Spain, France and Greece led EU aquaculture production last year, with mussels, trout and seabream dominating harvest volumes. Trout remained the most valuable species.

Aquaculture production in the European Union reached nearly 1.1 million tons of live weight in 2023, valued at €4.8 billion, according to Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union. The three largest contributors were Spain (242,754 tons), France (186,561 tons) and Greece (140,908 tons).

National trends varied: Greece’s production grew steadily over the years, while Spain saw a sharp decline compared to 2018, and France’s output remained relatively stable. Mussels made up the largest share by weight at 34.5%, followed by trout (15.8%) and gilthead seabream (10%).

Trout was also the highest-value species, accounting for 17.7% of the sector’s value, ahead of seabass (13.3%) and seabream (12%).

The data, part of Eurostat’s aquaculture dataset (fish_aq2a), reflect stable overall production trends since 2008, shaped by contrasting developments across member states.