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In general, the European aquaculture is characterized by its high-valued production and its considerable technological development. Although the European contribution to the total world aquaculture production is not extremely significant, the continent ranks among the first producers of species such as Atlantic salmon, sea bream, sea bass, turbot or mussel. In the last decades, the European producers have made a big effort to achieve the sustainable development of this activity, although its growth rate has not reached the level of other areas of the planet.
The European aquaculture production is clearly dominated by one country, Norway, and one species, salmon, which in the last years has experienced a sustainable growth and whose main target is exportation. I.e. according to data provided by the Norwegian Office of Statistics, in 2007 the sales of Norwegian salmon to foreign countries amounted to 629,069 tons, while the total aquaculture production in the European Union, according to Eurostat data, amounted to 1,382,439 tons. Furthermore, if we analyze the report by the Federation of European Aquaculture Producers (FEAP), focused on fish farming, we will also find the Norwegian preponderance, as its production is estimated around 870,450 tons in 2008, against the European total amount of 1,663,921 tons in 2008. This report also states that, in the last eight years, the countries with the highest growth rate were Cyprus (+12.2%), Norway (+8.7%), Turkey (+6.7%), and Greece (+5.2%). On the other side, we can find Ireland (-6.7%), Faroe Islands (- 5.2%) or Malta (-4.0%). In Spain, the growth rate stays at 3.2%.
With regard to the generation of jobs, the number of direct jobs created by the aquaculture industry in the European Union amounted, according to data provided by the European Commission, to 65,000 in 2003, mainly concentrated in countries such as France, Spain and Portugal. Paradoxically, in 2007 the main European aquaculture producer, Norway, only provided workers with 4,337 direct jobs in this sector.
The European aquaculture production can be divided into three big groups: on the one hand, mollusc farming, and on the other, the production of fresh water and salt water fish. These groups have evolved in a different way in the last decades, although, as a whole, and focusing in the activity within the European Union, it is important to highlight that the aquaculture sector’s growth has not worked at the same speed as in other geographical areas. If we make an overall analysis, and considering the growth figures between 1995 and 2004, the world production increase represented 9%, while in the 27 EU member states this rate only amounted to 3-4%, reflecting certain stagnation of this activity within the Union. All of this in spite of the fact that the Community market is one of the main markets for fish and aquaculture products, in which the import rate reaches 60% to meet the increasing demand of European consumers.
MOLLUSC PRODUCTION
Mussel is the main species in mollusc farming. In 2006, according to FAO, a total amount of 490,070 tons of this bivalve were produced in Europe, especially in Spain, and to be more specific in Galicia. The production increase in countries such as Ireland, Greece, United Kingdom or Sweden is outstanding, while in other countries that have traditionally farmed this species, such as the Netherlands, the production has fallen in the last years due to the difficulties to find seeds.
Oyster is the second mollusc with regard to production. The main farmed species is Crassostrea gigas (Pacific oyster) and France is the first producer with 130,000 tons per year, although other producing areas are joining the group. This is the case of Ireland which, between 1999 and 2004 increased its production from 1,700 tons to 12,000, according to data provided by the European Commission.
FISH PRODUCTION
The development of sea fish production is clearly influenced by the growth of salmon that, according to data provided by the FEAP, between 2001 and 2008 increased by 6.4%, rising from 640,825 tons to 987,789 tons. The production of other sea species has also grown, especially in the case of flat fish (+11%), sea bass (+9%) or sea bream (+6.4%). These two last species prevail in the EU marine aquaculture with productions that in 2007 amounted to 104,425 and 142,097 tons, respectively.
On the other hand, in the last years, the general trend in European aquaculture has been stability, or even a slight backward movement. Like this, and according to data provided by the FEAP, the production of trout, the main species, has dropped by 1.3% since 2001, while carp, the second most important species, fell by 1.4% in the same period of time. Therefore, in 2007 the production of trout amounted to 326,816 tons, while carp reached 70,341 tons. On the contrary, species such as tilapia have significantly increased their production (+33%), although they are still minority species.
THE COMMISSION STUDIES THE FUTURE OF AQUACULTURE IN THE EU
In September 2002, the European Commission launched the first community strategy specifically focused on the ‘sustainable development of European aquaculture’. This project had a triple objective: to generate employment (between 8,000 and 10,000 jobs between 2003 and 2008); to guarantee the supply of ‘high-value and high quality aquaculture products’; and to promote an environmentally-friendly industry.
Five years later, in May 2007, the Commission started a revision process of this strategy (initially designed for a period of 10 years), and opened a consultation process. This process looked for the opinion of the sector about the measures that the EU would need to provide consumers and producers with as much benefits as possible in the development of aquaculture, guaranteeing the sustainability of this activity. The consultation process compiled 46 contributions from different bodies, ranging from associations of producers to ecologist organizations, that shared with the Commission their opinions on topics such as the economic perspectives of aquaculture in the EU; the environmental challenges that the sector will face; or the technological development and the territorial organization. Taking these opinions as a basis, the Commission has developed the revision and, last November, the EU Council of Agriculture and Fisheries Ministers dealt with the first reflection on this issue, aiming to make the definitive document public, if nothing unexpected happens, by the first semester of this year.
