 | 72,929 |
| Natantia | 16,020 | 61,592 | 64,251 | 69,743 | 77,196 | 73,402 | 71,885 |
| Lizardfishes | 6,912 | 42,560 | 49,446 | 47,939 | 49,468 | 50,346 | 43,560 |
| Clupeoidei | 71,226 | 55,303 | 49,182 | 40,952 | 43,869 | 38,423 | 41,689 |
| Croakers, drums | 39,930 | 38,012 | 42,722 | 43,571 | 39,616 | 39,026 | 38,776 |
| Threadfin breams | 36,975 | 14,559 | 42,697 | 46,021 | 51,689 | 54,214 | 47,282 |
| Shrimps/prawns | 115,884 | 44,963 | 42,266 | 45,776 | 37,444 | 37,456 | 43,001 |
Source: Fishery Statistical Bulletin of Southeast Asia 2021
Production of major species/groups of species from inland capture fisheries of Malaysia by quantity (MT)
| Major species/group | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 |
| Fishes | 4,885 | 5,192 | 5,569 | 5,437 | 4,667 | 5,383 | 5,520 |
| Shrimps/prawns | 635 | 434 | – | 652 | 510 | 465 | 404 |
Source: Fishery Statistical Bulletin of Southeast Asia 2021
Production of major species/groups of species from aquaculture of Malaysia by quantity (MT)
| Major species/group | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 |
| Seaweeds | 178,873 | 182,061 | 188,110 | 174,083 | 202,966 | 205,989 | 260,760 |
| Shrimps/prawns | 62,628 | 48,673 | 53,606 | 46,126 | 46,075 | 43,556 | 52,838 |
| Catfishes | 54,440 | 48,631 | 47,533 | 53,400 | 56,877 | 55,120 | 64,585 |
| Tilapias | 38,544 | 31,977 | 36,159 | 31,766 | 32,526 | 36,997 | 36,299 |
| Barramundi | 34,187 | 23,034 | 17,264 | 21,248 | 30,217 | 15,025 | 29,133 |
| Blood cockle | 16,989 | 18,674 | 13,772 | 16,860 | 12,482 | 12,226 | 18,237 |
Source: Fishery Statistical Bulletin of Southeast Asia 2021
Export and import of fishery products of Malaysia by quantity (MT) and value (USD 1,000)
| Year | Export | Import | ||
| Quantity (MT) | Value (USD 1,000) | Quantity (MT) | Value (USD 1,000) | |
| 2021 | 338,880 | 907,734 | 575,383 | 1,349,744 |
| 2020 | 354,345 | 863,746 | 479,769 | 1,122,053 |
| 2019 | 298,955 | 900,446 | 457,364 | 1,154,374 |
| 2018 | 263,616 | 764,999 | 431,308 | 1,066,537 |
| 2017 | 237,516 | 720,688 | 425,901 | 1,003,884 |
| 2016 | 296,626 | 712,732 | 408,251 | 955,990 |
| 2015 | 252,748 | 688,356 | 424,316 | 948,710 |
Source: FAO Fishery and Aquaculture Information and Statistics Service
