| |
France
|
Greece
|
Italy
|
Spain
|
| Fish & sea-food (tonnes) |
2,150,990
|
464,538
|
1,746,207
|
2,364,495
|
| Per Capita consumption (Kg) |
35.3
|
42.5
|
30.1
|
58.7
|
| of which |
|
|
|
|
| Marine fish (tonnes) |
138,666
|
26,502
|
102,755
|
131,068
|
| Per Capita consumption (Kg) |
2.3
|
2.4
|
1.8
|
3.3
|
| Freshwater fish (tonnes) |
215,780
|
30,206
|
98,094
|
62,745
|
| Per Capita consumption (Kg) |
3.5
|
2.8
|
1.7
|
1.6
|
Source: GIRA and FAO statistics
Importance of fresh fish in general
Fresh fish is generally considered to be important by the modern multiple retailers, not necessarily in terms of profitability, as the fish department is expensive in terms of labour cost, but because it gives a good brandimage to the store.
This is not as true in Greece, since the Greek consumer traditionally is not a major fish-eater, and not all retail chains have fish counters in their stores yet. Fruit and vegetables are more important than fish in Greece to create a good store image.
The share of Mediterranean fish in overall fresh fish consumption is very different from one country to another. The two extremes are:
-
Greece, where Mediterranean fish accounts for an estimated 70% to 75% of the overall fish consumed, and where Greek origin is very important. This can even lead to frauds, as Greece has to import some species, given limited domestic supplies
-
Italy, where consumers do not reason in terms of geographical origins and where Mediterranean fish is mostly imported and farmed anyway.
Mediterranean fish has a globally positive image of “freshness” and “holidays”. However, its price is higher than Atlantic fish.
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