The EU’s fishing fleet totalled 68,863 catching vessels in 2024, down steadily over the past decade in vessel numbers, capacity and engine power.
The figures are drawn from "Key figures on the European food chain — 2025 edition," published in December, which tracks food from production to consumption and includes environmental concerns, Eurostat announced on Monday.
In 2024, the EU fleet had a gross tonnage of 1.2 million tonnes — a measure of fish-holding capacity — and total engine power of 5.0 million kilowatts, an indicator of the power available for fishing gear.
Most vessels in the EU fleet were no more than 10 metres long.
Fleet shrank compared with 2014
Compared with 2014, the EU fleet had 10,850 fewer vessels in 2024, a fall of 13.6%.
The fleet’s combined gross tonnage was 14.9% smaller over the same period, while total engine power was 12.3% lower.
