Pictured: A French fishing boat returns to harbour.
Photo: Adobe Stock.
The European Commission has published its 2025 annual economic report on the EU fishing fleet, estimating operating profits of €567 million for 2025, continuing an upward trend from 2023 and 2024.
The report reviews the fleet’s performance in 2023 and sets out forecasts for the following two years. In 2023, the EU had around 53,300 active vessels that employed more than 155,200 people. Landings amounted to roughly 3.39 million tonnes of fish, valued at approximately €6.13 billion.
European Commissioner for Fisheries and Oceans Costas Kadis argued the fleet's performance reflects the impacts of effective fisheries management. “I'm glad to see a positive trend in the EU fleet performance, which is linked to moving in the right direction with sustainable fisheries. Achieving this brings real benefits to the EU fleet and supports our coastal communities," he stated via a press release.
"When we stick to science-based quotas and let fish stocks recover, we see improvements in the economic health of our fleet and better remuneration for those working in the sector. While these developments are promising, it's important to remember that challenges remain, and we must continue working together to tackle them and keep our sector thriving,” Kadis added.
According to the report, several factors appear to be shaping the improved outlook. The Commission attributes part of the progress to stock recovery, noting that healthier fish populations tend to result in larger catches and thus in turn larger revenues.
It also reports that "adjustments in fishing capacity has also had an impact, stating "when there are fewer operating vessels, each vessel catches more fish and earns higher profits, especially in fleets that have better aligned their capacity with fishing opportunities."
Another third factor highlighted in the economic performance of the fleet is a decline in fuel prices and lower fuel consumption per kilogram of catch, reducing operating costs - with fuel use per kilogram of fish landed having fallen by 11% since 2013. The Commission said it will continue supporting decarbonisation and fleet modernisation through the Energy Transition Partnership for the fisheries and aquaculture sector.
Despite the progress, the Commission noted continued challenges lie in updating vessels and equipment, with many fishing boats described as old and inefficient, while generational renewal remains a significant problem in an industry where low wages and limited profitability deter new entrants.
The Commission also emphasised that fleets that rely on overexploited stocks continue to record poor economic results, and that regional economic differences also reflect disparities in stock status and fleet capacity in Europe's different sea basins.
The annual economic report, compiled by the Scientific, Technical and Economic Committee for Fisheries together with the European Commission, is described as the most comprehensive dataset on the EU fleet’s economic condition, and the findings will inform the development of the EU’s Vision 2040 for fisheries and aquaculture, due to be proposed in 2026 as part of the European Ocean Pact.
