There are good reasons for Europe’s aquaculture industry to be optimistic about its future, but it must overcome some weighty negative public perceptions, the members of a special conference session organized by the European Market Observatory for Fisheries and Aquaculture (EUMOFA) at the 2023 Seafood Expo Global agreed.
European Commission (DG MARE) Policy Officer Laurène Jolly said the European Union’s latest figures put seafood consumption across the European Union at 23 kilograms per capita, with farmed products accounting for 6.49 kilos of that total. In total, aquaculture accounts for 28 percent of E.U. citizens’ fish diet, and this share has been increasing since 2019, she said.
“It reflects the supply in the market, which is mainly coming from E.U. fisheries, while European aquaculture is around 1.09 million metric tons [MT] and has a 10 percent share,” Jolly said.
Global aquaculture production has risen rapidly, led by growth in Asia, but output has been flat in Europe, Jolly said.
E.U. consumer purchasing behavior data shows there is now “no clear preference for fisheries’ products,” with EUMOFA’s latest analysis finding that just one-third of the population favors wild-caught and that the most-consumed species across the region are farmed products, with salmon, trout, shrimp, and mussels collectively accounting for 23 percent of E.U. residents’ consumption.
“On a month-by-month basis, these products are also eaten in higher proportions at Easter and Christmas, which means that they are consumed on special occasions and that consumers consider them to be high-value products. There is also a demand for certified products, and we are seeing an increase in quality schemes like [protected geographical indications] in the E.U. market,” Jolly said.
However, while E.U. consumers are by and large accepting of aquaculture products, they generally oppose the further development of the aquaculture industry, a factor that is hindering its growth, Jolly said. Therefore, one part of a four-point strategy led by EUMOFA and launched in 2021 to establish a more competitive and resilient aquaculture industry is focused on social acceptance of aquaculture through the provision of additional clear information about the industry.
“We are currently working on a communication campaign that will aim to inform E.U. citizens about the benefits of E.U. aquaculture,” Jolly said. “For this, we will develop some tools for national and regional authorities to promote [the industry].”
The initiative could prove timely, according to Federation of European Aquaculture Producers (FEAP) Secretary General Javier Ojeda. Ojeda said the present lack of social acceptance is “the key bottleneck” for the industry inside the Union and suggested that a big part of the problem is that a lot of E.U. aquaculture occurs in public spaces.
“It’s true that we are requesting to use areas of water that belong to everybody for exclusive use and for 10, 20, 30, or maybe 50 years. So, it’s reasonable that governments and public administration have some issues, and social acceptability is essential to get that license to produce,” Ojeda said. “But today, aquaculture in the E.U. is not growing; it has been stagnant since the turn of the century, and there is not any impression that things will change over the next few years. That’s not only sad from an industry perspective, it’s also an economic activity [that] provides employment, and above all, it provides food. Today, and in the future, food production is becoming more and more important.”
According to Ojeda, Europe’s aquaculture sector has shifted from ignoring social acceptability to wanting to be “best in class,” with significant efforts made to achieve that standing. But he feels these endeavors may be missing the mark.
“Perhaps we are making some mistakes along the way because social acceptability is not about being the best in the class. The reality is that society is more complex and behaves in complex ways; There are very different approaches, different stakeholders, and different ways of trying to achieve value,” Ojeda said. “It’s not as easy as simply putting yourself out there and explaining what you do. That’s not enough, and we are learning that the hard way.”
Ojeda said while it has been relatively easy through investment and marketing to achieve public acceptance of aquaculture products, that building support for aquaculture activities has been more difficult.
“Theoretically, there are clear procedures and licenses that allow producers to produce … but even if you do that in the best way, you often don’t get to where you want to be. You don’t get your license, or it may take many more years,” he said. “Also, stakeholders and public administrations that are not happy with the result can create a lot of noise, and despite going through all of the procedures, you will not get your license. That’s what’s happening in Europe.”
Ojeda called for a better alignment of the aquaculture industry to advocate on behalf of the sector as a whole.
“Aquaculture is extremely diverse. There are many ways of doing aquaculture well and [respectfully] with the environment – it can be extensive, it can be freshwater, and it can be marine,” Ojeda said. “But what we are seeing in the world and the FAO’s ‘blue transformation’ agenda says we are going to be desperate for nutritious food in the coming decades.”
In the E.U., aquaculture advocacy is currently centered on seaweed and low-trophic-level species, while finfish species are very rarely a point of emphasis, Ojeda said.
“That is a problem because people are saying: ‘Aquaculture – yes, but not finfish. I don’t want a finfish farm,’” Ojeda said. “The reality is we don’t seem to all be pushing in the same direction. My message is that things are complex and blocking the development of aquaculture in the E.U.”
FAO Fisheries and Aquaculture Division Deputy Director Audun Lem said the FAO is supportive of the sustainable development of the aquaculture sector as part of its mission to expand access to safe food supplies. Lem said an uneven rate of production growth, with significantly larger volumes being harvested across Asia and certain parts of South America, has created mismatched economic outcomes.
“The challenge is to ensure and encourage production in those countries where there is demand. That is difficult. It’s not just about making sure investors are there; it’s also about ensuring there’s infrastructure and legislative framework,” Lem said.
Innovation will be fundamental to aquaculture’s future, Lem said, because in many countries, as Europe has seen, access to space and water has become increasingly restricted.
“We have to intensify. We have to innovate in feeds, feed conversion, growth rates, and survival rates at all levels in order to improve,” he said.
Photo courtesy of Federation of European Aquaculture Producers
