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
Date: 2017-12-12
Institutions: European Commission, Eurostat
Subjects: EU Member State, EU statistics, European Economic Area, Eurostat, access to information, aquaculture, data collection, disclosure of information, fishing statistics, statistical method

EN 

  EN 

   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 ..................................................................................................................... 3 

2.  MAIN FINDINGS ................................................................................................................... 3 

2.1.  Timeliness and completeness ...................................................................................... 3 

2.1.1.  Timeliness ........................................................................................................... 3 

2.1.2.  Completeness ...................................................................................................... 4 

2.2.  Consistency .................................................................................................................. 4 

2.2.1.  Quality and accuracy ........................................................................................... 4 

2.2.2.  Comparability ...................................................................................................... 4 

2.3.  Relevance ..................................................................................................................... 4 

2.4.  Accessibility ................................................................................................................ 5 

2.4.1.  Online database ................................................................................................... 5 

2.4.2. 

Publications and data tables ................................................................................ 5 

2.4.3.  Metadata .............................................................................................................. 5 

2.5.  Data confidentiality ..................................................................................................... 6 

3.  BURDEN AND COST-EFFECTIVENESS .................................................................................. 6 

4.  CONCLUSIONS ..................................................................................................................... 6 

5.  RECOMMENDATIONS .......................................................................................................... 7 

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1. 

BACKGROUND 

The  Commission  (Eurostat)  collects  statistics  on  aquaculture  under  Regulation  (EC) 
No 762/2008  of  the  European  Parliament  and  of  the  Council1.  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  20152 (for 2011-2013 data) and in  July 20123  (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.  

1  

2 

3  

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) 
No 788/96 (OJ L 218, 13.8.2008, p. 1). 
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) 
No 788/96; COM(2015) 297 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) 
No 788/96; COM(2012) 422 final. 

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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. 

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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)  2017/10044.  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  database5  as  the 
following datasets:   

  Production from aquaculture excluding hatcheries and nurseries (fish_aq2a); 
  Production of fish eggs for human consumption from aquaculture (fish_aq2b); 
 
  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) 

Input to capture-based aquaculture (fish_aq3); 

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 books6.  

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. 

The European reference metadata on aquaculture statistics are published on the  Commission 
(Eurostat)’s  public  database  with  the  data  tables  listed  above.  The  metadata  are  reviewed 
annually.   

2.5. 

Data confidentiality 

One  shortcoming  affecting  the  aquaculture  statistics  collected  under  the  Regulation  was  the 
high  number  of  confidential  data  cells.  There  were  two  main  reasons  for  this.  Firstly,  the 
Regulation calls for a highly detailed data structure, which in turn leads to very fragmented 

4  

5  
6  

Regulation (EU) 2017/1004 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 17 May 2017 on the 
establishment of a Union framework for the collection, management and use of data in the fisheries 
sector and support for scientific advice regarding the common fisheries policy and repealing Council 
Regulation (EC) No 199/2008 ( OJ L 157, 20.6.2017, p. 1). 
http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/data/database. 
The most recent is Agriculture, forestry and fishery statistics – 2016 edition, ISBN 978-92-79-63351-5. 
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data. Secondly, the aquaculture sector is highly specialised in its structure. This makes for a 
sector  with  a  limited  number  of  enterprises  dealing  in  very  few  species  with  one  main 
production method. As a result, a large number of data on single species and aggregates have 
become confidential.  

In  2015  almost  half  of  the  Member  States  faced  data  confidentiality  issues  with  the  main 
aquaculture production dataset. This meant that EU aggregates remained confidential for most 
species,  often because  of confidential  data in  a single Member State. However, the national 
total  production  volume  and  value  could  be  published  for  2014  and  2015  for  all  Member 
States. Confidential data from one Member State prevented publication of the EU aggregate 
for  capture-based  input  to  aquaculture.  EU-wide  production  of  fish  eggs  for  human 
consumption remained confidential because of niche production in three Member States. The 
data  on  the  production  from  hatcheries  and  nurseries  were  confidential  in  several  Member 
States.  

The Commission (Eurostat) and the Member States have invested time and effort to make as 
many figures as possible available to data users, while safeguarding statistical confidentiality 
and keeping the process as efficient as possible.  

3. 

BURDEN AND COST-EFFECTIVENESS 

The  time  and  effort  needed  to  collect,  compile  and  process  the  data  at  national  level  every 
year varied a great deal. Half of the Member States needed less than 10 weeks and the other 
half  more  than  10  weeks  to  compile  the  datasets,  as  required  by  the  Regulation.  The  time 
needed for the whole data collection process has not decreased in any Member State since the 
entry  into  force  of  the  Regulation,  indicating  that  it  has  been  difficult  for  them  to  boost 
efficiency. 

However,  some  Member  States  reported  that  they  had  managed  to  reduce  the  burden  on 
respondents. Questionnaires remained unchanged and respondents found that answering them 
became a matter of routine. Online questionnaires and tailor-made support for enterprises also 
helped  reduce  the  burden.  Respondents  needed  three  hours  on  average  to  fill  out  the 
questionnaire.  The  number  of  respondents  ranged  from  4 000  in  Germany  to  under  50  in 
Malta, Belgium, Cyprus and the Netherlands.  

The  ESS  carried  out  a  cost  analysis  of  European  statistical  products.  Cost  estimates  for 
aquaculture  statistics  were  received  from  20  Member  States.  The  average  annual  cost  of 
national data collection was approximately EUR 66 000, or an average of 0.18 % of the total 
value of aquaculture production. Some cost estimates did not reflect the total production cost 
of  aquaculture  statistics,  covering  only  the  direct  costs  that  the  national  institute  concerned 
had incurred. 

4. 

CONCLUSIONS 

In recent years aquaculture statistics have evolved into a stable set of data with fairly timely, 
complete and consistent output for data users not only at the European and global levels, but 
at  national  level  as  well.  They  provide  policymakers,  industry  and  civil  society  with  solid 
foundations on which to build the sector’s future development. 

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Some Member States have continued to face problems with the timeliness and punctuality of 
the data collection and delivery. The Eurostat data collection guidelines have helped make the 
aquaculture data collection more consistent.  

The main shortcoming affecting aquaculture statistics is the amount of confidential data. This 
is linked to the detailed breakdown of the data requirements set by the Regulation and to the 
aquaculture sector’s specialised and concentrated structure. 

Member  States  reduced  the  burden  on  respondents,  but  did  not  make  clear,  measurable 
efficiency gains. The average annual cost of producing aquaculture statistics was EUR 66 000 
per  country.  However,  the  average  share  of  the  data  collection  costs  in  the  total  economic 
value of aquaculture production was rather low. 

5. 

RECOMMENDATIONS 

The Commission (Eurostat) will continue working with the Member States on good practices, 
recommendations  and  guidelines  to  reduce  the  amount  of  confidential  data  delivered  to 
Eurostat under the Regulation. 

At the national level the use of electronic questionnaires should be further encouraged, as it 
helps make data collection more efficient. National data collection guidelines and helpdesks 
offering respondents tailor-made support are other examples of good practices.  

The Commission (Eurostat) strives for constant improvement in the quality and availability of 
European  statistics.  It  is  also  committed  to  reducing  the  burden  on  Member  States  and 
respondents. To this end, it has included in its Annual Work Programme 20177 a project on 
streamlining  and  simplifying  fishery  statistics.  This  project  looks  at  current  data  collection 
and draws up a strategy for making the aquaculture statistics more fit for purpose. The project 
ensures  coordination  to  dovetail  with  statistics  collected  under  Regulation  (EU)  2017/1004 
and  better  harmonisation  with  the  standard  aquaculture  questionnaire  recommended  by  the 
Coordinating Working Party on Fisheries Statistics8.  

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http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/web/ess/-/the-european-statistics-annual-work-programme-20-1 
The Coordinating Working Party on Fisheries Statistics (CWP) was established in 1959 by 
resolution 23/59 of the FAO Conference to coordinate the fishery statistical programmes of regional 
fishery bodies and other inter-governmental organisations. Its purpose is to (i) keep under continuous 
review the requirements for fishery statistics (including aquaculture); (ii) agree standard concepts, 
definitions, classifications and methodologies for the collection and collation of fishery statistics; and 
(iii) propose ways of coordinating and streamlining statistical activities among relevant 
intergovernmental organisations (http://www.fao.org/fishery/cwp/en). Recently, it has developed a draft 
standard aquaculture questionnaire as a recommendation for minimum requirements for aquaculture 
statistics.   

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