STUDY Requested by the PECH Committee Impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on EU fisheries and aquaculture Policy Department for Structural and Cohesion Policies Directorate-General for Internal Policies PE 690.880 - July 2021 EN RESEARCH FOR PECH COMMITTEE Impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on EU fisheries and aquaculture Abstract This study analyses the effects of COVID-19 on the EU fisheries and aquaculture sectors from March to December 2020. It gives an overview of the main effects experienced at EU level and develops eight case studies (Spain, Denmark, France, Italy, Sweden, Greece, Portugal and Bulgaria). The research also provides conclusions and policy recommendations to strengthen the sector’s resilience to shocks, and to address current vulnerabilities in view of potential similar events. The study was commissioned by the European Parliament’s Policy Department for Structural and Cohesion Policies, at the request of the PECH Committee. This document was requested by the European Parliament's Committee on Fisheries. AUTHOR(S) Cogea: Alessandro PITITTO, Diletta RAINONE, Valentina SANNINO AND International: Tanguy CHEVER, Lucas HERRY, Sibylle PARANT, Safa SOUIDI CETMAR: Marta BALLESTEROS, Rosa CHAPELA, José L. SANTIAGO Research administrator: Marcus BREUER Project, communication and publication assistance: Jana BERGMAN, Kinga OSTAŃSKA, Thaya Mirinda DINKEL (trainee) Policy Department for Structural and Cohesion Policies, European Parliament LINGUISTIC VERSIONS Original: EN ABOUT THE PUBLISHER To contact the Policy Department or to subscribe to updates on our work for the PECH Committee please write to: [email protected] Manuscript completed in July 2021 © European Union, 2021 This document is available on the internet in summary with option to download the full text at: https://bit.ly/3dBZCnQ This document is available on the internet at: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/thinktank/en/document.html?reference=IPOL_STU(2021)690880 Further information on research for PECH by the Policy Department is available at: https://research4committees.blog/pech/ Follow us on Twitter: @PolicyPECH Please use the following reference to cite this study: Pititto A, Rainone D, Sannino V, Chever T, Herry L, Parant S, Souidi S, Ballesteros M, Chapela R, Santiago J L, 2021, Research for PECH Committee – Impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on EU fisheries and aquaculture, European Parliament, Policy Department for Structural and Cohesion Policies, Brussels Please use the following reference for in-text citations: Pititto A et al. (2021) DISCLAIMER The opinions expressed in this document are the sole responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official position of the European Parliament. Reproduction and translation for non-commercial purposes are authorised, provided the source is acknowledged and the publisher is given prior notice and sent a copy. © Cover image used under the licence from Adobe Stock Impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on EU fisheries and aquaculture CONTENTS LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS 5 LIST OF FIGURES 7 LIST OF TABLES 9 LIST OF MAPS 10 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 11 INTRODUCTION 15 1 OVERVIEW AT EU LEVEL 17 1.1 Socio-economic impacts of the COVID-19 outbreak: A general assessment 17 1.2 The impact of COVID-19 pandemic on the fisheries and aquaculture sector 21 1.3 Legislative measures taken at EU level 33 2 CASE STUDIES 37 2.1 Spain 37 2.2 Denmark 53 2.3 France 65 2.4 Italy 79 2.5 Sweden 97 2.6 Greece 107 2.7 Portugal 119 2.8 Bulgaria 133 3 CONCLUSIONS 143 3.1 The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on fisheries 144 3.2 The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on aquaculture 145 3.3 The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on wholesale 146 3.4 The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on trade 146 3.5 The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on processing 146 3.6 The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on consumption 147 3.7 The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on fisheries and aquaculture sector: final conclusions 147 4 POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS 151 4.1 Short-term action 151 4.2 Long-term action 152 REFERENCES 155 3 IPOL | Policy Department for Structural and Cohesion Policies ANNEX − METHODOLOGICAL NOTE 157 4 Impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on EU fisheries and aquaculture LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS AIS Automatic Identification System APA Associação Portuguesa de Aquacultores Portuguese Aquaculture Producers Association API Associazione Piscicoltori Italiani Italian Aquaculture Producers Association EC European Commission EEZ Exclusive Economic Zone EMFAF European Maritime Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund EMFF European Maritime and Fisheries Fund EMODnet European Marine Observation and Data network EMSA European Maritime Safety Agency ESF European Social Fund ESIF European Structural and Investment Funds EU European Union EUMOFA European Market Observatory for Fisheries and Aquaculture products FAO Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations FGM Federation of Greek Maricultures FLAG Fisheries Local Action Group FTE Full Time Equivalent GDP Gross Domestic Product GVA Gross Value Added GT Gross Tonnage HoReCa Hotels, Restaurants and Catering IFREMER Institut Français de Recherche pour l'Exploitation de la Mer French Institute for Ocean Science JRC Joint Research Centre kW Kilowatt LSF Large-Scale Fleet MS Member State MAPA Ministerio de Agricultura, Pesca y Alimentación Spanish Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food 5 IPOL | Policy Department for Structural and Cohesion Policies OECD Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development OxCGRT Oxford COVID-19 Government Response Tracker PMP Production and Marketing Plan PO Producer Organisation PPE Personal Protective Equipment SME Small-Medium Enterprise SSCF Small-Scale Coastal Fleet STECF Scientific, Technical and Economic Committee for Fisheries TAC Total Allowable Catch UK United Kingdom VAT Value-Added Tax WB World Bank 6 Impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on EU fisheries and aquaculture LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1: First sales of fish, shellfish and crustaceans in the EU, 2019-2020 26 Figure 2: Extra-EU imports of fisheries and aquaculture products, 2017-2019 average-2020 27 Figure 3: Extra-EU imports of fisheries and aquaculture products by product category, 2020 27 Figure 4: Extra-EU imports of fisheries and aquaculture products by product category, 2017-2019 average 28 Figure 5: Sales of unprocessed fisheries and aquaculture products in France, Germany, Italy and Spain by channel, 2017-2020 32 Figure 6: Timeline of Spanish restrictive measures and policy responses adopted in 2020 39 Figure 7: Monthly average fuel prices in Spain, 2017-2020 40 Figure 8: First sales of fish, shellfish and crustaceans in Spain, 2017-2019 average-2020 43 Figure 9: Wholesale of fisheries and aquaculture products at Mercamadrid, 2017-2019 average-2020 44 Figure 10: Imports of fisheries and aquaculture products in Spain, 2017-2019 average-2020 45 Figure 11: Imports of fisheries and aquaculture products in Spain, 2017-2019 average-2020 46 Figure 12: Household consumption of fresh fisheries and aquaculture products in Spain, 2017-2019 average-2020 47 Figure 13: Timeline of Danish restrictive measures and policy responses adopted in 2020 55 Figure 14: Monthly average fuel prices in Denmark, 2017-2020 56 Figure 15: Danish total landings of industrial and non-industrial fish, 2017-2020 58 Figure 16: Danish total landings of non-industrial fish by species, 2017-2020 58 Figure 17: First sales of fish, shellfish and crustaceans in Denmark by species, 2020 59 Figure 18: Household consumption of fresh fisheries and aquaculture products in Denmark, 2017-2020 61 Figure 19: Timeline of French restrictive measures and policy responses adopted in 2020 67 Figure 20: Monthly average fuel prices in France, 2017-2020 69 Figure 21: First sale of fish, shellfish and crustaceans in France, 2017-2020 70 Figure 22: French exports of fisheries and aquaculture products to Spain and Italy, 2017-2020 73 Figure 23: Household consumption of fresh fisheries and aquaculture products in France, 2017-2020 74 Figure 24: Timeline of Italian restrictive measures and policy responses adopted in 2020 81 Figure 25: Monthly average fuel prices in Italy, 2017-2020 84 Figure 26: First sales of fish, shellfish and crustaceans in Italy, 2017-2020 86 Figure 27: Italian imports of fisheries and aquaculture products, 2017-2020 88 Figure 28: Italian imports of fisheries and aquaculture products by product category, 2020 89 7 IPOL | Policy Department for Structural and Cohesion Policies Figure 29: Italian imports of fisheries and aquaculture products by product category, 2017-2019 average 89 Figure 30: Household consumption of fresh fisheries and aquaculture products in Italy, 2017-2020 91 Figure 31: Timeline of Swedish restrictive measures and policy responses adopted in 2020 99 Figure 32: Monthly average of fuel prices in Sweden, 2017-2020 100 Figure 33: First sales of fish, shellfish and crustaceans in Sweden, 2017-2020 102 Figure 34: Imports of fresh salmon in Sweden, 2017-2020 103 Figure 35: Household consumption of fresh fisheries and aquaculture products in Sweden, 2017-2020 104 Figure 36: Timeline of Greek restrictive measures and policy responses adopted in 2020 109 Figure 37: Monthly average fuel prices in Greece, 2017-2020 110 Figure 38: First sales of fish, shellfish and crustaceans in Greece, 2018-2019 average-2020 112 Figure 39: Wholesales of fisheries and aquaculture products in Greece, 2018-2019 average-2020 113 Figure 40: Imports of fisheries and aquaculture products in Greece, 2018-2019 average-2020 114 Figure 41: Timeline of Portuguese