Study on EU Aquaculture: Greenhouse gas reduction costs and pathways to net zero by 2050

This study develops evidence-based pathways for the EU aquaculture sector to reach carbon neutrality by 2050, focusing on emissions arising along the full farming chain: hatchery and grow-out operations, feed production and transport, on-farm energy use, vessel use for cage and non-fed systems, and related infrastructure and logistics.

Emissions are quantified for five main production systems (cages, non-fed, ponds, raceways and recirculating aquaculture systems, RAS) over 2005–2024, providing the basis for assessing mitigation options and long-term transition pathways.

A harmonised EU‑wide database of CO₂equivalent emissions was built for all aquaculture species and five main production systems for 2005–2024 using life‑cycle assessment, filling data gaps with ecologically similar species and neighbouring countries and remodelling energy use with SimaPro to reflect national energy mixes.