In 2023, the total EU fish catch was estimated at 3.3 million tonnes live weight from the seven marine areas covered by EU statistics. This continued the downward trend in catches since 4.6 million tonnes were caught in 2018. The Spanish fishing fleet accounted for just over a fifth of all EU catches in 2023 (21%; 698,000 t), followed by Denmark (15%; 495,000 t) and France (14%; 470,000 t).

Around 72% of the EU's total catches were made in the North-East Atlantic area. The main species caught in this area were herring (18%), blue whiting (16%), sprat (13%) and mackerel (10%). Around one fifth of the total live weight caught by the EU in this area was caught by the Danish fishing fleet (21%), followed by the French (15%) and Spanish (11%).

Almost 10% of the EU's total catch was caught in the Mediterranean and Black Sea, where the main species caught were sardines (19%) and anchovies (18%). The Italian fleet caught 37% of the EU's catch in this area, followed by Greece (20%), Croatia (18%) and Spain (17%).

Catches in the Western Indian Ocean area accounted for 6% of the total EU catch. The vast majority (94%) of the total live weight caught by the EU fishing fleet was tuna, in particular skipjack and yellowfin tuna. Around two-thirds of the EU catch in the area was caught by the Spanish fleet (68%), with most of the remainder by France (30%).

Another 6% of the EU's total catch was caught in the Eastern Central Atlantic area. The main catches in this area were horse mackerel and skipjack tuna (each 21%), followed by yellowfin tuna (13%) and mackerel (11%). Among EU countries, Spain (40%), France (16%) and the Netherlands (11%) accounted for the majority of catches in this area.

Only 6% of the total EU catches were made in the three remaining marine areas. The main species caught in these areas were: hake and squid (Southwest Atlantic area), blue sharks, skipjack and yellowfin tuna (Southeast Atlantic area) and redfish, halibut and cod (Northwest Atlantic area).