Global Fisheries

Aquaculture makes a large and growing contribution to the economies of rural and maritime regions. The total world production of fish, shellfish and other aquatic animals was 125 million tonnes in 1999. Capture fisheries production amounted to 92.3 million tones (74%) whilst aquaculture production was 32.9 million tonnes (26%) in 1999. The major producing countries outside Europe are China, Thailand, Indonesia, and South American countries such as Ecuador. (FAO)

Aquaculture in the European Union

In 2000, EU-wide production from aquaculture of the main fin fish species was 876,265 tonnes worth €2,959 million. In 1997 the EU produced circa 8% by weight of world-wide aquaculture production. The main species are salmon, trout, sea bass and bream, carp, eels, turbot and cod.

France, Italy and the United Kingdom are the main producers in terms of value at between €350-400,000 followed by Spain at €212,000. All have a large production of shellfish and fin fish, although the latter are much the most important in the United Kingdom where salmon is the most valuable. Greece is the main producer of the mediterranean species bass and bream and Germany is the most important producer of carp.

It is estimated that circa 80,000 people (54,000 full time equivalents) are employed in aquaculture activities in the EU, 3.3 per 10,000 of the active population. Each full time equivalent accounts for approximately 20 tonnes of production including upstream and downstream activities. Ireland has the greatest proportion of its active population employed in aquaculture followed by Spain and Greece. (Macalister Elliott)

Aquaculture in Norway

Norway is the largest European aquaculture producer outside the EU. Salmon and trout are the main species although there was also production of 426 tons of halibut, 167 tonnes of cod and 168 tonnes of char in 2000. Other fin fish species sold as farmed fish in 2000 were turbot, mackerel, saithe and eel. 791 tons of mussels were also sold at NOK 5.3 million. The value of salmon sold in Norway 2000 was NOK 10.35 billion, from 423,000 tons. The value of trout sold exceeded NOK 1.00 billion from 50,000 tonnes.

38% of salmon were produced in Nordland and Hordaland. Møre og Romsdal produced 17 000 tons of trout (34 per cent of total sales) in 2000. 3600 people are employed in the hatchery and on-growing sectors of which more than 90% of the work relating to the production of salmon and trout is done by men whilst women do a greater proportion of the work in the production of fry and fingerlings. A total of 130.5 million salmon smolts and fingerlings were put to sea in 2000. At the end of 2000 there were 331 500 tons of live salmon (166.3 million) in Norwegian fish farms, against 265 600 tons at the close of the previous year. Circa 29 million trout smolts were put to sea in 2000. (Statistics Norway)