The EU28’s total fish supply for human consumption increased by 254,000 metric tons (MT) or 1.8 percent last year to more than 14.4 million MT, which is close to the highest level seen in 25 years, finds the latest edition of the annual Finfish Study, compiled by AIPCE-CEP, the EU Fish Processors and Traders Association.
AIPCE-CEP calculated that the net EU domestic fish supply for food use amounted to 5.2 million MT, up 0.8 percent, while imported materials totaled 9.2 million MT, representing a rise of 2.4 percent. Consequently, the bloc had a net consumption total close to 12.5 million MT in 2016, which was 2.8 percent or 339,000 MT more than in the previous year.
In terms of key species, the supply of wild-capture whitefish species increased by 3.6 percent or 108,200 MT to 3.1 million MT, salmon and tuna were stable at 1.4 million MT and 1.3 million MT respectivly, while the supply of small pelagics increased by 4.3 percent or 78,000 MT.
Per capita net seafood consumption increased by 600g to 24.5kg, with the association highlighting that while this level is still some way from the peaks of the mid-2000s, there has been consistent growth since 2011.
With 2016’s whitefish volumes coming in above 3 million MT for only the second time since the enlarged EU27/28 came into existance in 2006, AIPCE-CEP said the “hoodoo” of the economic challenges of 2008/2009 finally seems to have been broken with the industry back in growth for a sustained period.
The improved supply of key species is at the heart of this growth, it said. Cod in particular has reached much higher levels of availability and the familiarity of the species has enabled an easy expansion of the market in all sectors.
“Backing this up we have Alaska pollock that provides secure supply and even though growth is less spectacular the advancement is still apparent and reassuring,” said the report. “Indications for 2017 are that we will continue this positive trend.”
AIPCE-CEP added that there are “strong indications” that the trend of relocating primary processing away from catching nations to third-countries has been slowing and even showing signs of reversal.
It believes that this shift is partly because better technologies are emerging that increasingly capture the benefits of yield improvement and portion control that have been the advantage of hand-cutting so narrowing the cost gap that had originally attracted buyers to using more distant locations for processing. At the same time, the association said that the growing potential for resources in fisheries, both within the EU and in regions in close proximity, is helping generate more confidence in the industry and fuelling the EU primary processing industry’s appetite for investment.
“We believe we are seeing some EU species approaching levels of supply that are revitalizing the development of specialist hubs of processing that are using that local supply as the foundation to supply specific market sectors. This is extremely encouraging as it drives a virtuous circle of encouraging further investment backed by the confidence that the market wants fish that in turn improves efficiency and creates more demand,” said the report.
