Europe Fish Market

Europe Fish Market Overview:

The Europe fish market size reached USD 305.20 Billion in 2024. Looking forward, IMARC Group expects the market to reach USD 410.80 Billion by ​2033​, exhibiting a growth rate (CAGR) of 3.35% during ​2025-2033​. The market is driven by rising health awareness, increasing seafood consumption, surging demand for sustainable sourcing, growing convenience of frozen fish, expanding retail channels, rising disposable incomes, and the widespread adoption of eco-friendly packaging practices in the region.

Europe Fish Market Trends:

Growth in Plant-Based Seafood Alternatives

The growth in plant-based seafood alternatives is significantly enhancing the Europe fish market outlook. This is driven by the changing consumer lifestyles towards healthy and sustainable food consumption. These replicas of conventional seafood are created using plant-based ingredients such as seaweed, soy, and algae. They provide consumers with an eco-friendly alternative to curbing their carbon footprint. Moreover, the market for plant-based seafood is growing, due to the continuous advancements in taste, texture, and nutritional content, which is helping to fuel its popularity. Large food manufacturers and entrepreneurs are investing in research and development (R&D) to develop more affordable and convenient plant-based products. For instance, in 2023, Nestle launched plant-based fish products, such as filets, fingers, and nuggets, across Europe, driving demand in the fish market by offering sustainable, health-conscious alternatives that align with consumers' growing preference for plant-based options. Furthermore, the rising awareness of ocean conservation and overfishing issues has led to the development of plant-based seafood substitutes that align with the sustainability goals and consumer desires for seafood taste and texture while avoiding environmental harm. This trend is expanding as consumers increasingly turn to flexitarian or completely plant-based diets, providing an impetus to the market.

Surge in Frozen Fish Consumption

The surge in frozen fish consumption in the region driving the Europe fish market growth. Consumers are increasingly choosing frozen fish as it offers convenience and affordability along with a longer shelf life. Frozen fish provides a convenient choice for active consumers who desire premium seafood options without the concern for spoilage. Besides this, ongoing technological advances in freezing methods like flash freezing have enhanced frozen products' texture and nutritional quality leading to their rising popularity in the region. Additionally, frozen fish product lines are increasing among retailers who are meeting consumer demand through selections that include fillets and seafood mixtures. Moreover, frozen fish remains edible for extended periods which leads to less food waste and supports environmental sustainability initiatives. For instance, the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA) sets out jointly-managed fish stocks, with annual consultations to establish catch limits, ensuring mutual access to both parties' waters and non-quota stocks at historic levels. Also, the rise of online grocery shopping further drives this trend because consumers frequently purchase frozen fish products through e-commerce sites for their convenience. Apart from this, frozen fish remains popular and increasingly finds its place as an essential item in European kitchens, thereby propelling the market forward.

Focus on Sustainable Fishing Practices

The focus of the region on sustainable fishing practices is expanding the Europe fish market share, driven by responsible sourcing and eco-friendly fishing procedures. In line with this, environmentally aware consumers prefer seafood that comes with sustainable sourcing certifications such as the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) label. To meet sustainability demands European retailers and fish producers have also implemented traceability systems that verify their products originate from sustainable fisheries which prevent overfishing. Furthermore, European nations are setting tougher rules and limits to safeguard marine ecosystems while preserving fish stocks. In confluence with this, sustainability efforts have driven investments into aquaculture technologies like land-based fish farming to reduce pressure on natural fish populations. For example, Graal, a key player in the European market, operates three manufacturing sites and a distribution center in Poland, employing over 2,200 people. As a result, consumers and businesses prioritize sustainability when making purchasing and production choices, thus strengthening the market share.

Europe Fish Market Segmentation:

IMARC Group provides an analysis of the key trends in each segment of the market, along with forecasts at the region level for 2025-2033. Our report has categorized the market based on fish type, product type, distribution channel, and sector.

Fish Type Insights:

• Inland Fishes
  • Indian Major Carps 
  • Pangasius 
  • Exotic Carps 
  • Clarias 
  • Anabas 
  • Rupchanda 
  • Tilapia 
  • Seabass 
  • Others 
• Marine Fishes
• Shrimps
• Scampi

The report has provided a detailed breakup and analysis of the market based on the fish type. This includes inland fishes (Indian major carps, pangasius, exotic carps, Clarias, anabas, rupchanda, tilapia, seabass, others), marine fishes, shrimps, and scampi.

Product Type Insights:

• Fresh
• Frozen
• Canned
• Others

A detailed breakup and analysis of the market based on the product type have also been provided in the report. This includes fresh, frozen, canned, and others.

Distribution Channel Insights:

• Retail
• Institutional

The report has provided a detailed breakup and analysis of the market based on the distribution channel. This includes retail and institutional.

Sector Insights:

• Organised
• Unorganised

A detailed breakup and analysis of the market based on the sector have also been provided in the report. This includes organised and unorganised.

Regional Insights:

• Germany
• France
• United Kingdom
• Italy
• Spain
• Others

The report has also provided a comprehensive analysis of all the major regional markets, which include Germany, France, United Kingdom, Italy, Spain, and others.

Competitive Landscape:

The market research report has also provided a comprehensive analysis of the competitive landscape. Competitive analysis such as market structure, key player positioning, top winning strategies, competitive dashboard, and company evaluation quadrant has been covered in the report. Also, detailed profiles of all major companies have been provided.

Europe Fish Market News:

• In September 2024, German dairy leader Unternehmensgruppe Theo Müller has received approval from Polish competition regulators to acquire seafood manufacturer Graal, as part of its strategy to strengthen its position in the European fish and seafood industry.
• In December 2023, the European Union and the United Kingdom agreed on fishing opportunities for 2024, covering more than 85 Total Allowable Catches in the Northeast Atlantic, valued at approximately €1 billion for the EU fleet.

Europe Fish Market Report Coverage:

Key Questions Answered in This Report:

• How has the Europe fish market performed so far and how will it perform in the coming years?
• What is the breakup of the Europe fish market on the basis of fish type?
• What is the breakup of the Europe fish market on the basis of product type?
• What is the breakup of the Europe fish market on the basis of distribution channel?
• What is the breakup of the Europe fish market on the basis of sector?
• What are the various stages in the value chain of the Europe fish market? 
• What are the key driving factors and challenges in the Europe fish market?
• What is the structure of the Europe fish market and who are the key players?
• What is the degree of competition in the Europe fish market? 

Key Benefits for Stakeholders:

• IMARC’s industry report offers a comprehensive quantitative analysis of various market segments, historical and current market trends, market forecasts, and dynamics of the Europe fish market from 2019-2033.
• The research report provides the latest information on the market drivers, challenges, and opportunities in the Europe fish market.
• Porter's five forces analysis assist stakeholders in assessing the impact of new entrants, competitive rivalry, supplier power, buyer power, and the threat of substitution. It helps stakeholders to analyze the level of competition within the Europe fish industry and its attractiveness.
• Competitive landscape allows stakeholders to understand their competitive environment and provides an insight into the current positions of key players in the market.