Today, 19 May, marks the EU’s “End of Fish Day”, the date on which the European Union is estimated to have exhausted its domestic seafood production for the year and must rely on imports from the rest of the world to meet demand until the end of 2026.
The analysis, based on the latest data from the European Market Observatory for Fisheries and Aquaculture Products (EUMOFA) (1), reveals a growing disconnect between European seafood consumption patterns and the ecological reality of EU marine ecosystems. Declining domestic production, highly concentrated consumption habits, and increasing dependence on global supply chains are reinforcing a seafood system that exceeds the ocean’s ecological limits.
EU seafood consumption is highly concentrated in a small number of species that do not reflect the productive capacity of EU waters. Tuna, salmon, Alaska pollock, shrimps and cod account for 44% of total EU consumption, yet the EU is only around 12% self-sufficient in this group (2). Most are therefore imported from outside EU waters, reinforcing EU’s structural dependence on global markets rather than on what European marine ecosystems can sustainably provide.
At the same time, large quantities of fish caught in EU waters are exported or diverted to non-food uses such as fishmeal and fish oil for aquaculture feed. Today, around half to nearly 60% of the EU catch of herring, blue whiting and mackerel is exported, despite Europe’s growing seafood dependence (3).
In 2023, EU seafood consumption reached 10.25 million tonnes, while domestic fisheries and aquaculture production amounted to 3.9 million tonnes (4). This persistent gap reflects long-term structural drivers, including overfished populations, quota reductions for overexploited species and post-Brexit quotas reallocations. Several commercially important species, including cod and herring, have experienced long-term declines due to continued overfishing and unselective trawling.
The environmental impacts of the EU seafood model extend far beyond European waters. Industrial fishing contributes to habitat degradation, biodiversity loss, bycatch of sensitive species including marine mammals, and declining ecosystem resilience globally. Meanwhile, intensive aquaculture remains heavily dependent on wild-caught fish for feed and on chemical inputs that pollute marine environments, meaning that farmed seafood often shifts, rather than reduces, pressure on ocean ecosystems.
The current model also raises major equity concerns. While millions of people outside the EU depend on seafood for their livelihoods and as a primary source of protein and livelihood, seafood consumption levels in several EU Member States exceed national dietary recommendations. Across the EU, average seafood consumption is around 22.9 kg per capita per year (5), with significant variation between countries (6).
“The EU’s End of Fish Day is a clear warning that Europe’s seafood model is increasingly disconnected from its own ecosystems,” said Bruno Nicoastrate, Senior Policy Officer at Seas At Risk. “Respecting the ecological limits of the ocean means consuming less seafood overall and prioritising better seafood, fish caught by low-impact fisheries operating within ecological boundaries.” (7) He added: “Consumers alone cannot drive this transition. Policymakers must also take responsibility by supporting low-impact fisheries and sustainable aquaculture”.
Notes to editors
1- EU Fish Market 2025 edition – European Market Observatory for Fisheries and Aquaculture Products
2- EU Fish Market 2025 edition p 33.
3- EU Fish Market 2025 edition p 86-88
4- EU Fish Market 2025 edition p 30
5- EU Fish Market 2025 edition p 38
6 –EU Fish Market 2025 edition p 39. Per capita apparent consumption varies enormously across the EU (2023 data): Portugal: 53.61 kg/capita, the highest by far. Spain: 40.68 kg, France: 32.14 kg, Italy: 30.38 kg. EU-27 average: 22.89 kg/capita. Hungary: 5.83 kg, Czechia: 5.60 kg, the lowest. Portugal also tops per capita spending at €464/person/year, more than 3× the EU average of €139. In Portugal and Spain, fish accounts for a much larger share of household food spending than elsewhere; in Hungary, Romania and Czechia, fish represents only 5–9% of combined meat+fish spending.
7- Seas At Risk’s Position paper: Less and Better – reshaping the EU seafood system
Posted on: 19 May 2026
