What is Eurofish?
In accordance with its mandate, which is laid down in the establishment agreement, Eurofish contributes to the development of fisheries and aquaculture in Europe. It does this by publishing marketing and industry related information in the Eurofish Magazine, and on the organisation’s website, as well as by organising conferences, workshops, seminars, and business-to-business meetings. Eurofish also implements a variety of projects in the fields of fisheries, aquaculture, markets, and trade. Eurofish has in-depth knowledge of the fisheries and aquaculture sector in Europe and neighbouring countries, and an extensive network in the region. Eurofish is a non-profit organisation that uses its revenues on activities for the benefit of its member countries.
The key objectives of Eurofish are to:
- Contribute to the sustainable development of the fisheries and aquaculture sector;
- Promote trade of high quality, value-added fishery products;
- Facilitate the transfer of information and knowledge.
The members of Eurofish are:
Part of the FISH INFOnetwork
Eurofish is part of a global network – the FISH INFOnetwork (FIN). The network is coordinated by FAO GLOBEFISH in Rome and the members of FIN are: INFOFISH (Asia and the Pacific), INFOPECHE (West Africa), INFOSAMAK (Arab countries), INFOPESCA (Latin America) and INFOYOU (China). The FISH INFOnetwork provides the respective regions with updated information on the fisheries and aquaculture sector. Click here for more.
History of Eurofish
It was originally launched in 1996 as the EASTFISH project of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations. A Conference of Plenipotentiaries was held in Copenhagen, Denmark on 23 May 2000, when the Agreement on establishing the International Organisation for the Development of Fisheries in Eastern and Central Europe (EUROFISH) was adopted.
In 2002 Eurofish was established as an international organisation when five founding countries – Denmark, Albania, Latvia, Norway and Romania signed the Agreement or deposited an instrument of ratification or accession with the Depositary of the Agreement – Director-General of FAO. The Agreement was registered with the Secretariat of the United Nations on 15 May 2002. Click here to download the Establishment Agreement.
In 2018 the name of the organisation was changed to the International Organisation for the Development of Fisheries and Aquaculture in Europe (EUROFISH) to more accurately reflect its activities and area of operation.
The Eurofish headquarter is located in Copenhagen, following a host agreement with the Kingdom of Denmark.
Gender equality
Eurofish has a gender equality plan describing the organisation’s commitment to ensure equal rights and opportunity. An introduction to the plan is available for download here.
Eurofish governance
Eurofish is governed by a Council composed of all member countries. Each member country is represented by one delegate who may be assisted by technical experts. The Governing Council holds its regular sessions annually and elects its Chairperson for two consecutive sessions. Chairperson of the Governing Council for 2026 and 2027 is Hungary.
