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Whether it concerns food producers, retailers or kitchen manufacturers: Time and again, figures show that Germans cook more often at home and spend more money on food during the pandemic.
The fishing industry is now joining in.
According to current data from the Fish Information Center in Hamburg, households are buying more fresh fish than ever before.
Compared to the same month last year, 62 percent more fresh fish was sold in stores in March 2021, in quantities around 10,000 tons compared to 6,200 tons.
The most important sales channel was the MAP packaging at discounters and in supermarkets.
This means fresh fish in foil packaging on the refrigerated shelf.
But sales also increased significantly on the weekly markets.
Source: WORLD infographic
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It helped that the price level is seven percent lower.
This in turn is due to lower prices for farmed salmon, especially from Norway.
According to the data, frozen fish has also increased in sales - by four percent.
The trend is also evident in a niche supply among fish species: According to data from the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC), five times more fresh tuna was sold in Germany in 2020 than in the previous year, even if the amount remains comparatively low at 334 tonnes.
Source: WORLD infographic
Canned tuna has dominated the buyers' favor for decades, with a current sales share of 70 percent.
Again 95 percent of the cans contain the tuna type "Bonito".
Only the species “albacore tuna” and “yellowfin tuna” are still offered in the fish trade in this country.
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In general, German fish eaters often use canned food and marinades.
At 28 percent, their share of total fish sales is on par with frozen fish.
This is followed by smoked fish and fresh fish, each with twelve percent.
Source: WORLD infographic
The worldwide tuna stocks are only slowly recovering.
Tuna is caught in 23 large stocks in almost all seas.
According to a report by the United Nations, eight tuna stocks worldwide recovered to a “healthy stock size” between 2014 and 2019.
The number of overfished stocks has decreased from 13 to five.
Source: WORLD infographic
The MSC organization points out that almost a third of the 5.8 million tonnes landed catch worldwide is certified according to the fish seal.
It is true that the amount of fish caught in a controlled manner has tripled compared to 2018.
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Nevertheless, around two thirds of the tuna sold in Germany come from uncontrolled catches without the possibility of being able to trace the area, for example.
This applies "particularly to canned products in the lower price segment," writes MSC.
Source: WORLD infographic
Tuna is the third most popular food fish in Germany after salmon and Alaska pollock.
Consumers can obtain information in advance for their purchase.
If you have any questions about the origin of a species, the fish information center refers you to the “Fischbestände Online” website.