site.btaEU Aquaculture Production Reaches 1 Mln Tonnes in 2024

In 2024, 1 million tonnes of fish, molluscs, algae and crustaceans were farmed in the EU, valued at EUR 4.6 billion, according to the latest Eurostat data. Compared with 2023, both the volume and the value of aquaculture production in the EU contracted, by 3.7% and 3.6%, respectively.

The EU’s production of farmed aquatic organisms in 2024 was dominated by five countries, which together accounted for just over two-thirds of the total. Spain produced 246,137 tonnes (24.3% of the EU total), followed by France (181,434 tonnes; 17.9%) Greece (127,493 tonnes; 12.6%), Italy (98,051; 9.7%) and Poland (43,554; 4.3%). 

In Bulgaria, aquaculture production reached 11,429 tonnes, accounting for 1.14% of the EU total.

In 2024, nearly one third of the EU’s total aquaculture production in live weight were mussels (32.8%), followed by trout (17.2%) and gilthead seabream (10.0%).

In terms of value, however, trout was the most valuable species produced in 2024 (equivalent to 17.9% of all the EU’s aquaculture value), followed by seabass (14.5%) and gilthead seabream (13.5%).