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
Date: 2023-10-19
Institutions: European Commission, Eurostat
Subjects: EU Member State, EU statistics, European Economic Area, aquaculture, data collection, disclosure of information, fishing statistics, statistical method

EN 

  EN 

   EUROPEAN COMMISSION  Brussels, 19.10.2023  COM(2023) 597 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  
 
 
1 

BACKGROUND 

The European 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 3 years, the Commission must submit to the European Parliament and the Council a report 
on  the  quality  and  relevance  of  the  statistics  compiled.  The  report  must  also  analyse  the  cost-
effectiveness  of  the  data-collection  system  and  emphasise  best  practices  that  could  reduce  the 
workload for Member States and lead to more useful, higher-quality data.  

The  Regulation  applies  to  Member  States  and  to  Norway,  Iceland  and  Liechtenstein  (EEA 
relevance).  Luxembourg  and  Liechtenstein  do  not  have  commercial  aquaculture  production  and 
are  therefore  exempted  from  the  data-reporting  obligation.  Candidate  countries  also  produce 
statistics and submit quality reports (all candidate countries sent data and quality  reports for the 
2021 reference year). 

This  report  is  based  primarily  on  the  aquaculture  quality  reports  submitted  by  the  above-
mentioned  reporting  countries.  Eurostat  also  analysed  the  2019-2020  aquaculture  data.  The 
European  Statistical  System  provided  information  on  the  total costs  of  collecting  the  data.  As  a 
result,  this  report  assesses  the  overall  timeliness,  completeness,  consistency,  relevance, 
accessibility, and clarity of the data. It also looks at the burden and cost-effectiveness of the data-
collection process. 

The  Commission  adopted  the  previous  evaluation  reports  on  aquaculture  statistics  submitted 
under Regulation (EC) No 762/2008 in June 20152
 (for 
2014-2015  data)  and  in  December  20204  (for  2016-2018  data).  This  report  covers  the  data  for 
2019-2020, quality reports for 2021, and declared costs for 2022. 

 (for 2011-2013 data), in December 20173

2  MAIN FINDINGS 

Eurostat strives to continually improve the quality and availability of European statistics. It is also 
committed to reducing the burden on Member States and respondents of producing statistics.  

Eurostat collects yearly quality reports on aquaculture statistics. These quality reports describe the 
methods  and  quality  aspects  of  data  collection  based  on  self-assessments  by  the  countries. 
Eurostat has used the national quality reports to compile an EU-level quality report5. The overall 

1  

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). 

2   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. 

3   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; 
COM(2017) 747 final. 

4   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; 
COM(2020) 809 final. 
https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/cache/metadata/EN/fish_aq_esqrs.htm. Available only in English. 

5  

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quality is good, as most of the countries follow a census approach, with non-responses either non-
existent or insignificant. 

A quality-management system is in place in more than half of the countries. The overall quality of 
aquaculture  statistics  has  improved  in  7  countries  since  last  reporting.  Most  improvements 
targeted timeliness  (11  countries),  followed  by  accuracy and  reliability  (8 countries).  Relevance 
improved in 4 countries, comparability in 3, and coherence in 2. 

2.1  Timeliness and punctuality 

Most  Member  States  have  met  the  data-submission  deadlines  in  recent  years.  The  compliance 
assessment for the aquaculture statistics for the reference years 2019 and 2020 has been compared 
with  that  of  previous  years.  Compared  with  the  data  collection  for  the  2018  reference  year,  the 
level  of  punctuality  slightly  improved  in  2019  and  2020.  However,  some  countries  are  still 
delivering quality reports after the deadline. 

When Eurostat identified inconsistencies, reporting countries were asked to check the data and to 
submit  corrected  revisions.  Feedback  and  revisions  were  mostly  sent  within  an  appropriate 
timeframe.  Several  reminders  were  required  in  only  a  few  cases.  In  terms  of  availability,  the 
number  of  missing  datasets  is  relatively  stable.  It  is  also  important  to  underline  that  significant 
efforts have been made by the reporting countries and Eurostat to further improve the quality of 
the data. 

2.2  Coherence and comparability  

2.2.1  Coherence 

The  aquaculture-production  statistics  are  based  on  concepts  and  definitions  laid  down  by  the 
Coordinating  Working  Party  on  Fishery  Statistics  (CWP)  and  are  therefore  coherent  with  both 
statistics  produced  by  the  UN’s  Food  and  Agriculture  Organization  and  other  international 
aquaculture statistics. 

2.2.2  Comparability 

In  October  2018,  Eurostat  published  a  handbook  for  aquaculture  statistics6,  which  has  further 
improved  the  consistency  –  and  therefore  the  comparability  –  of  the  data  between  countries. 
Eurostat  is  considering  the  possibility  of  further  updating  the  handbook  but  needs  to  carefully 
evaluate the cost/benefit ratio of this action as the new legislation will most probably require the 
complete redrafting of the handbook. 

The  length  of  the  time  series  –  and  therefore  comparability  over  time  –  varies  between  the 
countries.  On  geographical  comparability,  for  some  countries,  the  time  series  go  back  to  1970, 
while other countries started only in 2011. However, for the period covered by this report, data are 
comparable over time.  

There were serious concerns about the comparability of the data in the dataset on the structure of 
the  aquaculture  sector,  because  the  reporting  units  are  both  surfaces  and  volumes  depending  on 
the  type  of  species.  Because  of  this,  the  dataset  provides  users  with  ambiguous  information,  in 
particular when comparing data from countries that raise different species. 

Eurostat plans to find a viable solution to this issue in the proposed future regulation (see Chapter 
4). 

6  

https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/cache/metadata/Annexes/fish_aq_esms_an2.pdf. Available only in English. 

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2.3  Relevance 

2.3.1  User needs 

Aquaculture  statistics  are widely  used  by  various  data  users. They  form  the basis  for  other  data 
collections7, and in particular for data on freshwater aquaculture, where no other EU-level dataset 
is collected and published.  

The data collected under Regulation (EC) No 762/2008 are essential for informed, evidence-based 
policymaking  at  both  national  and  EU  level.  The  data  on  production  levels  and  trends  are 
important for analysing the development of the aquaculture sector as part of the common fisheries 
policy. Quantitative data are central in shaping the Member States’ multiannual national plans for 
sustainable aquaculture. They provide policymakers and industry with solid foundations on which 
to  build  the  sector’s future.  Moreover,  the  data  are  an  important  source  for  other  organisations’ 
publications  and  services.  For  example,  the  European  Market  Observatory  for  Fisheries  and 
Aquaculture Products uses European statistics on aquaculture to compile its structural analysis of 
the  European  fisheries  and  aquaculture  industry.  The  World  Trade  Organization  also  uses 
European statistics on aquaculture for its trade-policy review.  

In feedback, almost all Member States also confirmed the need for aquaculture-production data at 
national level. Most Member States have stated that national data needs were fully or almost fully 
met by the data collected under the Regulation. However, Regulation (EC) No 762/2008 does not 
cover  important  data  on  microalgae,  feed  and  juveniles  input,  and  product  destinations.  By 
contrast, some Member States referred to the data collection as too detailed and burdensome for 
national needs. Despite the relevance of aquaculture statistics, the evaluation of fisheries statistics 
has also confirmed a higher level of user dissatisfaction due to the unavailability of data caused by 
data confidentiality.  

2.3.2  Completeness 

The  main  aquaculture  dataset  (production  from  aquaculture)  was  relatively  complete.  It  has 
become more complete over time. Unfortunately, many values remain confidential, as the sector is 
very specialised.  

The  dataset  on  the  structure  of  the  aquaculture  sector  is  collected  every  3  years,  but  has 
comparability  issues  (see  Chapter  2.2.2  above).  For  this  reason,  the  dataset  has  not  yet  been 
published. 

In  general,  unit  prices  posed  difficulties  for  all  aquaculture-production  datasets.  This  is  mainly 
linked  to  confidentiality  values  and  to  the  different  methodologies  applied  by  the  reporting 
countries, which often report estimated values. 

2.4  Accessibility and clarity 

2.4.1  Online database 

Eurostat’s  public  database8  provides  European  statistics  on  aquaculture  with  the  following 
datasets:  

•  production from aquaculture excluding hatcheries and nurseries (fish_aq2a);  

7   Commission Implementing Decision (EU) No 2019/909 of 18 February 2019 establishing the list of 

mandatory research surveys and thresholds for the purposes of the multiannual Union programme for the 
collection and management of data in the fisheries and aquaculture sectors (OJ L 145, 4.6.2019, p. 21). 
http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/data/database.  

8  

3 

 
 
 
 
input to capture-based aquaculture (fish_aq3);  

•  production of fish eggs for human consumption from aquaculture (fish_aq2b);  
• 
•  production of hatcheries and nurseries at egg stage in life cycle (fish_aq4a); 
•  production of hatcheries and nurseries at juvenile stage in life cycle (fish_aq4b).  

In  addition,  half  of  the  Member  States  publish  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 

Eurostat  publishes  data  and  articles  on  aquaculture  in  its  online  ‘Statistics  Explained’ 
collection and in statistical books9. 

Most Member States publish aquaculture statistics regularly in various reports, in some cases 
together with press releases. 

2.4.3  Metadata 

Eurostat  collects  national  quality  reports  every  year,  as  required  under  Annex  6  to  Regulation 
(EC) No 762/2008. These reports contain detailed information on the quality of the data and on 
the methods used to collect the data.  
The European reference metadata, including an EU-level quality report on aquaculture statistics10, 
are published on Eurostat’s public database with the data tables listed above. Countries review the 
metadata each year. 

2.5  Data confidentiality 

A major shortcoming in aquaculture statistics collected under Regulation (EC) No 762/2008 is the 
high  number  of  confidential  data  cells.  There  are  three  main  reasons  for  this.  Firstly,  the 
Regulation  calls  for  a  detailed  data  structure,  which  in  turn  leads to  fragmented  data.  Secondly, 
the  aquaculture  sector  is  highly  specialised,  as  there  are  companies  that  grow  very  few  species 
with  one  main  production  method  or  production  environment.  Thirdly,  Eurostat  applies  a  strict 
rule for propagating the confidentiality when calculating aggregates (an aggregate is confidential 
if  at  least  one  value  that  composes  it  is  confidential).  Reporting  countries  indicated  that  this 
approach  protects  confidentiality  but  excessively  limits  the  publication  of  data  (especially  for 
aggregates).  

Eurostat has put in place some specific mechanisms to try to limit the impact of confidentiality for 
aggregates (e.g. by asking reporting countries to declare a non-confidential upper aggregate when 
this does not expose confidential data). This allowed the publication of all national aggregates and 
the EU total (2019 and 2020 reference years) for most datasets excluding ‘Input to capture-based 
aquaculture’ and ‘Production of hatcheries and nurseries at juveniles stage in life cycle’ (for the 
2020 reference year). 

It is worth noting that EU aggregates related to ‘Production of fish eggs for human consumption 
from  aquaculture’  are  confidential  for  2013,  2015,  2017  and  2018  (a  considerable  effort  was 
needed  to  publish  EU aggregates  since  2019), and  that the  confidential  data  of  a  single  country 
has been preventing the publication of EU aggregates for ‘input to capture-based aquaculture’ for 
more than 10 years.  

9  

The most recent is ‘Key figures on the European food chain – 2022 edition’, ISBN 978-92-76- 59661-5.  
 https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/documents/15216629/15559935/KS-FK-22-001-EN-N.pdf/1cb9d295-6868-
70e3-0319-4725040cfdb8?version=3.0&t=1670599965263. Available only in English. 

10   https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/cache/metadata/EN/fish_aq_esqrs.htm  

4 

 
 
 
 
Eurostat and the Member States have invested considerable time and effort into making as many 
figures  as  possible  available  to  data  users,  while  safeguarding  statistical  confidentiality  and 
keeping  the  process  as  efficient  as  possible.  A  solution  to  the  confidentiality  issue  is  clearly 
needed. A possible solution could rely on the definition of an alternative approach for propagating 
confidentiality in the aggregates. Eurostat is actively working to solve this issue and has created a 
dedicated  expert  group  on  a  ‘confidentiality  charter’  composed  of  reporting  countries’ 
representatives and Eurostat officials. 

3  BURDEN AND COST-EFFECTIVENESS 

Eurostat assessed the cost-effectiveness of aquaculture data collection under Regulation (EC) No 
762/2008 using the quality reports for 2021, together with the cost analysis by statistical product 
carried out each year by the European Statistical System. The cost analysis was based on costs for 
2022,  which  covered  the  aquaculture  data  collection  for  the  2021  reference  year.  A  total  of  26 
countries  replied  to  the  cost  analysis.  In  monetary  terms,  the  average  cost  of  producing 
aquaculture  statistics  (including  data  collection)  is  approximately  EUR 103  487  per  year  per 
country. Reported costs in both the previous and current reporting exercises show a decrease of 
1%  when  compared  with  the  average  in  the  2019  reference  year.  As  the  value  of  European 
aquaculture in the reporting countries was roughly EUR 10 billion in 2020, the share of the data-
collection costs in the total economic value of aquaculture production was around 0.03%. 

A total of 29 EU Member States and EEA countries submitted the 2021 quality reports. The vast 
majority have corresponding national legislation covering the statistics compiled under Regulation 
(EC)  No  762/2008,  and  only  3  countries  reported  a  difference  in  the  adopted  definitions. 
Reporting countries can derive the data from multiple sources, but 26 countries collect the data as 
a  census  and  3  derive  the  dataset  from  administrative  sources  (8  countries  use  both  approaches 
simultaneously).  There  are  4  countries  that  complement  census  or  administrative  sources  with 
expert  estimates  and  2  that  complement  census  or  administrative  sources  with  sample  surveys. 
None reported the use of other sources. 

A  total  of  19  countries  reported  on  efficiency  gains.  The  main  efficiency  gains  were  linked  to 
further  automation  (6  countries)  and  online  surveys  (6  countries),  and  to  the  increased  use  of 
administrative  data  (5 countries).  There  were  burden  reductions  in  8 countries.  Multiple  uses  of 
data  and  more  user-friendly  questionnaires  were  the  most  common  types  of  burden-reduction 
measures.  

From  the  quality  reports,  it  appears  that  more  than  three  quarters  of  the  countries  collect  data 
directly  from  the  facilities  at  production-unit  level,  while  the  other  countries  ask  company 
managers to fill out questionnaires for all their facilities. Collecting data at company level makes 
reporting under Regulation (EU) 2017/1004 easier. The idea of covering both regulations with one 
data-collection exercise was investigated further in 2022 to reduce the overall burden for Member 
States. Nevertheless, reporting countries found  it useful to maintain the two distinct approaches, 
as  data  from  the  ‘facility’  make  possible  a  regional  vision  that  is  lost  when  opting  for  a  higher 
level of aggregation at ‘company’ level. 

A  number  of  reporting  countries  suggested  improvements  to  reduce  the  burden  of  Regulation 
(EC) No 762/2008. Two improvements in particular were suggested: (i) improving coordination 
with other stakeholders, such as the EU Directorate-General for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, in 
particular, the Data Collection Framework (DCF) procedures; and (ii) improvements on deadline 
synchronisation. 16 countries stated that they are implementing strategies and actions to improve 
the quality of data collection, to increase accuracy, or to reduce burden on the reporting units. 

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4  WAY FORWARD: STREAMLINING AND SIMPLIFYING EUROPEAN FISHERY STATISTICS 

In 2018, Eurostat launched the project ‘Streamlining and simplifying European fishery statistics’. 
The project consists of: (i) an evaluation of the current aquaculture, catch and landing statistics; 
and  (ii)  an  impact  assessment  of  future  policy  options  and  possible  future  legislation.  The 
evaluation, which also covered the functioning of Regulation (EC) No 762/2008 on aquaculture, 
was concluded in 201911. 

The impact assessment of European fisheries statistics (EFS) was launched in early 2020 with: (i) 
the  formation  of  a  Commission  inter-service  group  supporting  Eurostat  in  its  work;  and  (ii)  the 
publication  of  an  inception  impact-assessment  roadmap  for  feedback  from  21 April  to 
19 May 2020.  

The options under assessment were: 

•  Option 1: Baseline scenario: Continuation of the current policy; 
•  Option 2: Discontinuation of EFS; 
•  Option 3: A new streamlined legal framework for EFS; 
•  Option  4:  A  new  legal  basis  for  aquaculture  and  the  compilation  of  other  fisheries 

statistics from EU-level administrative sources. 

A  public  consultation on the  objectives,  possible  options,  and  impacts  of the  options  ran  on  the 
Commission’s ‘Have your say’ web platform from 20 July to 23 November 202012, and a parallel 
expert consultation on specific data needs for fisheries ran until the end of August 2020. 

The  evaluation  collected  evidence  from  EFS  stakeholders,  for  example  via  a  workshop,  case 
studies,  in-depth  interviews,  questionnaires,  and  other  consultation  activities.  The  results  of  all 
these  consultations  were  considered  in  the  impact  assessment  report.  The  impact  assessment 
report  contains  sections  on  a  variety  of  topics,  including:  (i)  definition  of  the  problem;  (ii) 
objectives; (iii) options; (iv) analysis and comparison of the options’ impacts; and (v) monitoring 
and evaluation. The impact assessment received a positive opinion from the Regulatory Scrutiny 
Board,  an  independent  advisory  body  within  the  Commission,  and  was  finalised  in  November 
2021. It will be published with the new legislative proposal, expected for 2024.  

In light of the evaluation, the impact assessment, the results of the consultation activities, and the 
discussions  with  the  stakeholders,  the  preferred  option  is  clearly  option  3  –  a  new  streamlined 
legal  framework  for  EFS.  This  choice  is  supported  by  the  main  data  users  (DG  MARE,  the 
OECD,  the  UN  Food  and  Agriculture  Organization,  ICES,  and  several  regional  fisheries 
management  organisations)  and  a  large  majority  of  the  representatives  of  the  national  statistical 
authorities responsible for fisheries statistics.  

Option 3 was also the preferred option in the public consultation. The supporters of option 3 were 
regional authorities, national authorities, international authorities, and NGOs. Option 3 scored the 
most  positive  impacts  with  all  stakeholder  groups.  In  addition,  only  very  few  respondents 
identified negative impacts for option 3.  

The  Commission  is  currently  drafting  the  proposed  new  legal  framework  for  EFS  in  close 
cooperation with the data users and national data providers. The Commission plans to adopt the 
legal proposal in 2024. 

Inefficiencies remain when communicating data with other organisations or other EC data owners 
(namely those of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization and those collected under Regulation 

11 

12 

https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/documents/64157/4375784/SWD 2019 425 F1 SWD EVALUATION EN V2 
P1 1058634.pdf 
https://ec.europa.eu/info/law/better-regulation/have-your-say/initiatives/12344-European-fishery-
statistics/public-consultation. 

6 

 
 
 
 
(EU)  No  2017/1004  repealing  Regulation  (EC)  No  199/2008).  The  new  EFS  regulation,  now 
proposed  under  the  name  ‘European  Fisheries  and  Aquaculture  Statistics’  (EFAS),  could  be  an 
opportunity  to  adjust  the  formats  and  deadlines  allowing  for  the  smoother  transfer  and  multiple 
use of collected data. 

In  line  with  the  Commission’s  communication  ‘Towards  a  Strong  and  Sustainable  EU  Algae 
Sector’  (COM/2022/592)13,  the  Joint  Research  Centre  recently  issued  a  report  Biomass 
production,  supply,  uses and  flows  in  the  EU14  concerning  data  on algae  aquaculture.  The  Joint 
Research  Centre’s  report  recommends:  (i)  assessing  and  comparing  Eurostat  data  on  algae 
aquaculture  with  other  successful  international  systems  (e.g.  those  of  Chile);  and  (ii)  the 
implementation  of  training  programmes  for  harvesters,  producers  and  personnel  that  record  and 
process these data, thus ensuring the correct identification of species. Additionally, the report calls 
attention to the need to align national systems across Europe to ensure harmonisation (e.g. units of 
measure,  species  classifications  used,  times,  locations),  including  the  development  of  a  user-
friendly system to easily record the quantity of seaweed produced by harvest or aquaculture.  

5  CONCLUSIONS 

Published aquaculture statistics are a stable dataset with hundreds of data downloads every month.  

However,  the  consultation  activities  carried  out  as  part  of  the  recent  evaluation  and  impact 
assessment  of  European  fisheries  statistics  demonstrated  that  aquaculture  statistics  have  many 
dissatisfied users. This is likely related to the large number of confidential values in the dataset, 
which makes it harder to use. Confidential cells are linked to the detailed breakdown of the data 
requirements set by Regulation (EC) No 762/2008 and to the aquaculture sector’s specialised and 
concentrated structure. 

Improvements are also needed in deciding on a viable approach for describing the structure of the 
aquaculture sector with comparable data (see Chapter 2.2.2). 

The need of supporting a strong and sustainable European algae sector was underlined. 

Only a few reporting countries continue to face problems with the timeliness and punctuality of 
data  collection  and  delivery.  The  Eurostat  data-collection  guidelines  and  other  implemented 
strategies have helped make the collection of aquaculture data more consistent.  

In  some  countries,  the  burden  of  collecting  data  was  reduced  in  recent  years.  Additionally,  a 
measurable  efficiency  gains  were  observed.  The  share  of  the  data-collection  costs  in  the  total 
economic value of aquaculture production was around 0.03% or, in other words, rather low.  

13   https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/ALL/?uri=COM:2022:592:FIN.  
14   https://publications.jrc.ec.europa.eu/repository/handle/JRC132358.  

7