June 24, 2026

 

European Commission publishes first annual social report on fisheries, aquaculture and processing sectors

 

 

The European Commission has published the first annual social report on fisheries, aquaculture and processing  sectors, providing an overview of the social aspects of all three sectors.

 

The report, prepared by the Scientific, Technical and Economic Committee for Fisheries (STECF), covers the period from 2017 to 2023 and offers insights into employment, education, and working conditions, with a particular focus on fisheries in this first report.

 

The report identifies several challenges facing the EU fisheries sector, including declining employment, ageing workforce, and limited generational renewal. It also highlights working conditions, social security, as well as education and training opportunities.

 

In 2023, the EU fisheries, aquaculture, and processing sectors employed an estimated 298,831 people, with 40% of these jobs found in fisheries.

 

In fisheries, more than half of fishers work on small-scale coastal vessels. Most active vessels are part of this fleet. The report highlights a decline in employment in fisheries across the EU, with a 15% decrease between 2017 and 2023, with the exceptions of Belgium, Croatia, Cyprus, and Slovenia.  Full-time employment dropped by 25%, which suggests an increase in part-time or seasonal work in fisheries. Employment is concentrated in southern Europe, notably in Greece, Spain, France, Italy, and Portugal.

 

Across the three sectors, aquaculture employs 23% of the workers  (67,962 people). Spain, France, Greece, and Italy together account for 64% of the European Union's total production volume. The EU aquaculture sector is diverse and represents less than 1% of the global production, yet it supplied 23% of EU's fish and shellfish in 2022.

 

The fish processing sector accounts for 37% of the jobs. In 2023, 3262 enterprises across the EU employed 110,879 people. Approximately two-thirds of these enterprises are microfirms with less than 10 employees.

 

The workforce in fisheries is predominantly male, with women accounting for less than 5% of total employment. Although women are active in small‑scale fisheries, as well as in shellfish and seaweed gathering, their contribution is not fully captured by official statistics.

 

The age profile of fishers is also a concern, with 50% of workers aged between 40 and 64 in most countries. The report notes a decline in generational renewal, with the proportion of fishers under 40 decreasing from 31% to 26% between 2017 and 2023.

 

Wages in the sector remain low. The average labour cost per full-time equivalent in 2023 was €29,447 (US$33,996) in fisheries, less than half the EU average of €61,541 (US$71,066), and below the national average in 16 of the 22 coastal EU countries.

 

The report also highlights a rise in safety incidents: recorded accidents involving EU-flagged vessels increased six-fold from 106 in 2011 to 663 in 2023, before stabilising at around 600 per year. Most accidents involve vessels in the 0–12 m and 24–45 m size classes.

 

On average, 86% of fishers are nationals of their country within the EU, a figure that has remained largely stable since 2017. The most notable change at EU level is a 2.2% increase in non-EU/EEA workers, who now represent approximately 10% of the total workforce. Certain countries – Lithuania, Malta, Spain, Belgium and Germany – and specific fleet segments, particularly the large-scale fleet and distant-water fleet, show higher dependence on non-national workers.

 

The report also includes dedicated chapters for each EU country with fisheries, aquaculture or processing sectors, providing a detailed analysis at national level to inform policies and initiatives.

 

The annual social report presents and analyses the social data available, but more needs to be done by the European Commission and EU countries to improve the quality of data collected. This will strengthen the analysis provided in future editions.

 

The Commission aims to expand the social report on fisheries in the future, providing a regular assessment of the social dimension of the EU fisheries sector.

 

The data collected have been used for the evaluation of the Common Fisheries Policy Regulation, which aims to ensure the long-term sustainability of fisheries and aquaculture in the EU by taking into account environmental, economic and social dimensions.

 

The report was prepared by the Scientific, Technical and Economic Committee for Fisheries, an independent group of external experts, with the support of the Joint Research Centre, the scientific service of the European Commission.

 

- European Commission