A review of the situation in the aquaculture industry in Latvia

Abstract

Aquaculture provides a healthy source of food for citizens, so aquaculture can be considered an ecological, economic and socially sustainable sector. Aquaculture products play a key role in human consumption because they contain a lot of protein and little fat, and are rich in omega-3 fatty acids and vitamin D. The history of aquaculture in Latvia dates back to the 13th century and at that time the pond farm was regarded as a lucrative auxiliary agricultural sector. In Latvia development of the aquaculture sector is supported by the Latvian Ministry of Agriculture with the Action Programme for Development of Fisheries (2021-2027). This medium-term plan shows that the aquaculture sector has the potential to become a very productive, competitive and environmentally friendly sector of the national economy. Research aim is to analyse the situation of aquaculture in Latvia. In order to achieve the objective, the following specific research tasks have been identified: 1) to examine the history of aquaculture in the territory of Latvia; 2) to analyse the laws and regulations of the aquaculture sector in Latvia; 3) to analyse the main indicators of the Latvian aquaculture sector. The study found that the number of aquaculture ponds had fallen by 7.5 % between 2014 and 2022, while the area of ponds had increased by 7.1 % by 2022. Carp is the most farmed fish in aquaculture enterprises in Latvia. In total, 80% of aquaculture production is sold directly fresh. Total production and sales amounted to 2.39 million EUR in 2022.