Greece (EU)
Top facts:
In 2022, Greece generated 142,007 tons of aquaculture products, mainly from marine cages. Ninety-seven percent of production value comprises European seabass, gilthead seabream, and Mediterranean mussels. Marine farms are categorized by annual production and divided into three categories: small (<300 tons), medium (300-1200 tons), and large (> 1200 tons).
A deeper dive:
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Marine fish farming was established in the early 1980s with strong European Union (EU) support in establishing pilot-scale farms.
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Freshwater aquaculture is less suitable in Greece due to limited freshwater resources.
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Marine fish farming in Greece provides 12000 direct and indirect jobs, mainly in remote and isolated areas.
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Land-based breeding stations provide fry (juvenile fish) to ongoing aquaculture facilities.
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Traditionally, mussel farming is carried out in hanging parks located in shallow waters in Northern Greece.
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Improvements in feed formulas and technologies for carnivore fish have reduced the feed conversion ratio to around 1.6 pelagic fish to farmed fish production.
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Greece is the largest producer of seabass and sea bream in Europe.
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Up to 78% of Mediterranean marine fish produced in Greece was exported to 32 countries, with the rest consumed locally.
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Since 2003, marine fish farming has had a larger market share than wild-caught fish.
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Several university departments and laboratories offer training in aquaculture, but the education level for most workers employed in aquaculture is poor.
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Greek aquaculture claims to produce fish in accordance with EU-directed standards for environmental protection, health and welfare, and consumer protection.
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A 2024 aquaculture congruence highlights that the lack of a modern and competitive regulatory framework is Greece’s aquaculture industry biggest problem.
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Sediment characteristics and geographic locations are the main drivers for pollutant accumulation around fish farms.
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University of Oxford research highlights that the rapid expansion of fish farms in the Mediterranean Sea is destroying Posidonia oceanica meadows– endemic seagrass vital to biodiversity and carbon sequestration.
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Eutrophication is caused by excess nitrates catalyzed by huge volumes of fish waste and remnants of fish feed.
Proposed Expansions and Community Resilience
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In 2011, during a financial crisis, Greece enacted a controversial law establishing 25 planned zones for aquaculture expansion, known as the POAY.
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The POAY increases areas permitted for aquaculture, expanding them 24-fold and granting a vast stretch of the country’s coastline to private companies.
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A Public opinion poll shows that 87% of residents on the Poros and Methana Islands disagree with their national governments’ plan to expand fish farms.
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On the Island of Poros, residents have protested the construction of aquaculture operations for over a decade, arguing that these farms cause environmental harm, bring little economic benefits, and rarely consider public input into design and implementation.
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In August 2025, protestors scored a huge victory when Greece’s central council for Urban Planning and Disputes unanimously rejected the POAY plan to increase allocated space for offshore fish farms.
Videos:
The Sanctuary of Poseidon - A Greek Island Stands Against Industrial Fish Farms (a film by LowCo Au)
Until the End of the World documentary - 10 Min Preview (English subtitles, ελληνικοί υπότιτλοι)
Operation Ghost Farms - The Documentary
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