Catalonia will become the world showcase for seafood products from 23 to 25 April with Seafood Expo Global, the leading international exhibition dedicated to the fish sector, which is being held in Barcelona for the third time.
Catalonia HUB – a meeting point for the value chain of Catalan fish products
The Government of Catalonia is organising the Catalonia HUB (Hall 2, stands 2G501), which will be the meeting point for the entire value chain of Catalan fishery products. A dozen conferences, lectures and gastronomic presentations will take place over the three days of the fair, with sustainability, governance and the future of the sector as the main themes.
36 Catalan companies and organisations from the fish and seafood industry present at Seafood
Furthermore, 36 Catalan companies and organisations linked to the fish and seafood industry are taking part in this year’s Seafood Expo Global; 20 of them will be in the Catalonia pavilion (Hall 2, stands 2G501) organised by the Government, with the theme “World Gastronomy Region 2025”. Catalonia will thereby maintain its high profile as a leading international region, providing excellent food in terms of quality, tradition, innovation and health, which it showcased at the Alimentaria trade fair, and which has led Catalonia to become the first European region to receive this award.
Living marine resources account for 36.1% of the production value of the Blue Economy in Catalonia
According to the latest report on the Blue Economy in Catalonia (covering all economic activities linked to the sea with data from 2020) produced by the Government of Catalonia, the living marine resources sector (sea fishing, aquaculture and marketing and processing of fish products) of fish and fish by-products generated a turnover of 4,641.8 million euros. This figure accounts for 36.1% of the production value of the blue economy in Catalonia in 2020, and a gross value added (GVA) of 650.70 million euros, equivalent to 23.8% of the GVA of the blue economy in Catalonia in 2020.
The direct employment arising from economic activities related to the sea amounted to 16,340 jobs in 2020. This figure accounts for 15.2% of the total number of people employed in the blue economy in Catalonia in 2020.
The comparison of the global indicators of the blue economy in Catalonia in 2020 compared to the figures for 2019 shows a significant reduction caused by the impact of the global economy due to the Covid-19 crisis. In specific terms, there was a decline in turnover of 48.9%, 62.5% in gross value added (GVA) and 48.5% in employment. However, the living marine resources sector has proven to be highly resilient to the crisis as an essential food supply sector and shows much lower rates of decline: there was a decline of 13.6% in turnover, 7.8% in gross value added (GVA) and 6.1% in employment.
Seafood Expo Global 2024 increases its exhibition space
The third edition of the Seafood Expo Global/Seafood Processing Global exhibition to be held in Barcelona expects increased attendance by visitors this year and participation by over 34,000 professionals. It will cover more than 50,000 m2 (51,227 m2, 4% more than in 2023) and feature more than 2,000 exhibiting companies from 84 countries.
The Seafood Expo Global event will bring together buyers, suppliers, industry distributors and services from all over the world for three days of business networking, and will have a significant positive impact on the local economy: the organisers estimate the economic impact for Barcelona at 156 million euros.
