Spain is both a large producer and a major consumer of seafood, with a total production of 1.3 million tonnes in 2015 and an annual per capita consumption level of 25.9 kg. On average, Spanish consumers spend EUR 200 per year on seafood (source: MERCASA report, 2016). Spain is the also the top aquaculture producer in the EU, accounting for 22% of total production volume (source: Euro Parl, 2017). Mediterranean mussels are the main farmed species, making up 75% of the total harvest, followed by sea bass and sea bream.

Spain is the 3^rd largest seafood importer in the world by value, with imports rising significantly over time from 136 700 tonnes in 1976 to 170 million tonnes in 2016. Among the main imported seafood products are demersal fish (such as cod and hake), cephalopods and crustaceans. Morocco, Ecuador and Argentina are the leading suppliers. Within the EU, Spanish imports originate primarily in Portugal and France (source: EUMOFA, 2016).

In 2016, the value of EU exports of fish and fishery products increased by 3.7 percent compared with 2015 to USD 5.9 billion (external trade only). Atlantic salmon, groundfish, small pelagics and molluscs made up the bulk of the traded species.

The Spanish seafood processing sector is the largest in Europe.  According to 2015 data from CONXEMAR, there are 374 and 201 Spanish companies operating in the seafood processing and marketing sectors respectively, employing 28 266 workers in total. The industry generated a turnover of EUR 12 billion in 2015. Canned tuna is the most significant output of the Spanish processing industry.

Graphs and tables are based on statistics prepared by the FAO Statistics and Information Branch, Fisheries and Aquaculture Department. 

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Bivalves, groundfish and cephalopods