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Aquaculture production by species (fish_aq)

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Compiling agency: Eurostat, Statistical Office of the European Union

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Aquaculture, also commonly known as aquafarming, encompasses the cultivation of various aquatic organisms - including fish, molluscs, crustaceans, and algae - in both freshwater and marine environments. These organisms are produced for human utilization and consumption through controlled breeding, rearing, and harvesting methods. Aquaculture involves deliberate intervention in the organisms' natural life cycles to optimize production. Such interventions may include systematic stocking of young organisms, provision of specialized feeds, and implementation of measures to safeguard against predators. Additionally, aquaculture is characterised by the assertion of ownership or contractual management rights over the cultivated stock, whether by individuals or corporate entities. This degree of control and stewardship distinguishes aquaculture from traditional, open-water fisheries, as it allows for more precise manipulation of growth conditions to meet the increasing global demand for aquatic products.

European data on the quantity of aquaculture production, in tonnes live weight (TLW), have been recorded since 1950 [fish_aq_q]. Since 1984, data on the total value of the production in Thousand Euro are also available [fish_aq_v]. With the entry into force of the new Regulation (EC) No 762/2008 on the submission of aquaculture statistics aquaculture production data are collected and disseminated annually in 5 tables:

  • Aquaculture production at first sale for human consumption (excluding hatcheries and nurseries)  by species, by FAO major area, by cultivation method, by aquatic environment in TLW (tonnes live weight), in Euro and Euro/TLW (fish_aq2a:).
  • Production of fish eggs (roe) at first sale by species, by FAO major area, by aquatic environment in TLW, Euro and Euro/TLW (fish_aq2b).
  • Input to capture-based aquaculture, i.e. wild seed, by species in TLW, Euro and Euro/TLW (fish_aq3).
  • Production of fertilised eggs at first sale for further on-growing or release to the wild by species in Millions (fish_aq4a).
  • Production of juveniles at first sale for further on-growing or release to the wild by species in Millions (fish_aq4b).

According to Regulation (EC) No 762/2008, aquaculture production means the output from aquaculture at first sale. Non-commercial aquaculture is thus not accounted for. Moreover, aquaculture production of aquarium and ornamental species is excluded as well as production for industrial, functional or research purposes.

Every three years, these data are complemented by data on the structure of the aquaculture sector by species group, FAO major area, production method, aquatic environment in hectares, 1000 cubic metres or metres (fish_aq5).

Data are submitted by all Member States of the European Economic Area (EU Member States and EFTA countries) by the 31st of December for the preceding year. They are compiled by the respective competent authorities of the Member States, usually either the National Statistical Institute or the Ministry of Agriculture. EEA Member States do also provide, every three years data on the structure of the aquaculture sector and annual methodological reports of the national systems for aquaculture statistics with details on the respective national data collection and data quality.

17 June 2024

The concepts, definitions and classifications used in the compilation of European aquaculture production data are those developed by the Coordinating Working Party on Fishery Statistics and available in the Handbook of Fishery Statistical Standards.

Species [SPECIES] - FAO maintains the ASFIS List of Species for Fishery Statistics Purposes. Using this list, all species are identified by an internationally assigned three letter code (e.g. SAL = Atlantic salmon). In some cases, a species group n.e.i. (not elsewhere identified) is used to aggregate certain species. Systematic aggregates are build using the ISSCAAP classification (see classification systems).

Aquatic environment [AQUAENV] - Three aquatic environments are distinguished:

"Freshwater" (FRW) applying to waters of rivers, streams, lakes, ponds and other enclosures where the water has a constant negligible salinity.

"Sea water" (SEA), also referred to as salt water, applying to waters where the salinity is high and not subject to significant variation. The term "sea water" may be inappropriate as the salinity may be of artificial origin.

"Brackish water" (BRK) applying to waters where the salinity is appreciable but not at a constant high level. The salinity may be subject to considerable variation due to the influx of fresh or sea waters.

For the more recent data, the production in Sea water (SEA) and Brackish water (BRK) have been added to the aggregate SBW - Sea and Brackich water.

Production area [FISHREG] - refers to the FAO Major Fishing Areas, comprising 8 inland areas and 19 marine fishing areasRelevant for European aquaculture production data are:

27 Atlantic, Northeast
34 Atlantic, Eastern Central
37 Mediterranean and Black Sea
5 Inland waters, Europe
1 Inland waters, Africa

 

Production methods [AQUAMETH] - ‘Ponds’ means relatively shallow and usually small bodies of still water or water with a low refreshment rate, most frequently artificially formed, but can also apply to natural pools, tarns, meres or small lakes.

‘Tanks and raceways’ means artificial units constructed above or below ground level capable of high rates of water interchange or with a high water turnover rate and highly controlled environment but without water recirculation.

‘Enclosures and pens’ means areas of water confined by nets, mesh and other barriers allowing uncontrolled water interchange and distinguished by the fact that enclosures occupy the full water column between substrate and surface; pens and enclosures generally enclose a relatively large volume of water.

‘Cages’ means open or covered enclosed structures constructed with net, mesh or any porous material allowing natural water interchange. These structures may be floating, suspended or fixed to the substrate but still permitting water interchange from below.

‘Recirculation systems’ means systems where the water is reused after some form of treatment (e.g. filtering).

Intended use [DEST] - This variable is recorded for the production of eggs and juveniles which are not intended for direct human consumption, but are either ‘Released to the wild’, meaning the intentional release for the restocking of rivers, lakes and other waters other than for aquaculture purposes. These releases may then be available for capture by fishing operations. Or: ‘Transferred to a controlled environment’, meaning the intentional release for further aquaculture practices. However, reporting of the intended use is voluntary and not always provided.

Unit [UNIT] - Data for the volume of the production are expressed in tonnes live weight [TLW] of the product. This weight includes all shells and bones. Data for the economic value of the production are expressed in Euro. An automatic conversion from National Currencies to the Euro is performed where applicable. The production of hatcheries and nurseries is reported in numbers and expressed in millions. Data on the structure of the aquaculture sector are expressed in thousand cubic metres, hectares or, optionally, 'metres rope length' according to the method.

The basic statistical units are the production facilities of the aquaculture enterprises. Although these records are available to the national authorities, only the national aggregates are submitted to the international organisations and are made available in this database.

All active commercial aquaculture production facilities of EEA Member States. "Active" means that a facility has been used for aquaculture production any time during the reference year. "Commercial" means that off-farm aquaculture products have been sold.

Regulation (EC) No 762/2008 on the submission of aquaculture statistics has EEA relevance, thus the EU Member States plus Norway and Iceland are obliged to report their aquaculture production. However, Luxembourg has no commercial aquaculture production. In addition, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Macedonia, Serbia and Turkey submit data to Eurostat.

Calendar year.

Data on aquaculture production are collected through census by majority of countries. Exceptions are Czechia, Slovenia and Iceland, which collect the data using only administrative sources while 8 countries use both approaches simultaneously). There are 4 countries that complement census or administrative sources with expert estimates. Two countries, Spain and Germany  that complement census or administrative sources with sample surveys for a parts of their aquaculture production.

The census with complete coverage in almost all countries and a reportedly low non-response rate (except in a few cases) suggest that the accuracy of the main aquaculture production volume is fairly high. It needs to be acknowledged though that the quality and completeness of data depend strongly on the goodwill of the industry.

The economic value is provided as a national average price per tonne and sometimes estimated based on the general market price. These prices show a large variation from year to year and from country to country.

A few Member States (e.g. AT) report a collection of data on the level of the enterprises rather than the single production units. Details of the production environment (water) and method are then derived from splitting the overall production of the enterprise in proportion to the size of production units.

As regards the production of hatcheries and nurseries at first sale, the accuracy is lower due to the rather broad definition of "juveniles" and the use of weight to number conversion factors by some countries (e.g. DK and IS) during the first years.

It is important to note that "production" in the sense of regulation (EC) 762/2008 refers to the volume and value at first sale, which is only a proxy for real production, excluding for example any state owned production for restocking of lakes and rivers (as long as not sold to anyone) or production for own consumption.

In cases where individual data of a country are confidential, the total production is provided by the country on a voluntary basis. These totals may be rounded and thus differ slightly from the sum of detailed data. In rare cases, the total may be larger than the sum of details where small confidential quantities has been omitted from the detailed data such as not to introduce confidential cells

- The production volume is expressed in tonnes live weight [TLW] of the product. This weight includes all shells and bones. It is meant as wet weight for aquatic plants.

- Prices are reported as average price per unit in the national currency [NAC_T/TLW] and converted to [EUR/TLW]. Average prices are built either for a certain species and cultivation method, or only by species.

- The economic value of the production in [EUR] is calculated by multiplying the mean price with the quantity produced.

- The production of hatcheries and nurseries (excluding non-fertilized eggs for consumption) is reported in numbers and expressed in millions. Until the reference year 2012, a few countries measured the production of eggs and juveniles in weight instead of numbers at first sale and converted into numbers using an approximate conversion factor.

- The input to capture-based aquaculture is reported in tonnes live weight [TLW]. A few countries, like Denmark, measure eggs from the wild in numbers and convert to weight.

- Data on the structure of the aquaculture sector are expressed in thousand cubic metres [1000 m3], hectares [ha] or 'metres rope length' [m] according to the method.

The data sent by the National Authorities are processed within Eurostat's internal production environment. EU aggregates are compiled automatically. No imputations of missing data are taking place.

Data on the weight and economic value of aquaculture production are submitted by the national authorities under the terms of Regulation (EC) no 762/2008 on the submission by Member States of statistics on aquaculture production. This regulation applies to Member States of the European Economic Area (EEA). In the fisheries context this means that they apply to the EU Member States, Iceland and Norway. (However, Luxembourg has no commercial aquaculture production.) In addition, data are received from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Macedonia, Serbia and Turkey.

In Table 1 the organizations responsible for transmitting data on aquaculture statistics are listed for each of the concerned Member States.

 

Table 1: National institutions responsible for transmitting data on aquaculture statistics

Country Responsible Organization
Austria Statistics Austria
Belgium Statistics Belgium
Bulgaria Executive Agency of Fisheries and Aquaculture (EAFA)
Croatia Ministry of Agriculture, Directorate of Fisheries
Cyprus Ministry of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Environment
Czechia Czech Statistical Office
Denmark Danish Fisheries Agency
Estonia Statistics Estonia
Finland Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke)
France Ministry of Agriculture and Food
Germany Statistisches Bundesamt (Destatis)
Greece Hellenic Statistical Authority
Hungary Hungarian Central Statistical Office
Ireland Central Statistics Office (CSO)

BIM the Irish Seafood Development Agency (BIM)

Italy Ministry of Agriculture, Food Sovereignty and Forests
Latvia Ministry of Agriculture of the Republic of Latvia
Lithuania State enterprise Agricultural Data Center (ADC)
Malta National Statistics Office
The Netherlands Statistics Netherlands
Poland Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development
Portugal Directorate General for Natural Resources, Safety and Maritime Services
Romania National Agency of Fisheries and Aquaculture
Slovakia The Statistical Office of the Slovak Republic
Slovenia Statistical Office of the Republic of Slovenia
Spain Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food
Sweden Swedish Board of Agriculture
Iceland Statistics Iceland
Norway The Directorate of Fisheries
Albania INSTAT, Institute of Statistics
Bosnia and Herzegovina Agency for Statistics of Bosnia and Herzegovina
Montenegro Statistical Office of Montenegro (MONSTAT)
North Macedonia State Statistical Office MAKSTAT
Serbia Statistical Office of the Republic of Serbia
Turkey Turkish Statistical Institute

New data are collected and disseminated annually except in the case of data on the structure of the aquaculture sector which are due every three years. Nevertheless, due to the lack of quality, the data on structure of the aquaculture sector was never published.

The deadline for submitting aquaculture data to Eurostat is 12 months after the end of the reference year.

As regards the statistical process geographical comparability is given. With regard to the data: For many species, the price per unit of production shows a large variation from year to year and from country to country. Moreover, countries tend to focus their aquaculture production on a few main species each, although about 130 different species were farmed in aquaculture in 2022 in the EEA. This makes it rather difficult to compare production data between countries.

 

In October 2018, Eurostat published a Handbook for aquaculture statistics, which has further improved the consistency – and therefore the comparability – of the data between countries. Eurostat is considering the possibility of further updating the handbook but needs to carefully evaluate the cost/benefit ratio of this action as the new legislation will most probably require the complete redrafting of the handbook.

The length of the time series – and therefore comparability over time – varies between the countries. On geographical comparability, for some countries, the time series go back to 1970, while other countries started only in 2011. However, for the period covered by this report, data are comparable over time.