12 October 2020
Latest FAO statistics show 9 countries in Europe produce 85% of all European fish and seafood from aquaculture.[1]
Major fish and seafood species fall into 3 categories: marine fish, freshwater fish and molluscs. Marine fish production is dominated by Atlantic salmon, followed by seabass and sea bream. Freshwater fish production is dominated by trout and carp. The main molluscs are mussels, followed by oysters. Many other species are also produced through aquaculture, such as abalone, African catfish, Arctic char, European eel, halibut, meagre, sole, sturgeon and turbot.
Since 2007, growth in European aquaculture has been driven by increased Atlantic salmon production in Norway and the UK. However, growth in the European Union (EU) aquaculture has stagnated. Therefore, the EU is investing heavily in a multi-national EUR 1.2 billion program to promote the expansion of aquaculture in the EU.[2] Many EU aquaculture licensing considerations in the expansion program, such as land and water use, impact assessments, food safety (health and hygiene), animal health and pollution are covered by the GGN certified aquaculture program. In fact, GGN certified aquaculture provides the good aquaculture practices that farms can adopt in order to improve license compliance and issuance. The EU multi-national program is scheduled to continue through 2020.
To learn more about aquaculture in the EU click here.
https://ec.europa.eu/fisheries/cfp/aquaculture_en
[1] The FAO classifies the Russian Federation as a European country. However, it is not included in this calculation.
[2] https://ec.europa.eu/fisheries/sites/fisheries/files/docs/body/2016-aquaculture-in-the-eu_en.pd