EUROPEAN COMMISSION Brussels, 12.12.2017 COM(2017) 747 final REPORT FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL on the implementation of Regulation (EC) No 762/2008 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 9 July 2008 on the submission by Member States of statistics on aquaculture and repealing Council Regulation (EC) 788/96



TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. Background 2. Main findings 2.1. Timeliness and completeness 2.1.1. Timeliness 2.1.2. Completeness 2.2. Consistency 2.2.1. Quality and accuracy 2.2.2. Comparability 2.3. Relevance 2.4. Accessibility 2.4.1. Online database 2.4.2. Publications and data tables 2.4.3. Metadata 2.5. Data confidentiality 3. Burden and cost-effectiveness 4. Conclusions 5. Recommendations





1.Background The Commission (Eurostat) collects statistics on aquaculture under Regulation (EC) No 762/2008 of the European Parliament and of the Council. Article 11 of the Regulation states that, every three years, the Commission must provide the European Parliament and the Council with a report on the quality and relevance of the statistics reported by the Member States. The report must also analyse the cost-effectiveness of the data collection system and point out any best practices that could lessen the workload for Member States and lead to more useful, higher-quality data. The Regulation applies to all 28 EU Member States and to Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein (because it is of relevance to the EEA). Luxembourg and Liechtenstein do not have commercial aquaculture production and are therefore exempted from the data reporting obligation. This report is based primarily on the aquaculture quality reports submitted by the Member States for the reference year 2015. Most Member States filled out their 2015 quality reports in time to be considered for this evaluation report. However, Bulgaria, Italy and Poland did not, so information available for these countries was taken from previous quality reports. The Commission (Eurostat) also analysed the 2013-2015 aquaculture data. The European Statistical System (ESS) provided information on the total costs of collecting the data. As a result, this report assesses the timeliness, completeness, consistency, accessibility and confidentiality of the data overall; it also looks at the burden and cost-effectiveness of the data collection process. The previous evaluation reports on aquaculture statistics submitted under the Regulation were published in June 2015 (for 2011-2013 data) and in July 2012 (for 2008-2010 data). Both were six months late. This report has been published on time but covers only two years, as the 2016 data were not yet available when the report was drafted. 2.Main findings 2.1.Timeliness and completeness 2.1.1.Timeliness Most Member States met the data submission deadlines in recent years. However, a third of them sent some data sets after the deadline. In most cases the delay was relatively short. The Commission (Eurostat) has taken steps to find solutions with France and Italy, which have repeatedly been sending in data very late. The Commission (Eurostat) published the data immediately after validation. Valid data tend to appear on the Commission (Eurostat)’s public database by the end of March of the year after the deadline. Data may be revised any time throughout the year. 2.1.2.Completeness The main aquaculture dataset (production from aquaculture) was relatively complete. It has become more complete over time. The dataset on fish eggs for human consumption posed difficulties for a number of countries. The issue was discussed at the most recent Fisheries Statistics Working Group meeting in April 2017. In the table on input to capture-based aquaculture, unit prices were frequently missing. This was because the data set assembled data on seed fish collected from the wild. Some aquaculture facilities caught the seed fish themselves instead of buying them and in these cases the prices were difficult to estimate. There were some data gaps in the table linked to production from hatcheries and nurseries. Often, the reason for this was volatile production in countries where production volumes were very low. 2.2.Consistency 2.2.1.Quality and accuracy The overall quality of the data was good, since most countries have had a very high response rate to their data collection census. Almost all Member States judged the bias linked to non-response to be non-existent or insignificant. Very few reported measurement errors, sampling errors or data entry errors. Coverage errors were also negligible. Misclassification errors in species or methods were rare and had very little impact on data quality. 2.2.2.Comparability The Eurostat data collection guidelines introduced in 2015 have improved the geographical comparability of the data. The aquaculture statistics submitted to the Commission (Eurostat) under the Regulation are well comparable between the Member States.

Member States reported only minor differences stemming from methodological changes from the first data collection to the most recent (2015). 2.3.Relevance The data collected under the Regulation are essential for informed, evidence-based policymaking at both national and EU level. The data on production levels and trends are important in analysing the development of the aquaculture sector as part of the Common Fisheries Policy. And quantitative data are central in shaping the Member States’ multiannual national plans for sustainable aquaculture. They provide policymakers, industry and civil society with solid foundations on which to build the sector’s future. Moreover, the data are an important source for other organisations’ publications and services. The Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations and the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development rely heavily on the Regulation’s statistics. The European Market Observatory for Fisheries and Aquaculture Products uses Commission (Eurostat) data in compiling its structural analysis of the European fisheries and aquaculture industry. The World Trade Organisation uses European aquaculture statistics for its trade policy review. Almost all Member States confirmed the need for aquaculture production data at national level, too. Most national data needs were fully or almost fully met by the data collected under the Regulation. However, the Regulation does not cover important data on feed input, product destination, production cost, employment and other socioeconomic variables. Socioeconomic information is collected for marine aquaculture under Regulation (EU) 2017/1004. By contrast, some Member States referred to the data collection as too detailed and burdensome for national needs. 2.4.Accessibility 2.4.1.Online database The aquaculture statistics appear on the Commission (Eurostat)’s public database as the following datasets: ·Production from aquaculture excluding hatcheries and nurseries (fish_aq2a); ·Production of fish eggs for human consumption from aquaculture (fish_aq2b); ·Input to capture-based aquaculture (fish_aq3); ·Production of hatcheries and nurseries at eggs stage in life cycle (fish_aq4a); and ·Production of hatcheries and nurseries at juvenile stage in life cycle (fish_aq4b) In addition, half of the Member States have published the data in national online databases or as downloadable annual tables. Access to these products is always free of charge. 2.4.2.Publications and data tables The Commission (Eurostat) published data and articles on aquaculture in its online Statistics Explained collection and in statistical books. Most Member States published aquaculture statistics regularly in various reports, in some cases along with press releases. 2.4.3.Metadata The Commission (Eurostat) collected national quality reports every year, as required under Annex 6 to the Regulation. These reports contained detailed information on the quality of the data and on the methods used in collecting them. The national quality reports following the ESS guidelines were collected in the ESS Metadata Handler.