Spain can boast a rich Gastronomic tradition Based on fish. Neither that, nor his kilometers of coastnor the millions of euros that move the ports of the country every year have prevented, however, fish are going through a particular journey through the desert in Spanish households, a marked by the collapse per capita and the closure of thousands and thousands of fishmongers.
After that phenomenon there are several keys, such as cultural and educational changes that affect the purchase or perception that consumers have of their cost, but there is also another interesting factor: we increasingly associate fish to leisure and less to our refrigerators. We may not consider cooking a lubina for noon, but we like to go to dinner Sushi, Sashimi, Pokés or Cebiche.
A percentage: 32%. They do not run good times for the fish industry. Not at least in Spain. The fish markets and fishmongers have been losing strength in the shopping basket at a speed that is evident in the consumer data per capita at home calculated by the Ministry: if in 2014 each Spanish consumed on average 26.4 kilos of fish a year, in 2024 that indicator already marked 17.9 kg. In short: a 32% collapse in just a decade. If we expand the comparison the setback is even greater. In 2009 it is They touched the 30 kg.
A negative trend. The Last data Nor do they invite optimism. According to the latest tables of the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Fisheries (Map) on domestic consumption, in May each Spaniard ate 1.48 kg, in which 17 euros were spent. The consumption data is more or less similar to that of last year, but moves away from the 2.13 kg of 2015 or 2.33 kg of 2005.
In his Sectorial Report More recent, with data from the month of March, the department of Luis Planas warned that in the last year the acquisitions of fish in Spanish homes had fallen 4.3%, a percentage that has been felt especially in businesses with fresh merchandise, rather than in frozen.
A figure: 5,000 businesses. The fall in fish purchases not only shows us what we eat at home, it also leaves a clear business reading. That ‘prick’ of consumption has come accompanied by the closure of 5,000 fishmongers in Spain, such as I remembered a few days ago The newspaper. “A third of the 15,000 fishmongers that existed in 2007 has been lost, which means the closure of more than 350 traditional fishmongers per year,” corroborates Fedepesca. “It has also been passed in the same period of 26,237 people in the sector occupied at 18,396”.
Although the closure of establishments coincides with changes in consumption and a lower presence of fish in the country’s refrigerators, Fedepesca acknowledges that this is not the only challenge in the sector. “There is no generational relief”, regrets before aiming factors such as commercial schedules or the lack of a firm commitment at the formative level. In an attempt to diversify their income, there are those who have even begun to probe new business roads, such as pet food.
Does all fish fall? The truth is that no. And that is one of the keys that help us better understand the changes in the consumption of fish that Spain is living. In your report ‘Fishing month by month’Map points out that there are certain species that have seen their demand increase throughout the last year, such as trout (19.4%), the lubina (18.4%), the sardine and anchovy (11.5%) and the salmon (11%).
The demand for salmon and smoked trout have also grown, 25 and 12% respectively. It highlights above all the evolution of the salmon, not so much for its percentage of growth and for its volume, with one of the greatest per capita consumption among the species identified by the map.
More fish (away from home). There is another equally interesting indicator. Fish consumption may descend In homesbut his behavior is better away from home. He report Mercasa on “Extra -Roma Consumption” of 2024 suggests that the product is improving its best reception in restaurants, bars, hotels and other businesses where people can eat without cooking.
To be more precise, the firm has identified that in 2023 they were consumed through that route almost 150 million kilos2.6% more than in 2022. And although the data is not yet at levels prior to the pandemic, it is the largest since 2019.
“It is 6.3 kilos of average per capita consumption. During the last year, 68.1% of consumers between 15 and 75 years have taken fish or seafood in some consumption outside the home,” Mercasa points out Before detailing that when the Spaniards leave home they are interested above all for seafood, such as shrimp and prawns, and squid. “In terms of consumption, fish concentrate 56.6% and the participation of salmon and sardines is significant.” During the first quarter of 2025 the “extra -adntal consumption” of fish has continued to increase, with a growth of 8.1% With respect to the 2024 start.
What tells us that? That perhaps we consummate less fish in our homes and in general (sum of the domestic and extra -encouragement channel) we pay less attention when planning our meals, but its demand does not evolve the same at home than outside the home. In fact, fish loss has coincided with the rise in other types of business linked in part to fish: premises specialized in sushi, sashimi, poké and cebiche, dishes of foreign gastronomies in which fish also plays a relevant role.
Increasingly associated with leisure. Seen otherwise, fish consumption loses strength in homes, but seems to be reinforced in others oriented to ‘leisure’. From the companies in the sector a problem of “perception” Among consumers related to the price of fish, but the reality is that there are businesses that have managed to take advantage of it. In recent years they have not lacked Voices that They claim That the increase in salmon consumption, one of the products that best responds, is directly related to the rise of Asian cuisine.
Beyond the opening of business and even franchises, the interest in the new ways of preparing fish was evident during the pandemic: according to ASEFAPRE, the association of manufacturers of prepared dishes, in 2020 the consumption of sushi in the home grew until reaching the 2,715 t. The group even speaks of a 50% demand growth in three years. It is nothing surprising. There are those who Like Juan Roighe is convinced that cooking at home has the days counted and in the future consumers will take food ready to our homes.
Images | Álvaro (Flickr), Grupo Eroski S.Coop (Flickr)
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