The European seafood market is in constant evolution, characterised by a slow but steady rise in demand, increased imports from third countries due to stagnant European production, rising demand for fresh and value-added products and reduced demand for unsophisticated frozen and canned products. At the same time, the growing role of supermarkets in food and seafood sales has consequences also for the freshwater aquaculture sector. On the one hand, concentration of demand puts a pressure on producers’ margins; on the other hand supermarkets increase overall seafood sales in regions with traditionally low seafood demand through improved availability of product on offer to the consumer.
There is much substitution among products and fast-growing species such as salmon are often supported by promotional campaigns or have special product characteristics that enable them to gain market share in a very short time. An example of the latter is imported fresh fillets of Nile perch, airborne to Europe from Lake Victoria.
Overall international trade in freshwater products is limited, partly caused by high transportation costs compared to product value. Exceptions are frozen trout from Finland and Norway to Japan, eel to China, fresh tilapia from Africa to Europe and from Ecuador and Taiwan to the US, frozen catfish from Vietnam to the US, and fresh Nile perch to Europe from Africa. In these cases, the market price has been high enough to overcome the considerable cost of transportation. The high market price has been possible because of the attractive image of the product in the market place and its strong competitive position in the local market.
Regarding the main freshwater species farmed in Europe, carp and trout, fragmentation on producer level is an obstacle to product development and effective marketing. For carp, a potential market is to be found in the fast-growing ethnic restaurant market, especially Asian and Chinese. However, it has also been suggested that promoting carp demand on this market could result in increased carp imports from third countries.
Both carp and trout suffer to some degree from a very traditional image and lack of product development. Highlighting the positive aspects of freshwater aquaculture and the product characteristics is thought to be necessary in order to increase sales and improve prices and margins. Creating awareness among consumers through promotional activities, following the example of the American Catfish Institute is instrumental in this respect.
