What EU country has the largest aquaculture industry?

Spain boasts the largest aquaculture industry in the European Union, accounting for 25% of total production in the bloc, new data has shown.

According to Eurostat data, some 1.08 million tonnes of aquaculture, including fish, molluscs, algae and crustaceans, was farmed in the EU in 2022, with the market valued at €4.9 billion.

As well as Spain, France (17% of the EU total), Greece (13%) and Italy (12%) boasted sizeable aquaculture networks – in fact, these four countries collectively accounted for around two-thirds of the total production of farmed aquatic organisms in 2022.

Within the European Economic Area, however, Norway dominates the aquaculture industry, with 1.66 million tonnes produced, most of which was salmon. Norway’s aquaculture output exceeds that of the entire European Union.

Core fish and seafood species

Production within the EU is largely focused on fish species such as trout, seabream, seabass, carp, tuna, and salmon and molluscs including mussels, oysters, and clams – these species accounted for almost all aquaculture production by weight in 2022.

In value terms, trout (15.1% of the total value) and seabass (14.0%) accounted for the highest value share in the EU aquaculture sector.

‘Fluctuations in production are present due to a variety of reasons, including the fact that some of the species are being bred and grown solely for stocking purposes, some fish species are not harvested yearly, some enterprises trying new species, and the production of some species is being experimental,’ Eurostat said.

In addition, increased energy prices have had a knock-on effect on production, putting pressure on some firms.

This has also been reflected in selling prices – while production has remained largely the same, or even declining in some countries, total production value in euros has climbed higher.

Top EU countries by aquaculture output (in tonnes)

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