Total sales in fish markets were down by 4% in both volume and value from 2012, to €616 million and 209,103 metric tons, said the report.
Landings of all seafood categories (including whitefish, pelagics, cephalopods) were down, except for the segment of fine fish, it said.
The figures — which exclude around 100,000t of fresh fish and 150,000t of frozen fish sold outside the fish markets — show the biggest species in volume were sardine (nearly 19,000t, up 38%), scallop (15,500t, down 9%), monkfish (13,500t, down 1%) and cod (12,200t, up 23%).
These four were the only ones to exceed 10,000t in sales each last year.
An 8% drop in the average price of sardines, however, saw this species rank as only the 11th most valuable in sales, with €13.9 million, albeit a 26% increase on 2012.
The most valuable species instead were monkfish, which reaped 1% more in sales to €70.38m, and sole, down 5% to €67.68m.
Seabass was the third most valuable species, up 4% to €44.6m, followed by scallop (down 7% to €36.87m) and cod (up 20% to €30.57m).
Only three other species netted more than €20m in sales: langoustine, or crayfish (down 2% to €29.6m), squid (down 20% to €26.3m) and cuttlefish (down 28% to €24.5m).
FranceAgrimer said the poor landings were caused by adverse weather conditions in the first and latest quarters of the year.
The falling supply, however, helped offset a sluggish demand, so average prices at the first sale kept at €3.01 per kilo.
Whitefish landings down 8%, fine fish up
Whitefish landings decreased by 8% compared to 2012. The largest decreases were recorded for cod (- 26%) and haddock (- 31%). Prices are up for the majority of whitefish species, except for cod, due to increased competition from imports from the Barents Sea, it said.
Landings of fine fish, however, were on par with 2012′s as all species were stable or up from last year. The only exception was red mullet, which dropped 35% in volumes from 2012. Average prices for first sale of fine species were down by 1%, and the value of sales fell 2%.
Sardines up, mackerel, anchovy, herring down
Although sardine landings soared (38%, as mentioned above), overall pelagic landings fell last year by 1% in volumes, and the lower price of sardine helped drive a 10% drop in overall sales.
Anchovy sales were particularly down, falling 45% in volume to 4,100t and by 43% in value to €7.3m — ranking it bottom of the 20 species listed in the ranking, in value.
Mackerel sales fell 14% to under 7,000t, down 5% in value to €9.6m.
Squid, cuttlefish drive cephalopods down 25%
After four years of higher volumes, landings of cephalopods fell by 25% in 2013, and the sales value dropped 23%.
This was driven by poor catches of squid and cuttlefish, which dropped by 34% to 4,000t and 28% to 8,700t last year. In value, squid fell by a fifth to €26.3m, and cuttlefish by 28% to €24.5m.
Other categories of species, lobster, whose sales were down sharply in 2012, was not more abundant in 2013 (landings down 2%).
Scallop landings down 10%
Scallop catches were also affected by difficult weather during the fishing season of October to December, said FranceAgrimer. Volumes sold fell 9% during the year, to 15, 468t, driven by a 10% drop during the fishing campaign.
A sustained demand meant first sale prices were up 13% in December, but overall sales for the year were down 7% to €36.87m.
On July 22, 2026, the Government issued Decree No. 292/2026/ND-CP detailing certain articles and providing measures for the organization and implementation of the Law on Foreign Trade Management. The Decree takes effect on September 5, 2026, replacing Decree No. 69/2018/ND-CP.
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