The national fleet in Greece has seen a declining trend in the past years, falling to approximately 15.000 fishing vessels, as the average vessel age has risen.
According to the European Market Observatory for Fisheries and Aquaculture Products, the Greek fleet includes a broad range of vessel types, of which more than 90 percent are small-scale vessels (less than 12 meters in length). These vessels are fishing typically in the isolated and less developed areas and contribute to local economies. The smaller vessels often receive higher prices than larger vessels for their catches because of the very short supply chain.
Other vessel groups – approximately 5,700 motor-propelled fishing vessels – work in overseas fisheries (trawlers that fish in the Atlantic Ocean), open-sea fishery (trawlers and purse-seiners) and inshore fisheries (purse-seiners and other fishing vessels).
In 2015, Greek vessels landed 11,660 metric tonnes of fish, crustaceans, and mollusks in the port of Piraeus, an 8 percent increase over 2014. First-sales value decreased 6 percent, ending at EUR 29.88 million (USD 33.52 million). Piraeus first-sales represent 35 percent of total landings made in Greece.
In January to April 2016, the first-sales value and volume in Piraeus increased 7 percent and 15 percent over the corresponding period of the previous year, ending at EUR 10.23 million (USD 11.47 million) and 3,800 metric tonnes. This was mainly the result of larger landings of the most common species landed, especially sardine, which increased 44 percent, according to EUMOFA.
Compared with January to April 2014, first-sales value decreased 2 percent while the volume increased 14 percent. In January–April 2016, the top five species landed in Greece – red mullet, hake, anchovy, sardine, and picarel – represented 73 percent of the total first-sales value and 81 percent of the volume. The top five species increased 13 percent in first-sales value and 21 percent in volume over 2015.
