November 6, 2017

EU fish catches down 4.6%, imports up 2.4% in 2016 - study

Fish catches in the EU have decreased, while fish imports have gone up, according to the 2017 Fishfish Study of the AIPCE-CEP, the association of EU fish processors and traders.

The study said that the total catch of all fish species in the EU was down 4.6% to 4.762 million tonnes in 2016.

Imported volume in 2016 increased 2.4% to 9.2 million tonnes, and the share of imports was slightly up at 64%.

The report said that in fact, imports remained the backbone of the finfish industry.

As fish catches went down and imports increased, EU fish exports were down 4.2% to 1.927 million tonnes in 2016.

The study showed that salmon was the No 1 species by live weight, but tuna and cod both reached above 1 million tonnes, which was significant in global terms.

Total market supply increased to 14.4 million tonnes, as the net consumption of fish in the EU increased 0.6 kilogramme per capita to 24.5 kg/capita in 2016. — Rick Alberto