About the Common Fisheries Policy
Aquaculture in the European Union
 Extensive aquaculture in the Czech Republic: harvesting of fish © Zbyněk Mejta Aquaculture: a diversified reality Aquaculture is a highly diverse sector which includes not only the farming of sea and freshwater fish, but also that of molluscs and crustaceans, whose production involves different types and different farming methods: open or closed, extensive or intensive, on land, in lakes or in basins – supplied by rivers or even groundwater – in coastal waters or offshore. Although it began as a small-scale activity, certain branches of this sector now have all the characteristics of a high-tech industry. The sector’s structure is still mainly comprised of SMEs, however some large companies now integrate the main stages in the process (reproduction and fattening of fish, feeding, transformation, marketing). A sector in full expansion On a global scale, aquaculture is the sector with the biggest growth in terms of food production, with an annual average of between 6 and 8%. In 2006, world production reached almost 52 million tonnes (excluding plant products), representing an increase of one third since the beginning of the millennium. In just 6 years! This progression is explained mainly by the spectacular growth in Asia and South America. Today, aquaculture already provides close to half of the fish, crustaceans and other molluscs intended for human consumption on a global scale. A golden opportunity for Europe Currently, European aquaculture does not participate fully in this international growth. Although it is already a major economic activity , the global aquacultural production of the EU-27 increased from 3 to 4% between 1995 and 1999, and stagnated between 2000 and 2006. Since European consumers’ demand for fish and shellfish is increasing constantly and landings are limited, imports now represent more than 60% of European consumption. This is the reason for the European Commission’s communication to the Council and European Parliament entitled ‘Building a sustainable future for aquaculture - A new impetus for the Strategy for the Sustainable Development of European Aquaculture’. You will find more information on European aquaculture and the Commission’s strategy to ensure its sustainable development on the following pages. |
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