Hake in the EU

The study analyses the market of hake in the EU, focusing on the price structure along the supply chain in France, Spain and Ireland.

In 2023, global hake production reached 1.170.206 tonnes, with the EU-27 being the world’s third largest hake producer, after the USA and Argentina. Spain and France are the two main hake-producing countries in the EU-27, accounting respectively for 81% (150.991 tonnes) and 12% (21.743 tonnes) of EU catches in 2024. Household consumption of fresh hake in Spain fell sharply between 2015 and 2024 (-61% in volume), while the Spanish market remains highly segmented by fish size and fishing method. France is the second largest EU-27 hake producer and the third largest consumer, with catches that halved (-50%) over the past decade. French consumption is concentrated in supermarkets and segmented by size and cut,. Ireland was the fifth largest EU-27 hake producer in 2023 and plays an important role as a landing hub, receiving over 10.000 tonnes LWE of hake annually from Spanish and French vessels.

The study is available for download here.