France

France in the world and in the EU

In 2023, France was EU’s 2rd largest producer of aquaculture products and 3rd in fishery production.

Fishing fleet

Landings

Landings comprise the initial unloading of any fisheries products from on board a fishing vessel in a given Member State. They include aquatic plants and species not destined for human consumption. Landings are recorded in net weight and value, and concern landings made by vessels from EU Member States, Iceland, Norway and the UK. 

French landings include almost entirely fresh whole/gutted products destined for human consumption (smaller quantities include waste, animal feed, bait, unknown uses and products destined for industrial uses).

There are 452 fishing ports registered in the country (source: EU Master Data Register, 03 December 2025).

Main commercial species landed and % of total
2023, million euros (nominal value) and 1.000 tonnes

Aquaculture

Aquaculture consists in the farming of aquatic (fresh or saltwater) organisms, such as fish, molluscs, crustaceans and aquatic plants. Aquaculture data are reported in live weight equivalent and value.

In 2023, 82% of the French production occurred in sea and brackish waters and 18% in freshwater. The following main production methods were used:

• 72% of production: off bottom in sea and brackish water;
• 12% of production: tanks and raceways in freshwater;
• 3% of production: on bottom in sea and brackish water;
• 3% of production: on cages in sea and brackish water (slight portion in freshwater);
• 0,1% of production: in ponds, almost entirely in freshwater (slight portion in sea and brackish water);
• 2% of production: in recirculation systems in freshwater.
• The rest (4%) was farmed using other methods in sea and brackish water for which no detail is available.

Main commercial species farmed and % of total
2022, million euros (nominal value) and 1.000 tonnes

Producer organisations

Source: European Commission, List of the recognised producer organisations in the fishery and aquaculture sector

In France, 18 producer organisations (POs) and 2 associations of POs are formally recognized. Their role is to contribute to the achievement of the objectives of the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) and of the Common organisation of the markets (CMO) through the collective management of their members' activities. 

Of the 18 POs, 16 operate in the fishery sector and 2 in aquaculture. The two associations of POs operate in the fishery sector.

First sales

First sales concern the fish that is sold or registered at an auction center or to registered buyers or to producer organizations (PO). First sales may differ from landings since the former do not cover fish that is landed by vessels owned by processing companies or direct sales to processors.

In France, there are 35 auction markets: they are responsible for gathering and transmitting sales notes to FranceAgriMer, thanks to the RIC (Réseau Inter-Criées: Auction markets network). Of these:

• 17 are in the Bay of Biscay and Iberian coast
• 13 are in the Celtic sea
• 4 are in the Mediterranean
• 1 is in the North sea

In 2025, total first sales in these auctions amounted to 246.030 tonnes and 781 million euros. 

The top-3 auctions covered 18% and 23% of total first sales, respectively in volume and value terms. 

Wholesale

Wholesale is an intermediary stage in the distribution channel that buys in bulk and sells to resellers (e.g. retailers) rather than to consumers. 

In France, 11 wholesale market places (“marchés d’intérêt national” or MIN) are involved in sales of fishery and aquaculture products. About 100 fish wholesaling companies operate on these markets, out of which 42 are situated in the market of Paris-Rungis.

In 2019, Rungis sold 90.374 tonnes of fisheries and aquaculture products for a value of 889 million euros (source: https://www.rungisinternational.com). The “Réseau des nouvelles des marchés” (RNM) publishes daily, weekly and monthly price quotations on the wholesale market of Rungis (www.rnm.franceagrimer.fr).

Processing

According to Eurostat-SBS, 12.957 persons were employed in the French fish processing industry in 2023. The sector recorded a value added of 792 million euros, covering 2% of the value added of total manufacture of food products.

In 2024, the main products sold were “Prepared meals and dishes based on fish, crustaceans and molluscs”, “Fresh or chilled fish fillets and fish meat (including shark fins), whether or not minced” and “Fish fillets in batter or breadcrumbs including fish fingers (excluding prepared meals and dishes)” (source: Eurostat-PRODCOM). 

381 companies
Net turnover: 6
billion euros
(2024, source: Eurostat - SBS)

Import

Main commercial species imported
and % of total imports
2024, million euros (nominal value)

Export

Main commercial species exported
and % of total exports
2024, million euros (nominal value)

Distribution

The supply chain of fisheries and aquaculture products in France (source: FranceAgriMer):

“Mareyage” plays an essential role in the promotion of fishery products, representing the link between upstream and downstream of the seafood industry. It consists in buying fish from the coasts, preparing them (sorting, removing viscera or heads, cutting fillets), packaging them, transporting them and reselling them to a wholesaler or retail trader (fishmonger, restaurant, supermarket).

Consumption

In 2023, apparent consumption was estimated at 32,14 kg per capita, a slight 1% decrease compared with 2022. The most consumed species were salmon, cod, Alaska pollock and skipjack tuna (source: EUMOFA).

32,14 kg
per capita in live 
weight equivalent
(2023, sources: EUMOFA)

The country in EUMOFA