Catalonia shows the commercial competitiveness of its fish and shellfish sector at Seafood Expo Global 2024

From 23 to 25 April Catalonia will be the world showcase for seafood with Seafood Expo Global, the leading international fair for the fish sector, held in Barcelona for the third year.

This year's Seafood Expo Global features 36 Catalan companies and organisations linked to the fish and shellfish sector, 20 of them in the Catalonia pavilion (Hall 2, stands 2G501) organised by the Department of Climate Action, Food and Rural Agenda through PRODECA, the Catalan food promotion agency, under the banner "World Region of Gastronomy 2025". Catalonia will thus maintain its profile as a world benchmark region, with food of excellence in terms of quality, tradition, innovation and health as already shown at the Alimentaria fair and which has made the country the first European region to receive this distinction.

Companies taking part under the "World Region of Gastronomy 2025" banner:

• ACUIDELTA – Baix Ebre
• ALFRISA – Vallès Occidental
• BARRUFET CONGELADO – Barcelonès
• BARRUFET, SA - Barcelona
• BLAQUS SEAFOOD - Baix Llobregat
• COCEDERO DE MARISCOS SA – Barcelonès
• D’ELITE – Maresme
• EASYFISH SL – Gironès
• EUROPEIX SA – Maresme
• FRIGORÍFICOS UNIDOS (FRIUSA) - Selva
• GRUPO ROS - FRESKIBO - Selva
• IBERDIGEST / SEAPRO - Alt Empordà
• J. GUTIÉRREZ FOOD TRADING - Vallès Occidental
• LABORATORIO DPA - Barcelonès
• LABORATORIO FISH&TECH SLU – Baix Llobregat
• MERCABARNA I GREMI DE MAJORISTES - Barcelonès
• PEIXOS DE PALAMÓS - Baix Empordà
• PASAPESCA – Barcelonès
• PH7 FOOD TECHONOLOGY – Baix Llobregat
• SANT LLUÍS - Barcelonès

Catalonia HUB, meeting point for the Catalan fisheries value chain

The Department of Climate Action, Food and Rural Agenda, through the Directorate General for Maritime Policy and Sustainable Fisheries, is organising the Catalonia HUB (Hall 2, stands 2G501), the meeting point for the whole Catalan fisheries value chain. Over the fair's three days around ten conferences, talks and food presentations will take place, with sustainability, governance and the sector's future as the main themes.

So, on 23 April the Catalan Sustainable Aquaculture Board will be constituted, bringing together various players from marine and inland aquaculture, the administration and scientists. Also on Tuesday 23, the focus will be the Mediterranean Restorative Aquaculture Centre (MRAC), devoted to studying sustainable forms of aquaculture, which will be based at IRTA's centre in la Ràpita. The session will close with the presentation of a collaborative initiative by producers from the Gulf of Roses and the Ebro Delta to adapt mussel production to climate change, with a tasting of the first zero-kilometre mussels, born in Girona and raised in the delta's bays.

They also local producers will promote Ebro Delta oysters and locally caught coastal seafood, and, to mark Sant Jordi's day, will offer a seafood tasting and a display about local fishing and aquaculture activities.

On Wednesday 24 April the Minister for Climate Action, Food and Rural Agenda, David Mascort, will speak at the session of the Cross-Sector Fish Board, made up of players along the fish value chain (fishers, retailers and wholesalers), with a showcooking by the Alícia Foundation to encourage fish consumption and convey to the public how important these products are for health, that there is seafood for every budget and that it can be cooked at home in no time.

Initiatives for reusing fishing by-products will also be presented (parts of the fish not suitable for human consumption) as a tool to reduce food waste.

On the fair's final day, Thursday 25 April, the Fisheries Local Action Groups (GALP) will present the projects to be carried out in the territory this year under the €2.5 million call co-financed by the European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund (EMFAF) and the Department of Climate Action, Food and Rural Agenda. Four initiatives developed in the previous period will be recognised: re-engining a charter fishing vessel for tourist routes, Delting Parks' water sports, adapting the Club Nàutic de l'Escala to make it more accessible and facilitate sailing for people with functional diversity, and the purchase of machinery and improvements to fishmongers' facilities for marketing fish from the Bay of Roses by Hermanos Martínez, SL.

Finally, the Catalan fishing sector will present its initiatives to improve production and marketing, together with the Catalan National Federation of Fishers' Guilds and Catalonia's 5 Fisheries Producer Organisations.

Living marine resources account for 36.1% of the production value of Catalonia's Blue Economy

According to the latest report on the Blue Economy (covering all economic activities linked to the sea, with 2020 data) produced by the Department of Climate Action, Food and Rural Agenda, the living marine resources sector (sea fishing, aquaculture and the marketing and processing of fishery products) for fish and its derivatives generated turnover of €4,641.8 million. This represents 36.1% of the production value of Catalonia's Blue Economy in 2020 and gross value added (GVA) of €650.70 million, equivalent to 23.8% of the GVA of Catalonia's Blue Economy in 2020.

As for direct employment from sea-related economic activities stood at 16,340 workers in 2020. This represents 15.2% of all people employed in Catalonia's Blue Economy in 2020.

Comparing Catalonia's overall Blue Economy indicators for 2020 with 2019 shows a sharp fall caused by the impact of the covid-19 crisis on the global economy: turnover fell 48.9%, gross value added (GVA) 62.5% and employment 48.5%. The living marine resources sector, however, proved highly resilient as an essential food supply sector and shows much smaller falls: turnover down 13.6%, gross value added (GVA) down 7.8% and employment down 6.1%.

Seafood Expo Global 2024 increases its exhibition space

The third edition of Seafood Expo Global - Seafood Processing Global to be held in Barcelona expects higher attendance this year, topping 34,000 professionals, with more than 50,000 m2 (51,227 m2, 4% more than in 2023) and over 2,000 exhibiting companies from 84 countries.

For three days Seafood Expo Global will bring together buyers, suppliers, industrial distributors and sector services from around the world to build business relationships, with a significant positive impact on the local economy: organisers put the economic impact for Barcelona at around €156 million.