Socio-economic Review of Community Fisheries
MegaPesca Lda, Portugal

REGIONAL PROFILES

Austria
BELGIUM
DENMARK
FINLAND
FRANCE
GERMANY
GREECE
IRELAND
ITALY
LUXEMBOURG
NETHERLANDS
PORTUGAL
SPAIN
SWEDEN
UNITED KINGDOM

Austria
The Austrian fishery sector is small, comprising of fish farming and inland fishing only. The production from aquaculture (which concentrates on carp and trout) was 4,274 tonnes (value about ECU 12.7 million) in 1997 and the sector provided employment for some 300 full-time employees, 500 part-time jobs and around 1,500 seasonal jobs. There are a further 100 people employed in processing and related activities. In 1998, inland capture fisheries produced 454 tonnes, with a value of ECU 2.7 million. Employment extended to about 150 part-time jobs.

Belgium
In 1998 the Belgian fleet consisted of 148 vessels with a gross tonnage of 23,082 GT and power of 64,896kW. The average size of vessel is relatively higher than the rest of the EU fleet, with some 57 vessels longer than 30m. A significant part of the Belgian fleet is under Dutch ownership. Since 1991 the Belgian fleet numbers have dropped from 205 vessels to 148 vessels, corresponding to a 25% decrease in vessel numbers. Vessel numbers in 1998 fell by 4 compared to 1997 figures.

Belgian vessels caught about 30,325 tonnes of fish in 1998 (value ECU 103.4 million). Of this 72% was landed in Belgian harbours whilst the rest was sold at foreign auctions (mainly in Netherlands). The Belgian fishing sector provided employment for 745 people in 1997, of which 87 were estimated to work part time.  Employment in fishing is largely concentrated around the Brugge region, where 410 fishers were located.

There is no coastal aquaculture in Belgium although pilot projects for turbot and oyster farming have started recently. The Belgian inland aquaculture (trout and carp production) provided employment for 137 people.  About half (64) of these worked part time. Inland fisheries yielded 511 tonnes in 1998, but numbers employed in the sector are not significant.

Processing output was ECU 236.6 million in 1997. The larger processing firms are generally not dependent on local landings but rely on imports of frozen fish. In 1997 there were 1,261 people employed in the Belgian processing industry; this number includes wholesale traders and importers due to the fact that small scale processing and wholesaling are substantially integrated.  Employment is concentrated in the Oostende and Brugge region. It is estimated that almost half (569) of the workers are female.

Denmark
In 1998 the Danish fleet consisted of 4,648 vessels with a gross tonnage of 97,932 GT and power of 380,877 kW. Of the total, 70% of fishing vessels are less than 10 metres in length and only 5% over 20m in length. Total numbers of crew and skippers employed on fishing vessels was 6,361 people in 1998 (see Table 4). The larger vessels in the Danish fleet target herring for human consumption and sprat destined for fishmeal. Traditional fishing grounds are located in the North Sea Skagerrak/Kattegat and the Baltic Sea, with the main fishing ports located along the North and West coast of Jutland. Bornholm Island in the Baltic Sea is the centre for landing from the Baltic Sea. Cod, flatfish, Nephrops, mackerel and herring account for more than 60% of the value of landings in Danish ports.

Table 4: Employment in the Danish fishery sector, 1998

Table 5: Landings of fish in Denmark by source and destination, 1998

Landings in Denmark in 1998 are shown in Table 5. Total landings were 1.9 million tonnes with a value of ECU 583 million. Of this total, 70% is destined for reduction to fishmeal and oil. Landings by other EU and non-EU vessels in Danish ports are also significant, and are principally made by Sweden (mainly of fish for industrial purposes) and the United Kingdom.

In 1998 32,607 tonnes of fish was produced from freshwater aquaculture, and 7,089 tonnes of trout was produced in marine culture systems. Estimated employment in marine aquaculture was 200-300 in 1997. This figure includes slaughter, gutting filleting, cooling/freezing and packing and sales for further processing. It is estimated that 613 people are employed in freshwater trout production. A further 85 people (FTEs) are estimated to be employed in eel farming. The inland fishery is estimated to provide employment for 5 people or less (FTE).

The Danish processing industry is highly capitalised. In 1998 there were a total of 193 fish processing and preservation factories with a total production output value of ECU 1.19 billion. The processing industry (all sectors including fishmeal) in Denmark employed a total of 7,650 people  in 1998.

Finland
In 1998 the Finnish fleet comprised of 3,979 vessels with a total capacity of 24,170 GRT and power of 219,745 kW. The majority of these vessels were small with an average size of 6 GRT and power of 55kW. In terms of numbers, the coastal fishery constitutes the largest segment with 3,640 vessels. In terms of volume and value of catches the pelagic trawler segment (which consists of 239 vessels) is the most important. This segment targets herring and sprat and operates throughout the Baltic Sea but the main fishing grounds are in the Bothnian Sea.

Key features of the Finnish fisheries are shown in Table 6. In 1998, there were 2,950 registered fishers, of which about 1,000 are full-time. For Finland as a whole 92% of the fishing workforce is male; however in some areas, such as Varsinais–Suomi the percentage of female fishers is as high as 18%.

In 1998 the Finnish catch totalled 115,178 tonnes valued at ECU 20.3 million In terms of volume and value the Baltic herring was the most important with total landing of 85,545 tonnes valued at ECU 11.9 million. Other important species were salmon, vendace, sprat and cod.  

Table 6: Outputs and employment in Finnish fishery sector, 1998

Coastal aquaculture is concentrated in South-western Finland and produced 13,269 tonnes, mainly rainbow trout, in 1998. Inland aquaculture produced a further 2,755 tonnes. The aquaculture industry employed 651 people. Freshwater fisheries in Finland yielded 4,568 tonnes of fish (ECU 5.8 million) with the main species fished being vendace. There are almost 995 registered commercial fishers in inland waters, but for only 230 of these was fishing the principle source of income.

In 1998 there were around 172 establishments engaged in fish processing. The industry is highly concentrated with the 10 largest companies accounting for over 50% of the production volume. The total amount of fish (mainly Baltic herring and farmed rainbow trout) processed for human consumption was 38,711 tonnes, of which 85% tonnes was domestic production and the rest was imported raw material.

France
In France  there were 8,836 registered fishing vessels in 1998, with a tonnage of 209,460 GRT and power of

1,141,528 kW. Around 75% of the vessels were less than 12m in length. Fishing employed an estimated 19,136 (FTE) persons in 1998, including 3,687 professional fishers in the Overseas Departments of Guadeloupe, Martinique, French Guyana and Réunion (where there is also a large informal fishing sector for which there are no statistics).

The main production and employment data relating to the French fishery sector are shown in Table 7.  

 Table 7: Outputs and employment in French fishery sector, 1998

Marine capture fisheries landed a total of 550,198 tonnes valued at ECU 932.4 million in 1998. Around 18% of the value landed was in frozen form (processed at sea). In addition the Overseas Departments recorded landings of 27,008 tonnes in 1998.

Processing is split into primary processing and wholesaling (mareyage) and secondary processing. The output value of mareyage in 1998 was recorded as ECU 1.4 billion. This activity employed 4,007 people registered in over 300 enterprises, with the majority (42%) being located in Brittany. Secondary processing in 1997 produced a further ECU 2.1 billion of output value and employed 11,899 people in 173 enterprises. Auction hall and fish market employment in 1998 totalled 819 FTE in 43 establishments and sales amounted to ECU 652.9 million.

Germany
In 1998 the German fleet consisted of 2,373 vessels with a gross tonnage of 75,103 GT and power of 171,457 kW. Of the total, 76 % of fishing vessels were less than 10 metres in length and only 5% over 20m in length. The majority of the vessels (approximately 1,800) were small coastal fishing boats under 12 metres in length, fishing for demersal species and herring in the Baltic and North Seas. The deep-sea segment based in Bremerhaven, Cuxhaven and Rostock consisted of 12 vessels, and fishes in EU and international waters. The cutter segment accounted for another 477 vessels. A majority of the vessels within this segment are beam trawlers, fishing for flatfish and shrimps in the North Sea.

The main production and employment data relating to the German fishery sector are shown in Table 8.  

 Table 8: Outputs and employment in German fishery sector, 1998

 In 1998 the German fleet landed 94,272 tonnes of fish; the most important catches were cod (10,398 tonnes) and brown shrimp (11,151 tonnes). Most fishers are full-time.  Employment in the ancillary industries such as construction and repair of fishing vessels was estimated to total 633 in 1997.  Coastal  aquaculture consists of mussel production, and the number employed is likely to be under-estimated in the above table. Inland aquaculture production (mainly trout and carp) employed 2,825 persons in 1997, in the production of nearly 37,000 tonnes of trout and carp. The total catch from inland fisheries in 1998 was 52,338 tonnes, mainly of vendace, pike and pike-perch.

Germany has a large fish processing industry with a total production output value of 1,273 million ECU in 1997. The processing industry is relatively independent of the German and EU landings, as it relies largely on imported raw materials from third countries, and in particular, Norway. The North Sea centres of Bremerhaven, Cuxhaven and Hamburg account for almost 70% of the 11,280 processing jobs recorded in 1997.

Greece
In 1998 the Greek fleet consisted of 20,243 vessels with a gross tonnage of 111,933 GT and power of 654,199 kW. An estimated 94% of registered vessels are less than 12m in length. Between 1991 and 1997 there was an 8% decrease in the number of vessels. The decrease in the number of smaller boats was relatively modest, less than 2%, but the trawler segment experienced a 23% decline, and vessels fishing in the Atlantic a 55% decline.

The main production and employment data relating to the fisheries sector are shown in Table 9.  

Table 9: Outputs and employment in the Greek fisheries sector, 1997.

Landings totalled some 124,386 tonnes in 1997. Of the 41,251 employed in marine capture fishing, an estimated 81% work in inshore fisheries, 17% in the offshore fisheries and 2% overseas (Footnote 1). An estimated 8% of the fishing sector workforce are female, engaged in net repair and gear preparation. Marine farming of bass and bream is a significant economic activity in Greece. About 65% of the production of 52,263 tonnes is exported, mainly to Italy. Fish processing is relatively less important in Greece than in other EU Member States. The majority of the fish processing takes place in Thessaloniki, Attica and Kavala. Most processing facilities are old and rely on both local production and imports from abroad. The processing sector in Greece provided employment for 1,455 full time and 954 part time workers. Women made up 32% of those employed in this sector.

Ireland
In Ireland there were 1,246 registered fishing vessels in 1998. Total tonnage in the fleet in 1998 was

61,082 GRT with a power of 190,625 kW. Approximately 70% of all registered vessels are classed as inshore vessels (less than 15m in length and operating within 12 miles of the coast).

  The main production and employment data relating to the fisheries sector are shown in Table 11.  

Table 11: Outputs and employment in the Irish fisheries sector, 1998.