The decline of mussel aquaculture in the European Union: causes, economic impacts and opportunities

In contrast to the increasing aquaculture production of mussels worldwide, production in the European Union (EU) has shown a decreasing trend over the last two decades. Aquaculture production of mussels in the EU peaked in the late 1990s at more than 600 000 tonnes; by 2016, production volume had dr...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Reviews in aquaculture 2021-01, Vol.13 (1), p.91-118
Main Authors: Avdelas, Lamprakis, Avdic‐Mravlje, Edo, Borges Marques, Ana Cristina, Cano, Suzana, Capelle, Jacob J., Carvalho, Natacha, Cozzolino, Maria, Dennis, John, Ellis, Tim, Fernández Polanco, José M., Guillen, Jordi, Lasner, Tobias, Le Bihan, Véronique, Llorente, Ignacio, Mol, Arie, Nicheva, Simona, Nielsen, Rasmus, Oostenbrugge, Hans, Villasante, Sebastian, Visnic, Svjetlana, Zhelev, Kolyo, Asche, Frank
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
access to space
Aquaculture
atomization
Cost analysis
Economic analysis
Economic impact
economic performance
Economics
Environmental factors
Longline fishing
low impact
Mollusks
Mussels
Profitability
Spat
swot analysis
Threat evaluation
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Summary:In contrast to the increasing aquaculture production of mussels worldwide, production in the European Union (EU) has shown a decreasing trend over the last two decades. Aquaculture production of mussels in the EU peaked in the late 1990s at more than 600 000 tonnes; by 2016, production volume had dropped by 20% to 480 000 tonnes. As mussel production represents more than ⅓ of EU aquaculture production, this decrease is an important contributor to the stagnation of EU aquaculture. Previous studies have suggested diseases, lack of mussel seed (spat), and low profitability as the main causes of the EU mussel production decrease. In this study, we investigate how economic and environmental factors have contributed. Moreover, we examine if the different mussel production techniques (raft, longline, on‐bottom, and ‘bouchot’) have been differently affected, by analysing the economic performance and cost structure evolution for the period 2010–2016. We complement these results with a SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats) analysis of the EU mussel sector based on expert knowledge.
ISSN:1753-5123
1753-5131
DOI:10.1111/raq.12465