Mainly comprising tuna farming and closed cycle species including seabass, seabream, meagre and amberjack, Malta’s aquaculture industry achieved revenue totaling EUR 101.2 million (USD 107.7 million) last year, representing an increase of 3.2 percent compared to 2013, according to the latest statistics published by the Mediterranean country’s National Statistics Office (NSO).
In volume terms, the sector sold 8,606 metric tons (MT) of fresh fish in 2014, a decrease of 5.2 percent, which was largely attributed to an 11 percent reduction in tuna sales. However, its seabass and seabream sales increased by 49 percent and 6 percent respectively.
The country sold 5,451 MT of tuna last year with a value of EUR 81.5 million (USD 86.8 million). It also sold 190 MT of bass and 2,704 MT of bream, with values of EUR 983,000 (USD 1 million) and EUR 12 million (USD 12.8 million) respectively.
Sales of other aquaculture species totaled EUR 2.9 million (USD 3.1 million), based on a volume of 261 MT.
In total, Malta’s aquaculture industry spent EUR 33.7 million (USD 35.9 million) on production last year, including EUR 23.6 million (USD 25.1 million) on fish feed. These outlays were down by 10.4 percent and 17.3 percent respectively, compared with 2013.
