Germans bought less fish and seafood in 2023
Rising prices have somewhat dampened Germans' enthusiasm for fish and seafood. Last year, they bought 418,240 tons of fish and seafood, which is around 4.2% less than in 2022, according to Petra Weigl, chair of the Fish Information Center in Hamburg. They spent approximately €5.1 billion on this, which is nearly 3.7% more than the previous year.
"This is a record only surpassed by the two exceptional years during the COVID-19 pandemic," Weigl explained. In the last pre-COVID year of 2019, Germans bought nearly 401,000 tons of fish and seafood and spent around €4.1 billion. The average price per kilogram was then €9.80, but it reached €12.13 last year.
Last year, salmon replaced Alaska pollock as Germans' favorite fish. Following that were, as in the previous year, tuna, herring, and shrimp. As in the previous year, canned and frozen fish were the most popular, followed by crustaceans and mollusks, and then fresh fish.
Traditionally, the most fish is consumed in the north of the country. Schleswig-Holstein residents, with a per capita consumption of 6.7 kilograms, have overtaken Bremen residents, who consumed 6.4 kilograms. Hamburg and Lower Saxony followed with 6.1 kilograms each. For the second year in a row, Baden-Württemberg came last with 4.7 kilograms of fish per capita.
Despite the decrease in fish and seafood purchases, German consumers still spent a significant amount on salmon, making it their preferred choice last year. In fact, German expenditure on salmon increased by approximately 3.2% compared to 2019, reflecting their continued fondness for this German-imported fish.
