The Marine living resources sector encompasses the harvesting of renewable biological resources (primary sector), their conversion into food, feed, bio‐based products and bioenergy (processing) and their distribution along the supply chain.
The Marine living resources sector comprises three sub-sectors:
primary sector: capture fisheries (small-scale coastal, large-scale and industrial fleets) and aquaculture (marine, freshwater and shellfish); processing of fish products: processing and preservation of fish, crustaceans and molluscs; meal preparation, manufacture of oils and fats and other food products; distribution of fish products: retail sale of fish, crustaceans and molluscs in specialised stores and wholesale outlets.
The exploitation of marine biological resources is analysed in this section, as well as in Blue biotechnology.
| Sector | Sub-sector | Activity |
| Marine Living Resources | Primary sector (fishing & aquaculture) |
|
| Processing of fish products |
| |
| Distribution & sale of fish products |
|
The EU is the seventh largest producer of fishery and aquaculture products (behind China, Indonesia, India, Vietnam, Peru, and the Russian Federation), covering around 2.1% of global production. Overall EU production has been rather stable in the last decades. The EU has around 53,260 active vessels landing about 3.39 million tonnes of seafood worth EUR 6.1 billion in 2023; while the EU aquaculture production represented almost ¼ of the total EU seafood production with about 1.2 million tonnes worth EUR 4.8 billion in 2022.
During the past years, several external shocks had an impact on the fisheries landings at the European level. The COVID-19 pandemic and public health interventions depressed demand and disrupted supply chains for many fishing businesses in 2020. Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine in February 2022 led to an increase in energy and fuel prices, as well as general inflation, until the end of 2022. Fuel prices decreased consistently below EUR 1 per litre only after November 2022, allowing the primary sector to recover its economic performance. Since February 2026, the Middle East conflict and the disruption of transit in the Strait of Hormuz have resulted in fuel price increases similar to the 2022 ones.
The impacts on the processing and distribution sectors have been milder as they have relied on imports to fill the gap in domestic production. The Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA) following BREXIT gradually reduces the share of EU fishing opportunities in UK waters stocks from 2021 to 2025.
Seafood imports have contributed to sustain the consumption of seafood products in the EU, and have also had positive impacts on the economic activity of the Processing and Distribution sectors, as well as in the general economy, especially in the presence of limited domestic supply. The EU’s self-sufficiency was estimated to have reached 38.1% in 2023, a slight increase from 2022, after several years of decreasing trend[1]; therefore, for each 10kg of fish that EU citizens eat, more than 6 kg come from outside the EU.
The sector generated almost EUR 40.4 billion in GVA in 2023, a 6%-increase compared to 2022. While gross profits increased by 10%, reaching almost EUR 14.9 billion, the reported turnover was about EUR 217.6 billion.
The sector directly employed around 1.08 million persons, a 1%-decrease from 2022. The annual average wage is estimated at EUR 23,400, an 5%-increase from 2022. (Figure 1)
Spain has the highest employment in the sector with 18% of the jobs, followed by Italy with 15%, Germany with 14%, and France with 12%. Germany generates 18% of the GVA, followed by Spain with 17%, France with 15% and Italy with 14% (Figure 2).
Employment: Distribution of fish products employed more than 776 750 persons, accounting for 72% of jobs, while Primary production employed slightly more than 183 000 persons (17%) and Processing of fish products about 120,500 persons (11%).
Gross value added: In 2023, Distribution of fish products generated EUR 28.1 billion in GVA, about 70% of the sector, followed by Processing of fish products with more than EUR 6.7 billion (17%) and Primary production with about EUR 5.5 billion (14%).
Turnover, GVA, gross profit, employment and average remuneration showed an improvement in 2023 compared to 2022, reaching their historical highs.. There are expectations for 2024 and 2025 that the increase will continue in all the performance indicators of the sector. Performance indicators for 2026 are more uncertain because of the fuel price increase, notably for the fisheries and aquaculture sector that can be rather dependent on energy prices.
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In 2023, household expenditure on fishery and aquaculture products in the EU reached EUR 60.2 billion, a 4.5% increase over 2022, continuing the upward trend in recent years[2]. Fishmongers sold about 12% of the sales, while the rest was sold in non-specialised shops, such as supermarkets. The average consumption per capita is estimated at 22.89 kg (measured in live weight equivalents) of fishery and aquaculture products in 2023, a 3% drop from 2022[3]. Most EU consumption of fishery and aquaculture products consists of wild products (about 70%) and, more specifically, of imported wild-capture fishery products.
The EU’s self-sufficiency slightly recovered in 2023 to 38.1%, from the 37.4% in 2022 when it reached its lowest level. The EU's 2024 imports of fisheries and aquaculture products reached EUR 29.9 billion in value and 5.9 million tonnes in weight respectively, remaining relatively stable compared to 2023. The value of the EU's exports increased by 1%, reaching EUR 8.3 billion, and their weight decreased by 1% to 2.2 million tonnes.
In the EU, the fish processing industry strongly relies on imports from third countries, such as salmon and cod from Norway and the UK, Alaska pollock from China, shrimp from South and Central America and South-East Asia, sardine from Morocco, squid, tropical tuna, etc.
Policy developments in 2026
As mentioned in the introduction, the Middle East crisis is sending shockwaves through our fisheries and aquaculture sectors, disrupting supply chains and inflating costs. In April, the Commission activated the EMFAF crisis mechanism, enabling Member States to compensate fishers, aquaculture producers, processors, and retailers affected since 28 February.
Linked to the need of reducing the energy dependency of the fisheries and aquaculture sector, a high level conference took place in early 2026 to discuss the future Energy Transition Roadmap for the EU fisheries and aquaculture sector. The energy transition of the EU is vital for the profitability of our fisheries and aquaculture and for ocean sustainability.
Another development is the launch of RecFishing, a Union-wide digital solution that will make it easier to collect data on recreational fishing catches across all EU marine areas. This will give us a better understanding of the recreational fishing sector and help us manage fish stocks more sustainably.
The European Commission has launched in early 2026 a call for evidence to gather views from stakeholders, experts and citizens on the Vision 2040 for fisheries and aquaculture. The Vision 2040 will establish a 15-year strategic framework to address the sector’s structural challenges and secure its long-term sustainability and competitiveness.
In 2026, the CATCH was introduced. This is a fully digitalised certification system that will help us tackle illegal fishing and ensure that all fish products imported into the EU are caught legally. This new system will replace the old paper-based process, simplifying and reducing the administrative burdens for EU operators.
On a global level, on 17 January 2026 the High Seas Treaty entered into force , marking a significant step forward in protecting marine ecosystems and addressing the urgent threats posed by climate change, pollution, and biodiversity loss.
Besides these policy developments, 2026 is also marked by the implementation of the European Ocean Pact. There are a range of initiatives in preparation, particularly the European Ocean Act. The European Ocean Board met for the first time in March, steering the Ocean Pact’s implementation to ensure long-term resilience. In this context, the BlueInvest Investor Report 2026 shows growing interest in the blue economy and increased investments.
[1] Self-sufficiency is the capacity of a country to meet their consumption from their own production. Hence, self-sufficiency can be calculated as the ratio of domestic production over domestic consumption. EUMOFA. 2024. The EU fish market, 2024 edition. Luxembourg: Publications Office of the European Union.
[2] Eurostat. Purchasing power parities (PPPs), price level indices and real expenditures for ESA 2010 aggregates. https://doi.org/10.2908/PRC_PPP_IND.
[3] EUMOFA. 2024. The EU fish market, 2024 edition. Luxembourg: Publications Office of the European Union.