A large stack of premium, thick-cut, salted and dried codfish (Bacalhau) fillets on display with a handwritten price tag at the Mercado do Bolhão in Porto.
The European seafood industry, represented by Seafood Europe (formerly AIPCE-CEP), has warned that the pressure on the supply of wild-caught whitefish could negatively affect the EU processing sector.
All the details of this issue are explained and discussed in the 'EU Seafood Supply Synopsis 2025', a publication by Seafood Europe that outlines the main trends and challenges in the EU seafood market.
According to the organization, 94% of the whitefish in the EU is imported, mainly from Russia, the United States, and Norway. Geopolitical tensions with countries such as Russia, along with lower quotas for species like Barents Sea cod, will affect the supply of wild-caught fish.
"To safeguard sufficient seafood for European consumers, access to both regional production and reliable imports must be secured. Only then can the EU seafood supply remain resilient and future-proof. Fish remains an important source of proteins and essential nutrients for EU consumers," explained Yobana Bermudez, one of Seafood Europe's Vice Presidents.
However, Guus Pastoor, President of Seafood Europe, stated that "the growing supply of farmed fish species and other species such as tuna and shrimp helps to ease the impact and maintain a healthy and sustainable protein supply for EU consumers."
Shrimp and prawn consumption increased by 7% in 2024, and Ecuador stood out as the leading country in terms of imports. The South American nation holds a 25% market share across the EU, particularly in Spain, France, and Italy, and this trend is expected to continue in 2025.
Without aiming to replace wild-caught whitefish, the growing supply of farmed whitefish helps to make the market more flexible and mitigate the impact of declining wild stocks.
In 2024, pangasius production reached 205 thousand tonnes (+12% compared to the 2020–2024 average), gilthead seabream increased to 159 thousand tonnes (+2%), European seabass rose to 136 thousand tonnes (+7%), and tilapia grew to 42 thousand tonnes (+8%).
Seafood Europe advocates safeguarding processing, employment, and the competitiveness of the EU seafood industry by strengthening the supply of seafood raw materials.
It also calls for maintaining a flexible Autonomous Tariff Quota (ATQ) system, concluding new Free Trade Agreements, and avoiding trade barriers.
Seafood Europe represents 16 National Associations from 10 Member States and 2 Third countries (UK, Norway). It accounts for more than 3,900 enterprises and 128,000 persons (representing more than 80% at the EU level). The value of the output of the industry represented by Seafood Europe amounts to around EUR 34 billion.