Portugal is the biggest fish consumer in the European Union | fisheries
Catches in the European Union
Tons captured in 2019
in the Northwest Atlantic
Portugal, the westernmost country in Europe, is the biggest fisher in the Northwest Atlantic. Even so, in that area, Spain almost follows the Portuguese numbers. The Iberian countries represent around 80% of the fish caught in the Northwest Atlantic.
In the Northeast Atlantic
About 70% of the European Union’s catches take place in the northeast of the Atlantic Ocean. It is a main fishing area, dominated by the Nordic giants: Norway, Iceland and Denmark. Spain, in addition to being the second country with the highest number of catches in the Northwest Atlantic, manages to remain competitive among European sharks in the Northwest Atlantic fishery.
It is in this area that a large part of the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of Portugal is located, the third largest in the European Union, with about 1,727,408 km2. Of this area, over 953 thousand km2 concern the Azores ZEE.
* As of 2019, the UK still counts for Union fisheries data
In the Central-East Atlantic
And speaking of Spain: it is in the Central-East Atlantic that the Spaniards appear to lead the number of catches. In this zone, Lithuania appears ahead of France and the Netherlands.
Mediterranean and Black Sea
In the Mediterranean and the Black Sea, the southern countries lead the number of catches, with Italy at the top, followed by Greece and Spain. It is the area of excellence for Italian fishing.
Southwest Atlantic
According to Eurostat data, there are not many countries interested in fishing in the Southwest Atlantic area. This is a practically exclusive area of Spain. Apart from the Spaniards, only Portugal and the United Kingdom have catches recorded in that area, but in an almost residual dimension.
Southeast Atlantic
According to the data, catches in the Southeast Atlantic are practically residual – at least those recorded – when compared to other fishing areas. But, even so, once again it is Spain that controls – almost exclusively – the catches in that area.
The fish dies by the mouth
In 2019, the European Union was responsible for catching four million tons of fish. 70% of the catches took place in the Northeastern part of the Atlantic Ocean, where mainly small species such as herring are fished (Harengus clapea) In total, Spain represents 20.6% of the fish caught in the Union, followed by Denmark (15.3%) and France (12.9%). Portugal continues to be the country in the European Union with the most consumer products derived from fishing or aquaculture.
Fish consumption
kilos per capita