Capital: Madrid
Population: 49,1 million
(2025, Eurostat)
GDP: €1.59 trillion (2024, Eurostat)- GDP/capita: €32 630 (2024, Eurostat)
Overview of the Spanish fisheries and aquaculture sector
Fisheries sector
Spain, with a coastline of almost 8.000 km, is home to the biggest fishing industry in the EU. The majority of fisheries activities are carried out in the coastal regions. Positioned at the south-west corner of Europe, the country enjoys entry points into both the Atlantic Ocean, the Cantabrian Sea and Bay of Biscay, and the Mediterranean Sea, offering good conditions for marine and freshwater aquaculture. Spain has age-old marine traditions and is among the largest producer of fish in the EU by volume and it is also the largest market in terms of value for fisheries products. In 2023 the country produced 766.388 tonnes of fisheries products worth €1.709 million. The most important fish species in value terms are tuna and tuna like species importantly skipjack and yellowfin tuna (36%), followed by whitefish mainly cod and hake (15%), small pelagic fish, mainly herring, sardine, and anchovy (7%), cephalopods, mainly squid, cuttlefish, octopus (7%), and shrimp and prawns (7%).
The fishing fleet in 2024 consisted of 8.432 vessels. The Galicia region represents almost 50% of all registered vessels, followed by Andalucía (17%), the Canary Islands (9%), and Catalonia (7%). 78% of the fleet are small coastal vessels less than 12 meters long, while 19.5% of vessels are in the 12-24 metre length class and only 8.9% in the length class over 24 metres. In 2023 employment in the maritime fisheries sector represented 0,14% of total national employment, and 3,14% of total employment within the agricultural sector, providing jobs to 25.355 people, of which 21.173 in full-time equivalent (FTE).
Aquaculture
The aquaculture sector is widely diversified in terms of species and farming technologies. Although the trend has been towards consolidation in recent years, the industry is still dominated by small to medium-sized farms About thirty species are cultivated. Leading species in terms of volume include Mediterranean mussel (Mytilus galloprovincialis), rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss), gilthead sea bream (Sparus aurata), and European sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax).
In 2023, farmed fish and shellfish production for human consumption amounted to 266.656 tonnes worth €856,5 million. Of this, marine aquaculture (fish and shellfish) contributed to more than 90%, and the rest came from freshwater aquaculture. Output from marine aquaculture comprises mostly shellfish, while 25% of the total production is marine finfish. In 2023, the fish species that experienced the highest growth compared to 2022 were sea bream, whose production increased by 47%, and sea bass, whose production increased by 56%. Mussel farming is by far the biggest sector of aquaculture in terms of production volume, representing almost 70% of the total aquaculture output, with mussel aquaculture in Galicia the driving force.
More than 95% of Spanish mussel production is carried out off the coast of Galicia, a region located in the north-western corner of the Iberian Peninsula. The coastline is 1.200 km long, and production is concentrated in five bays: Vigo, Ponteverda, Arousa, Muros, and Ares. Mussels are farmed in coastal inlets using floating rafts. Galician mussels are renowned for their quality, thanks to the unique conditions in the region’s estuaries, where freshwater from rivers mixes with Atlantic seawater. This natural blend creates an ideal environment, characterised by cool temperatures, nutrient- and oxygen-rich waters, and sheltered sites that offer protection from sudden, unpredictable weather.
Sea bass, sea bream and trout are the major finfish species produced. In 2023, total production of sea bass was 24.580 tonnes worth €49,9 million, and sea bream 13.016 tonnes worth €75,5 million. Rainbow trout is the main species in freshwater production, reaching 4.757 tonnes in 2021 and amounting to €49,7 million. These three species represent about 65% of the total finfish aquaculture production in volume. Production of Mediterranean mussel in 2023 reached 183.790 tonnes and amounted to €138,1 million. In 2023, the mussel sector experienced serious problems, with low production caused, among other factors, by the rise in water temperatures, which caused irregular spawning which resulted in the worst production year over the last 10 year period.
In 2023, the total number of aquaculture enterprises was 4.908, including 4.663 marine farms, mainly mussels farming, and 147 freshwater farms. The marine aquaculture sector employed 8.209 people (5.835 FTE), while freshwater farms employed 942 (804 FTE).
In recent years, the aquaculture industry has diversified into cultivating new species such as meagre (Argyrosomus regius), bluefin tuna (Thunnus thynnus), sole (Solea senegalensis) and yellowtail (Seriola dumerili,). Cultured turbot (Scophthalmus maximus) has already a strong presence in the market.
Processing
Spain is home to the largest fish processing industry in Europe. There were 580 fish processing facilities in operation during 2023, producing 940.402 tonnes of processed seafood with a value of €6,9 billion and total employment estimated at 25.355 persons. Historically, the sector had focused on salted and canned fish and shellfish. However, since the 1950s, it has become one of the most diversified industries on an international scale.
In 2023, prepared or preserved fish represent 42% of the total, followed by frozen fish (16%) and frozen molluscs and other aquatic invertebrates (11%). The industry is mainly composed of small and medium-sized companies, mostly in the canning sector and to a lesser extent in the fresh and frozen processed seafood sectors. The canning sector has the highest production volume. Tuna is the most important species, amounting to 306.962 tonnes worth €2,7 billion in 2023. Other key species going to canning include sardine and anchovy. Canned mussel are also an important product produces in terms of value.
Trade
The large capacity of the domestic fish and seafood markets and the high rate of consumption means Spain relies heavily on imports. The country is also a large exporter, mainly to the EU, which absorbs almost 70% of its exports.
The total import of fisheries and aquaculture products reached 1,73 million tonnes in 2023, amounting to €7,3 billion. Over 73% of imports in terms of both volume and value came from outside the EU, with Morocco and Ecuador being the major suppliers, while Sweden and Portugal were the major EU suppliers. Spanish imports were predominantly composed of shrimps, tuna and salmon, which made up 37% of the total fisheries and seafood import value.
In 2023, the total exports of fisheries and aquaculture products amounted to 1,29 million tonnes worth €4,9 billion, where the main product group exported by volume is frozen. Spain exports its fisheries and aquaculture products to a wide range of countries with Italy (30% of the value), Portugal (17%), and France (14%) as the main destinations. Outside the EU the United States was the major receiver of Spanish exports with a 5% share of the value. Tunas and cephalopods (octopus and squid) are the most exported commodities, while molluscs, canned products, and frozen fish are the most exported product groups in terms of value.
Consumption
In 2023, per capita consumption of fishery and aquaculture products in Spain was 18,56 kg per person, 3,3% lower than in 2022. Retired people, couples without children, and other independent adults recorded the highest seafood consumption. By contrast, households with young or school-age children ate fish least often. By age group, those aged 65 and over consumed the most seafood, while under-35s consumed the least.
Spanish households bought 2,2% less fish and seafood in 2023 than in the previous year. Fresh fish was the most consumed category, followed by canned fish and molluscs, while frozen and ready-to-eat seafood represented the smallest segments. Supermarkets were the main purchasing channel, accounting for around half of total volume. The average price of fishery products rose to €10,70/kg in 2023, an increase of 7,7% compared with 2022.
By species, the largest volumes consumed were canned tuna, shrimps and prawns, fresh hake, salmon, squid and octopus, cod, and anchovies. Purchases of sardines and anchovies rose by 9%, while hake increased by 5%, salmon by 2%, and sea bass by 5% in 2023.
Publications
The latest version of the Guide to Recirculation Aquaculture is available in Spanish here:
Useful Links for Spain
- MAPA – The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food
- Conxemar – Spanish Association of Wholesalers, Importers, Manufacturers and Exporters of Fish products and Aquaculture
- ANFACO
- Spanish Oceanographic Institute
- European Institute of Mediterranean Food
- Alimentaria Barcelona
- APROMAR
If any of the above listed links do not work or if you have a relevant link to add, please send us an email here.