An assessment of the economic contribution of EU aquaculture production and the influence of policies for its sustainable development

• Published in: Aquaculture International
• Main Authors: Bostock, John, Lane, Alistair, Hough, Courtney, Yamamoto, Koji
• Other Authors: European Parliament, Institute of Aquaculture, European Aquaculture Society, Federation of European Aquaculture Producers, orcid:0000-0002-0723-3929
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Springer 2016
• Subjects: Aquaculture; EU; Europe; Economics; Policy; Systems; Competitiveness; Atlantic salmon
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/1893/22994; https://doi.org/10.1007/s10499-016-9992-1; http://dspace.stir.ac.uk/bitstream/1893/22994/1/art3A10.10072Fs10499-016-9992-1.pdf

This review paper examines the structure of the EU aquaculture sector, the contribution it makes to the EU economy and the policy environment for past and future development. The primary analysis uses statistical data from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations which has been re-categorized according to species groups established by the European Aquaculture Technology and Innovation Platform (EATiP) and by culture system type using expert knowledge. Additional data sources for the analysis include the European Market Observatory for Fisheries and Aquaculture Products (EUMOFA) and the European Commission Scientific, Technical and Economic Committee for Fisheries. EU aquaculture production was 1.34 million tonnes in 2012 with a first sale value of €4.76 billion. Shellfish comprised 45% by volume and 28% by value; marine fish 30% by volume and 53% by value; and freshwater fish 25% by volume and 19% by value. The total production volume has actually fallen slightly from 1.4 million tonnes in 2000, whilst the value has increased significantly from 2.79 billion in 2000, mainly due to a growth in Atlantic salmon production. Five countries accounted for around 78% of the direct output value of EU aquaculture in 2012, the UK, France, Greece, Italy and Spain. Around 50% of the direct output value was generated using marine cage systems (28% by volume), whilst less than 3% of value was generated in recirculated aquaculture systems (<1.5% by volume). Around 5% of value was contributed by extensive to semi-intensive inland and coastal pond systems. STECF (2014) estimates there are between 14,000 and 15,000 aquaculture enterprises in the EU employing around 80,000 people, approximately 40,000 full-time equivalent (FTE). The greatest number of jobs (FTE) is provided by the freshwater pond and suspended shellfish sectors due to much lower productivity figures. This could be seen as a social benefit in rural and coastal regions, but corresponding low wages could also discourage young entrants to the ...