Why does the Netherlands export more fish than it imports?

The Netherlands is able to export more fish than it imports because of the specific structure of its fishing industry. Although the industry is not large in scale, it is highly significant to the national economy.

At the start of the 21st century, while approximately three-fourths of the fish consumed domestically within the Netherlands was foreign-caught, about four-fifths of the total fish catch produced by the country was exported. This disparity between domestic consumption habits and the high volume of international trade results in the country exporting more fish than it imports.1