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Data from September 2008, most recent data: Further Eurostat information, Main tables and Database.
Graph 1: Fishing fleet, 2007 (1)

The first common European policy measures in the fishing sector date from 1970. After years of difficult negotiations, the Common fisheries policy (CFP), the European Union (EU)’s instrument for the management of fisheries and aquaculture, was born in 1983. This article gives an overview of recent statistics on fishing fleets, fish catches, but also on aquaculture production.

Main statistical findings

Graph 2: Catches by fishing region, EU-27, 2006(%, based on tonnes)
Table 1: Total catches in all fishing regions(1 000 tonnes live weight)
Table 2: Total aquaculture production(1 000 tonnes live weight)

In terms of power, Italy had the largest fishing fleet among the EU-27 Member States, but only slightly larger than France and Spain. In terms of gross tonnage, Spain had by far the largest fleet, more than double the size of the fleets in the United Kingdom, France and Italy.

Collectively Denmark, Spain, the United Kingdom, France and the Netherlands accounted for three fifths of the EU-27’s fish catch in 2006. This combined share has fallen recently, as it was around two thirds in 2000, and the fall is mainly because of a reduction in the share of the Danish and Spanish catches. Since 1997, the total EU-27 catch has fallen every year except in 2001, with the catch in 2006 nearly 30 % lower than in 1997. Three quarters of the catches made by the EU-27 in 2006 were in the North-East Atlantic, with the Mediterranean the second largest fishing area.

The level of aquaculture production in the EU remained relatively stable between 1.2 billion tonnes and 1.4 billion tonnes during the period 1996 to 2005. France, Spain, Italy, the United Kingdom and Greece together accounted for nearly three quarters of the EU-27’s aquaculture production in 2005. Between 1996 and 2006 Greece recorded a particularly large increase in aquaculture production, nearly trebling, while the opposite trend was observed in Germany and the Netherlands, with output more than halving.

Data sources and availability

Fishery statistics are derived from official national sources either directly by Eurostat for the members of the European Economic Area (EEA) or indirectly through other international organisations for other countries. The data are collected using internationally agreed concepts and definitions developed by the Coordinating Working Party on Fishery Statistics, comprising Eurostat and several other international organisations with responsibilities in fishery statistics. The flag of the fishing vessel is used as the primary indication of the nationality of the catch, though this concept may be varied in certain circumstances.

In general, the data refer to the fishing fleet size on 31 December of the reference year. The data are derived from the national registers of fishing vessels which are maintained pursuant to Council Regulation (EC) 26/2004 which contains information on the vessel characteristics to be recorded on the registers - the administrative file of fishing vessels maintained by the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries. There has been a transition in measuring the tonnage of the fishing fleet from Gross registered tonnage (GRT) to that of Gross tonnage (GT). This change, which has taken place at different speeds within the national administrations, gives rise to the possibility of non-comparability of data over time and of non-comparability between countries.

Catches of fishery products (fish, molluscs, crustaceans and other aquatic animals, residues and aquatic plants) includes items taken for all purposes (commercial, industrial, recreational and subsistence) by all types and classes of fishing units (fishermen, vessels, gear, etc.) operating both in inland, fresh and brackish water areas, and in inshore, offshore and high-seas fishing areas. The catch is normally expressed in live weight and derived by the application of conversion factors to the landed or product weight. As such, catch statistics exclude quantities which are caught and taken from the water (that is, before processing) but which, for a variety of reasons, are not landed. The production from aquaculture (see below) is excluded.

Geographical fishing areas are defined for a number of specific areas of water, including: the north-east Atlantic, which is roughly the area to the east of 42°W longitude and north of 36°N latitude, including the waters of the Baltic Sea; the north-west Atlantic, which is the region that is roughly the area to the west of 42°W longitude and north of 35°N latitude; the eastern central Atlantic, which is the region to the east of 40°W longitude between latitudes 36°N and 6°S; the Mediterranean, which is also known as FAO Major Fishing Area 37, comprises the Mediterranean Sea and the adjacent Black Sea.

Aquaculture is the farming of aquatic organisms including fish, molluscs, crustaceans and aquatic plants. Farming implies some form of intervention in the rearing process to enhance production, such as regular stocking, feeding and protection from predators. Farming also implies individual or corporate ownership of, or rights resulting from contractual arrangements to, the stock being cultivated.

Context

The first common European policy measures in the fishing sector date from 1970. They set rules for access to fishing grounds, markets and structures. All these measures became more significant when, in 1976, EU Member States followed an international movement and agreed to extend their rights to marine resources from 12 to 200 miles from their coasts. After years of difficult negotiations, the Common fisheries policy (CFP), the EU’s instrument for the management of fisheries and aquaculture, was born in 1983.

The EU has a common fisheries policy in order to manage fisheries for the benefit of both fishing communities and consumers, and for the protection of resources. Common measures are agreed in four main areas:

  • conservation – to protect fish resources by regulating the amount of fish taken from the sea, by allowing young fish to reproduce, and by ensuring that measures are respected;
  • structures – to help the fishing and aquaculture sectors adapt their equipment and organisations to the constraints imposed by scarce resources and the market;
  • markets – to maintain a common organisation of the market in fish products and to match supply and demand for the benefit of both producers and consumers;
  • relations with the outside world – to set-up fisheries agreements and to negotiate at an international level within regional and international fisheries organisations for common conservation measures in deep-sea fisheries.

The CFP sets maximum quantities of fish that can be safely caught every year: the total allowable catch (TAC). Each country’s share is called a national quota.

The 2002 reform of the CFP identified the need to limit fishing efforts, the level of catches, and to enforce certain technical measures. The European Fisheries Fund (EFF) has a budget of around EUR 3.8 billion and covers the period 2007-13. It aims to support the objectives of the CFP by:

  • supporting sustainable exploitation of fisheries resources and a stable balance between these resources and the capacity of Community fishing fleet;
  • strengthening the competitiveness and the viability of operators in the sector;
  • promoting environmentally-friendly fishing and production methods;
  • providing adequate support to people employed in the sector;
  • fostering the sustainable development of fisheries areas.

Further Eurostat information

Publications

Main tables

Database

Other information

Catch statistics:

  • Commission Regulation 1638/2001 on the submission of nominal catch statistics
    by Member State fishing in certain areas other than those of the North Atlantic

Aquaculture:

Landings:

Fishing fleet:

See also

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