This chapter reviews the performance of capture fisheries and aquaculture in the OECD Members and the non-Members covered in this report in the past 15 years, thereby setting the scene for the policy analysis conducted in the second part of this report. It highlights the major role played by Asian economies in global fisheries production, especially aquaculture production, which is much more concentrated geographically than production from capture fishing. It also discusses how the OECD Members remain important in capture fisheries production and trade in fisheries products. The chapter further reviews trends in employment and fleet. Finally, it discusses the outlook for the sector.
OECD Review of Fisheries 2025
OECD Review of Fisheries
Abstract
At the level of all 41 countries and territories covered in this report, the fisheries and aquaculture sectors have recovered from the COVID-19 pandemic.
International trade is at an all-time high in value terms.
Aquaculture production is growing: production doubled in volume and has increased by 450% in value since the mid-2000s.
The value of capture fisheries production peaked in 2021 (a 65% increase in nominal value since 2005) despite a decline in volume.
The trends in production are largely and increasingly driven by the Asian non-Members. In 2022, the OECD Members accounted for:
40% of the capture fisheries catch volume and 34% of the value of landings from the 41 countries and territories covered in this report (down from highs of 47% of volume in 2006 and 54% of value in 2005)
9% of the aquaculture production volume and 17% of the production value (down from highs of 13% of volume in 2005 and 30% of value in 2006).
Aquaculture is continuing to grow in importance, including in the OECD Members. Across the 41 countries and territories covered in this report, aquaculture (excluding seaweeds) accounted for 72% of the value and 60% of the volume of aquatic animal production in 2022. Across OECD Members, it accounted for 55% of the production by value but only 25% of production volume.
In the OECD Members, employment in fishing has declined by 20% since 2005, but the value generated by capture fisheries has been stable in nominal terms.
Global fish production is projected to grow over the next decade (driven by the continued expansion of aquaculture in Asian non-Members). However, the pace of growth will be slower than previous year.
In recent years, fish production and trade were affected by the COVID-19 pandemic which reduced production and trade in many parts of the world. More generally, sector performance is impacted by variations in the price of inputs, most notably fuel; the health of fish stocks; government policies for the sector and socio-economic trends that cut across sectors. Capture fisheries, for example, are facing an ageing workforce in several OECD Members.
This chapter reviews data from the 41 countries and territories covered in this report1 (Chapter 1), on the socio-economic performance of capture fisheries and aquaculture in recent years thereby setting the scene for the policy analysis conducted in Part II of this report. It reviews trends in production, trade, employment, and fleets, and ends with a discussion of projections for production in the coming decade based on a recent OECD-FAO report (OECD/FAO, 2024[1]). Throughout this chapter, figures are presented either at the level of “all countries and territories”, which refers to the 41 countries and territories covered in the report, or at the level of “the OECD Members” and “the non-Members” amongst them. Values are all expressed in nominal terms.
Overall, in 2022, the 41 countries and territories covered by this report produced 172 million tonnes of aquatic products: 56 million tonnes of aquatic animals from marine capture fisheries and 116 million tonnes from aquaculture, including 82 million tonnes of aquatic animals and 34 million tonnes of seaweeds (Figure 2.1a). The volume of total production has increased by 50% over the last 15 years (that is, +2% yearly over the period), with aquaculture’s share growing from 45% of total production in 2005 (or 39% when excluding seaweeds) to 68% in 2022 (or 60% when excluding seaweeds). Aquaculture production has surpassed production from capture fisheries in volume since 2013 when all countries and territories are considered.
The increase in total production is even more significant in value, rising from USD 127 billion in 2005 to USD 381 billion in 2022, tripling its value in 15 years (an equivalent of 7% yearly over the period). The influence of aquaculture is also more evident in value than in volume, as aquaculture accounted for 73% of total production by value in 2022 (72% excluding seaweeds).
In the OECD Members, total production reached 32 million tonnes for a total value of USD 80 billion in 2022 (Figure 2.2). The share of production from the OECD Members in the production of all countries and territories has decreased since 2005 to about a fifth in both volume and value (specifically from 31% to 19% in volume and from 41% to 21% in value).
The share of aquaculture in the total production volume in the OECD Members has increased over time, but it still only represented 25% in 2022. In value terms, however, aquaculture surpassed landings from capture fisheries since 2019. In 2022, aquaculture accounted for 55% of total production value in the OECD Members (excluding seaweeds). This is due to a steady increase in aquaculture value (not a decline in the value of capture fisheries landings, which has remained stable since 2005), reflecting the focus on producing predominantly higher value species (such as salmon).
Aquaculture is the main source of domestic fish production in many countries, both major fish producers and countries where overall fish production is modest on a global scale. Notably, aquaculture accounted for 93.5% of fish production volume in Slovenia, 86.3% in China, 77.9% in Romania, 73.7% in India and 70.4% in Colombia. At the other end of the spectrum, aquaculture represented less than 2% of total fish production in Latvia (1.4%), Belgium (1.3%), Estonia (1.1%) and Argentina (0.7%).
In 2022, the 41 countries and territories covered in this report together captured 56 million tonnes of aquatic animals and plants in marine waters, down from 63 million tonnes in 2005 (and from a more recent high of 60 million tonnes in 2018).2 The landings were worth USD 103 billion in 2022, almost double their value in the mid-2000s, and almost back to the all-time high of USD 105 billion in 2018 (Figure 2.3).
Overall, trends in marine capture fisheries performance are also increasingly driven by what is happening outside the OECD as the OECD share of production is decreasing – but to a lesser extent than what is observed for overall production. In 2022, the OECD Members accounted for 40% of the catch volume from the countries and territories covered in this report (down from a high of 47% in 2006) and 34% of the value of landings (down from a high of 54% in 2005). In 2022, China alone accounted for 21% of the catch volume and 35% of the value of marine landings, and Indonesia for 12% of catch volume and 13% of value. In terms of catch volume, they were followed by Peru (10%); the United States (8%); India (7%); Viet Nam (6%); Japan, Chile and Norway (all 5%); and Mexico (3%). In value terms, the other top 10 producers were Japan and India (7%), the United States (6%), Viet Nam and Canada (4%), Korea and Norway (3%), and Peru (2%) (Figure 2.4).
In volume, two species stood out: Anchoveta and Skipjack tuna, which made up respectively 9% and 3% of total catches. They were followed by Alaska pollock, Atlantic herring, Pacific chub mackerel, Jumbo flying squid, Pacific sardine, Chilean jack mackerel, Largehead hartail and Japanese anchovy, each accounting for 2% of catches.3
In 2022, the 41 countries and territories covered in this report also captured more than 4 million tonnes of aquatic animals from inland waters, a level of production in line with what was seen over the last 15 years. India and China were the largest producers, together accounting for 74% of the total inland catch. Carps, barbels and other cyprinids were the most important species for inland production (22%). No data are available on the value of inland catches at the cross-country level.
In 2022, aquaculture production (excluding seaweed farming) reached 82 million tonnes in the 41 countries and territories covered in this report, about twice as much as in 2005, following a continuous growth since then. Aquaculture production was worth USD 261 billion in 2022, almost five times its value in the mid‑2000s (Figure 2.5).
Trends in aquaculture production (excluding seaweed farming) are also increasingly driven by what is happening outside the OECD, and even more so than for capture fisheries. The OECD Members only accounted for 9% of the production volume and 17% of the production value in 2022, down from highs of 13% of volume in 2005 and 30% of value in 2006. The OECD share of aquaculture production has declined over the last 15 years both in volume and value, despite an overall increase in production in the OECD Members (on average +2.5% yearly in volume and +5.8% in value), due to greater growth in the non-Members (on average +4.7% in volume and +10.3% in value).
Aquaculture production of aquatic animals (i.e. excluding seaweed) is dominated by China, which accounted for 64% of the volume and 65% of the value of production in all countries and territories (Figure 2.6). In volume, the other major producing countries were India (12%), Indonesia (7%), Viet Nam (6%), Norway and Chile 2% each). In value terms, India accounted for 7%, Viet Nam 6%, Chile, Indonesia and Norway all accounted for 4% each, and Japan for 1.3%. Other countries and territories individually did not account for more than 1% of either volume or value.
Aquaculture production in OECD Members focuses on high-value species, most notably Atlantic salmon, whose production has increased over the last 15 years, reaching 2.7 million tonnes in 2022 (up from 1.2 million tonnes in 2005) and USD 21.2 billion (up from USD 4.9 billion in 2005). As a result, in 2022, Atlantic salmon accounted for 37% of production volume and 49% in value in the OECD Members (Figure 2.7).4 Norway accounts for more than half of the production of this species in OECD Members (1.5 million tonnes and USD 10.5 billion, or 57% of the volume and 50% in value). The second largest producer was Chile, with about 760 000 tonnes (28% in volume and 35% in value).5
Seaweed farming in the 41 countries and territories covered reached almost 34 million tonnes in 2022, worth more than USD 16 billion – up from 13 million tonnes and USD 5 billion in 2005 (on average +5.8% yearly in volume and +6.9% in value). The production was highly concentrated. In 2022, China and Indonesia dominated production, accounting for 67% and 27% of the production volume (respectively) and 73% and 17%, of the value. They were followed by Korea (5% of volume and 3% of value), Japan (1% of volume and 5% of value) and Chile (0.05% in volume and 1% in value). Another 15 countries and territories reported production, all individually accounting for below 0.05% (of volume or value).
Overall, the OECD Members thus produced 6% of the total volume of seaweed and 10% of the total value in 2022 and have seen their production shares decrease over the last 15 years, despite an increase in production volume and value in absolute terms, due to greater growth in China and India.
Fish is one of the most traded food commodities (FAO, 2024[2]). In 2022, global trade in fish products accounted for just over 9% of total agricultural trade in value and about 1% of total merchandise trade value. Trade is also an essential part of fisheries sectors in the countries and territories covered in this report. In 2022, exports of fish products from all of them were worth USD 147 billion – an all-time high, following a recovery in trade after a drop in 2020 due to the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic (+ 26% since then) (().6 The top five exporters were: China (USD 22.6 billion), Norway (USD 15.6 billion), Viet Nam (USD 11 billion), Chile (USD 8.7 billion) and India (USD 7.9 billion). On the other hand, the top five importers were the United States (USD 32.4 billion), China (USD 23.2 billion), Japan (USD 15.4 billion), Spain (USD 9.5 billion) and France (USD 8.2 billion).7
With an export value of USD 91.1 billion in 2022, the OECD Members accounted for 62% of the exports from the 41 countries and territories covered in this report by value and for 60% by volume. A large portion of that trade was between OECD Members: 64% of OECD exports in volume and 75% in value were to an OECD destination. This highlights the importance of high-income territories as trading partners for valuable fisheries exports.
Overall, the OECD Members have been net importers of aquatic animal products over the past 15 years. The species group with the biggest trade deficit in 2022 were: shrimps and prawns (USD ‑16.9 billion); tunas, bonitos and billfishes (USD -7.7 billion); squids, cuttlefishes and octopuses (USD -5.9 billion); and cods, hakes and haddocks (USD -3.1 billion). Salmons, trouts and smelts, on the other hand, was both the most exported and most imported species group by the OECD Members, with USD 34.4 billion in exports and USD 30.1 billion in imports, making it the species group with the largest trade surplus (USD 4.3 billion).
In 2022, in the countries and territories covered by this report, 38 million people were employed in fishing8 and aquaculture production – a small increase from 2005 when it was around 34 million (Figure 2.9).9 The vast majority of workers in the fishing and aquaculture sectors (94%) were in the Asian non-Members, as has been the case over the last 15 years.
2.7.1. The sector employed a much smaller share of the workforce in the OECD Members than in the non-Members
Employment in fishing and aquaculture accounts for a much higher share of total employment in the non-Members than in the OECD Members. Over the past 15 years, on average, fishing and aquaculture made up about 2.5% of total employment in the non-Members, compared to about 0.2% in the OECD Members. These shares were confirmed in 2022 (2.4% versus 0.2%). However, significant differences can be observed at the country level, with shares ranging from 5% in Viet Nam to 0.01% in Belgium (Figure 2.10).
2.7.2. Overall, fishing and aquaculture had similar levels of employment in 2022 but shares and trends vary considerably across countries and territories
While overall jobs were equally shared between fishing and aquaculture production in 2022, the split between sectors varies considerably across countries and territories. Within the OECD Members, fishers made up 74% of total employment. This share was 81% in 2005 and has decreased steadily over the last 15 years, highlighting the growing relative importance of the aquaculture sector. In the non-Members, aquaculture accounted for just over half of the employment (51%) in 2022, a modest increase since 2005 when aquaculture already employed almost as many workers as fisheries (47%).
Across all countries and territories, there were 19 million jobs in fishing in 2022, in line with figures seen since the mid-2000s, which fluctuated between 17 million and 19 million jobs (Figure 2.11). In 2022, the sector employed about 1 million people in the OECD Members (5% of the total number of jobs in fishing across all countries and territories), down 20% compared to 2005. Together, the OECD Members would rank fourth in terms of employment in fishing after India, Indonesia and China, which together accounted for 83% of the total number of fishers. This OECD share of jobs in fishing has remained relatively stable over the past 15 years.
Aquaculture, on the other hand, employed just over 19 million people in 2022. Most of the workers were in Asian non-Members, particularly China (47%), India (31%) and Indonesia (10%), which together accounted for 88% of total employment in the sector. Their combined share of aquaculture employment has remained stable since 2005 as a reduction in the Chinese share has been offset by the growing Indian share. The share of aquaculture employment in the OECD Members has remained stable at around 2% since the mid‑2000s (Figure 2.12).
2.8.1. The number of vessels has decreased in the OECD Members since 2005, but has only done so since 2013 in the non-Members
In 2022, more than 2 million vessels of all sizes were recorded by all countries and territories, down from over 2.8 million in 2005 (Figure 2.13). The total number of vessels has declined by 26% since 2013, mostly due to a decline in the number of vessels in the non-Members since then. This followed from a period (2005-13) when the number of vessels declined in the OECD Members but increased in the non-Members with an overall stable total number of vessels.
The OECD Members accounted for 25% of the number of vessels in 2022, coming back to the share seen in the mid-2000s after having declined until 2014, to a low of 21%. In 2022, the vast majority of vessels (81%) were in Asia: Indonesia (34%), China (24%), Japan (10%), India (8%) and Viet Nam (5%) (Figure 2.14).
2.8.2. Total fleet capacity is increasing after a few years of decline
In terms of gross tonnage, however, fleet capacity is returning towards the levels seen in the 2000s, after a declining over 2014-19. The combined fleets of all countries and territories considered in this report was estimated to about 71 million gross tonnage in 2022 (down by 3 million from 74 million in 2005 and a more recent peak of 77 million in 2014) (Figure 2.13b).10 The OECD Members accounted for 12% of the gross tonnage in 2022, a share which has remained stable since 2005.
Information on vessel length is missing for the majority of vessels (79%), as several of the countries with the largest fleets do not provide data on vessel length: China, India, Indonesia, Japan and the United States. Considering only countries where information on vessel length is available, small-scale vessels (0‑12 metres in length) represented 78% of the total number of vessels in 2022. This share has increased since 2017 but most of this increase is due to the addition of detailed data from Viet Nam, when the country started to publish the number of national vessels by length overall in 2017. In the OECD Members, small-scale vessels (<12m) represented 85% of the number of vessels, with significant differences among countries (98% in Estonia versus 0% in Belgium). In the non-Members, small-scale vessels accounted for 67% of the total number of vessels, with country shares ranging from 37% in Argentina to 94% in Bulgaria (Figure 2.15).11
Note: Official data were complemented with estimates where data were not available.
Source: OECD (2025), Fishing fleet, http://data-explorer.oecd.org/s/h8.
2.8.3. Outlook: Slower growth in production and trade
According to the 2023 edition of the OECD-FAO Agricultural Outlook, the global production of aquatic animals is expected to continue growing in the next decade, albeit at a slower pace than in previous decades (Box 2.1). The vast majority of the production growth is expected to take place in the Asian non-Members through aquaculture.
The individual projected growth rates vary quite considerably across the countries and territories covered in this report (Figure 2.16). Generally, aquaculture production is expected to grow faster – at the level of OECD Members total production growth is projected to be +9.6% for aquaculture and +1.7% for capture fisheries. In some economies, such as Colombia, the European Union, the United States and Viet Nam, however, capture fisheries production is expected to grow faster than aquaculture production.
The OECD-FAO Agricultural Outlook 2024-2033 provides a comprehensive analysis of the ten-year prospects for agricultural commodity and fish markets at national, regional and global levels. The Outlook has been produced jointly by the OECD and Food and Agriculture Organization for 20 years, in collaboration with their Members and international commodity organisations. This box provides a summary of the results from a global level projection and therefore the country coverage is broader than the 41 countries and territories featured elsewhere in this edition of the OECD Review of Fisheries.
Growth in fish production and trade are expected to slow between 2024 and 2033
Global fish production is anticipated to rise between 2024 and 2033, reaching 206 million tonnes (Mt) by 2033, an increase of 22 Mt from the 2021-23 average. However, the pace of growth is expected to be slower compared to the previous decade when it grew by 32 Mt. The rise in production is driven by the ongoing expansion of aquaculture, particularly in Asia (Figure 2.17). Over 85% of the additional projected production will stem from aquaculture, elevating its share in global fish production to 55%. The largest production increases are expected in the People’s Republic of China, India and Indonesia, accounting for nearly 80% of the additional aquaculture output. Capture fisheries production is anticipated to grow modestly, with volumes ranging between 89 Mt in El Niño years and 94 Mt.
Note: Data are expressed in live-weight equivalent.
Source: OECD-FAO (2024[1])“OECD-FAO Agricultural Outlook”, OECD Agriculture Statistics (database, accessed 17 October 2024).
Global exports of fish for human consumption are expected to continue growing between 2024 and 2033, although at a slower rate compared to the previous decade. This trend reflects a long-term slowing of trade expansion. Asia, led by China, will continue to be the main force behind the rise in exports, followed by the Americas. Conversely, exports from Africa and Oceania are expected to decline over the Outlook period. Africa and the Americas will absorb the majority of the import growth, while import levels for Asia and Europe are anticipated to decline over the period, as demand will increasingly be met by domestic production in these regions and due to a lower per capita consumption in Europe.
Source: OECD-FAO (2024[1]).
References
[4] Calado, R. et al. (2021), “Summer is coming! Tackling ocean warming in Atlantic salmon cage farming”, Animals, Vol. 11/6, p. 1800, https://doi.org/10.3390/ani11061800.
[2] FAO (2024), The State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture 2024, Food and Agriculture Organization, Rome, https://doi.org/10.4060/cd0683en.
[3] Moe Føre, H. et al. (2022), “Technological innovations promoting sustainable salmon (Salmo salar) aquaculture in Norway”, Aquaculture Reports, Vol. 24, p. 101115, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aqrep.2022.101115.
[1] OECD/FAO (2024), OECD-FAO Agricultural Outlook 2024-2033, OECD Publishing, Paris/Food and Agriculture Organization, Rome, https://doi.org/10.1787/4c5d2cfb-en.
← 1. The report covers 30 OECD Members (Australia, Belgium, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Denmark, Estonia, France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Korea, Latvia, Lithuania, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Türkiye, the United Kingdom and the United States); and eleven non-Members (Argentina, Brazil, Bulgaria, Chinese Taipei, Croatia, India, Indonesia, the People’s Republic of China, Peru, Romania, and Viet Nam). See Chapter 1 for more details on the geographical coverage.
← 2. In 2022, 1.2 million tonnes of seaweed were captured.
← 3. In value terms, American lobster ranked first, with 5% of the overall landings value; followed by Queen crab, Argentine red shrimp, Atlantic cod, Anchoveta and Skipjack tuna (3% each); and Atlantic mackerel, Yellowfin tuna, Bigeye tuna, Yesso scallop and Atlantic herring (2% each). However, this ranking does not include data from Brazil, China, Denmark, Iceland, India, Indonesia and Viet Nam as species-level landings data were unavailable. Nor does it include the species that are not separately reported, as confidential, by Canada, Ireland, Latvia and the United States.
← 4. The most important species after Atlantic salmon is Rainbow trout, which accounts for 7% of total production value.
← 5. Most of the value of aquaculture production in Chile and Norway came from the production of Atlantic salmon (66% and 95%, respectively). Both Norway and Chile have large areas suitable for producing certain aquaculture species due to a prevalence of sheltered fjords and bays, with deep cool water (Moe Føre et al., 2022[3]; Calado et al., 2021[4]).
← 6. These trade figures include both captured fish (from fisheries production) and farmed fish (from aquaculture production), as trade data do not distinguish between the two.
← 7. The top five species groups exported in 2022 were: salmon, trout and smelt (USD 35.4 billion); shrimp and prawns (USD 19.1 billion); cod, hake and haddock (USD 13.4 billion); and squid, cuttlefish and octopus (USD 11.2 billion). The top five species groups imported in 2022 were: salmon, trout and smelt (USD 33.4 billion); shrimps and prawns (USD 28.7 billion); cod, hake and haddock (USD 16.4 billion); tuna, bonito and billfish (USD 13.3 million); and squid, cuttlefish and octopus (USD 10.3 billion). The species groups refer to the International Standard Statistical Classification of Aquatic Animals and Plants (ISSCAAP).
← 8. Fishing includes both marine and inland fishing but excludes subsistence and recreational fishing.
← 9. This number includes full-time, part-time and occasional fishers.
← 10. Data on fleet gross tonnage for Canada, India, Indonesia, the United States and Viet Nam (which together account for half of the vessels from the 41 countries and territories covered in this report) was estimated.
← 11. The absence of information on vessel capacity and/or length for major fishing fleets, in part because fleet management measures are based only on gross tonnage or length in some countries, hinders a more detailed comparative analysis of the fleet composition across countries and time.