In 2023, aquaculture production in the European Union reached nearly 1.1 million tonnes of live weight, valued at €4.8 billion. Aquaculture, which involves the controlled cultivation of fish, molluscs, algae, and crustaceans, is a significant sector within the EU’s agricultural and food production industries.
Top Producers in the EU
The three largest EU producers of farmed aquatic organisms in 2023 were:
- Spain: 242,754 tonnes (23.1% of the EU total)
- France: 186,561 tonnes (17.8%)
- Greece: 140,908 tonnes (13.4%)
Stable Production Over Time
From 2008 to 2023, the volume of EU aquaculture production remained relatively stable at around 1.1 million tonnes. This stability, however, reflected different trends in key producer countries. In Greece, aquaculture production showed steady growth, while in Spain, production sharply declined since 2018, and France’s production remained stable post-2018.
Main Species
In terms of live weight, mussels were the most produced species, accounting for 34.5% of the EU’s total aquaculture output, followed by trout (15.8%) and gilthead seabream (10.0%).
In terms of value, trout was the most valuable species produced, making up 17.7% of the total aquaculture value, followed by seabass (13.3%) and gilthead seabream (12.0%).
Species Breakdown
The EU’s aquaculture production is primarily focused on finfish such as trout, seabream, seabass, carp, tuna, and salmon, as well as molluscs like mussels, oysters, and clams, which together represent the bulk of aquaculture production in terms of weight.
Source: ec.europa
