In 2002 the current 25 member states of the EU produced nearly 7.6 million tonnes of fishery products, or about 5% of the world total; however, between 1995 and 2002 EU25 production fell by 17%, while world production rose by 17%.
According to figures from Eurostat, the Statistical Office of the European Communities, Denmark (1.47 million tonnes) was the largest producer amongst the member states in 2002, followed by Spain (1.15 million tonnes), France (0.95 million tonnes) and the United Kingdom (0.87 million tonnes). Between 1995 and 2002 nearly all member states reported falls in production, with the largest decreases registered by Denmark (-28%), Spain (-18%), Poland (-44%) and Italy (-26%).
Within the European Economic Area (EEA), Norway (3.29 million tonnes) and Iceland (2.15 million tonnes) were the largest producers in 2002. Both Norway (+17%) and Iceland (+32%) recorded an increase in production between 1995 and 2002.
Aquaculture produced 1.27 million tonnes of fishery products in 2002, and has expanded its share of total EU25 production from the one eighth in 1995 to one sixth in 2002. Amongst the member states, the largest aquaculture producers in 2002 were Spain, France, Italy and the United Kingdom.
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