“The EU fish Market 2014” report published today confirms the EU's position as a major consumption market and the largest importer of seafood products, making up 24% of the total value of world trade.
The report, available in four languages, provides for the first time a complete overview of consumption, trade and production of fish and aquaculture in the EU. The extensive report contains information on how much and what type of fish is consumed in the EU, where it comes from and how much is caught in the wild or produced from aquaculture.
Despite the EU market's global strength following a strong period of growth in consumption in the last decade, consumption dropped by 5% between 2008 and 2010 and has since remained stable.
Three out of four fish consumed in the EU comes from wild fishing whilst consumption of farmed products decreased by 5% in 2011.
EU self-sufficiency for seafood - the ratio of EU production to total estimated consumption - remained stable at around 45% between 2008 and 2011.
Trade between EU countries is very significant and plays an essential role in the EU's fishery trade. Its value is comparable to that of imports coming from outside the EU.
Shrimp is now the leading species imported in terms of value, ahead of salmon and cod whilst tuna, cod, salmon and pollack are now the main species consumed in the EU.