Fish farmed in the European Union is among the best in the world: a tasty, high-quality dish produced according to the world's strictest health and environmental standards. European aquaculture is also a sector with vast growth potential: today, 57% of the farmed fish consumed in the EU is imported.
The fight against illegal fishing was a key topic of conversation at the United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) last week, with FAO's Committee on Fisheries and Aquaculture (COFI) celebrating the entry into force of the FAO Port State Measures Agreement (PSMA) at its meeting in Rome on 11-15 July.
A new infographic is on-line
The event will highlight the progress made over the last years and further actions needed in developing a sustainable aquaculture sector in the EU.
In a high-level joint event with the Dutch Presidency of the Council on 24 May, EU Commissioner for Environment, Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, Karmenu Vella presented progress made and obstacles that need to be addressed in further developing a sustainable aquaculture sector in the EU.
Did you know that aquaculture products make up a quarter of seafood consumed in the EU? Or that the EU is the 8th largest aquaculture producer in the world – even if its share is only 1.53%?
A new multilingual poster showing the most common aquaculture species.
Join #FARMEDintheEU, the European campaign about aquaculture to promote fresh, local, healthy fish and shellfish from the farmers in the water (our video is also a tribute to the movie "Love actually")
Tweaking breeding methods could allow European fish farming – or aquaculture – to produce more efficiently. An EU-funded project is studying how hi-tech breeding techniques can promote disease resistance and fast, efficient growth in six commonly farmed fish species, improving fish welfare, impacts on wildlife and farm productivity.
Join #FARMEDintheEU, the European campaign about aquaculture to promote fresh, local, healthy fish and shellfish from the farmers in the water (our video is also a tribute to the movie "Love actually").
A new infographic is on-line
Keynote speech by Lowri Evans at the Federation of European Aquaculture Producers' Conference, 'Aquaculture in Motion 2014', Committee of the Regions, Brussels 1 December 2014
In response to the concerns raised by several citizens about animal welfare in fish farming, the European Commission would like to clarify that the health and welfare of farmed fish is important for EU aquaculture.
Speech by Maria Damanaki, European Commissioner for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, at the Aquaculture Event at Seafood Expo Global, Brussels
One of the world's fastest growing food sectors, aquaculture accounts for about half of the fish eaten worldwide every year.
Fish farming is healthy and can help tackle overfishing and protect wild fish stocks. That is the message to be delivered today by European Commissioner for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, Maria Damanaki, at a specially organised event at the Seafood Expo Global held in Brussels.
Two new reports on the economic performance of the EU aquaculture sector are now available on the website of the Scientific, Technical and Economic Committee for Fisheries (STECF)
On 15 November 2013, the Directorate-General for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries (DG MARE) organised a workshop on Maritime Spatial Planning (MSP) and fisheries and aquaculture in Vilnius, Lithuania.
A new consultation is on-line. Deadline: 21.02.2014
