EU fish market
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Key figures at EU level
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The EU is a major world market for fishery and aquaculture products: in 2022, apparent consumption was estimated at 10,48 million tonnes in live weight equivalent (LWE), corresponding to 23,51 kg LWE per capita. However, this varied greatly across the EU, from 54,54 kg LWE per capita in Portugal to 5,90 kg LWE per capita in Czechia.
In 2023, the annual expenditure for purchasing fish and seafood by EU households amounted to more than 138 euro per capita, which is one quarter of the amount spent for meat.
The main products consumed are tuna (mostly canned), salmon, cod, Alaska pollock, shrimps, mussel, hake and herring.
The internal demand of fishery and aquaculture products in the EU is mostly met through imports, as they cover around 70% of the total supply. Salmon, cod, tuna, Alaska pollock, fishmeal and shrimps are the most imported products. On the other hand, almost 20% of EU supply is exported. The main products exported are herring, mackerel, blue whiting, tuna, fishmeal and fish oil.
In 2022, the EU was the nineth largest producer of fishery and aquaculture products in the world, covering 2% of global production (4% for catches and less than 1% for aquaculture).
