The aquaculture sector in the European Union had a total value of €4.6 billion in 2024, producing around one million tonnes of fish, molluscs, algae and crustaceans during the year, new data has revealed.
According to the Eurostat data, aquaculture production across the European Union declined in 2024, both in production volume (-3.7%) and value (-3.6%), reflecting ongoing supply chain pressures on the global seafood sector.
Producer countries
Production remains concentrated in a small number of EU member states, the data showed. Spain was the largest producer, accounting for 24.3% of total EU output with over 246,000 tonnes.
This was followed by France (17.9%), Greece (12.6%), Italy (9.7%) and Poland (4.3%). Together, these five countries produced more than two-thirds of all farmed aquatic products in the EU.
Top species
In terms of species, mussels dominated production by weight, making up nearly one-third (32.8%) of total aquaculture output. This were followed by trout (17.2%) and gilthead seabream (10.0%).
However, when measured by economic value, the ranking shifts. Trout was the most valuable species, accounting for 17.9% of total aquaculture value, ahead of seabass (14.5%) and gilthead seabream (13.5%), Eurostat noted.
‘Aquaculture is the production of fish and other aquatic organisms like molluscs and crustaceans under controlled conditions; it is an alternative to catching wild fish and takes place both inland and in marine areas,’ Eurostat commented. ‘Aquaculture is a key component of both the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) and the Blue Growth agenda to support sustainable growth in this sector.’ Read more here.
