Fish catch
Kiirviited
- Purpose
- Type of activity
- Statistical presentation
- Unit of measure
- Reference period
- Institutional mandate
- Confidentiality
- Release policy
- Frequenct of dissemination
- Accessibility and clarity
- Quality management
- Relevance
- Accuracy and reliability
- Timeliness and punctuality
- Coherence and comparability
- Cost and burden
- Data revision
- Statistical processing
- Comment
Kontakt
Contact organisation: Statistics Estonia
Contact organisation unit: Economic and Environmental Statistics Department
Contact name: Anton Kardakov
Contact person function: Agricultural and Technology Statistics Service Team, Leading Analyst
Contact mail address: 51 Tatari Str, 10134 Tallinn, Estonia
Contact email address: anton.kardakov@stat.ee
Contact phone number: 372 5334 5697
Metadata last certified 25/02/2026
Metadata last update 09/07/2025
Purpose
The purpose of the statistical activity is to provide information about fish catch from the ocean, the Baltic Sea and inland waters by fish species. The data are used to develop, monitor and evaluate the European Union's Common Fisheries Policy. Fishing data also contribute to the promotion of sustainable fisheries and food security.
Type of activity
Administrative data process
Statistical presentation
Data description (S.3.1)
Ocean fish catch by species; the Baltic Sea fish catch by economic activity and species; inland waters fish catch by waterbody and species
Classification system (S.3.2)
Sector coverage (S.3.3)
The data cover marine and freshwater fishing.
The Classification of Economic Activities in Estonia (EMTAK) based on NACE Rev. 2:
0311 Marine fishing;
0312 Freshwater fishing
The Classification of Economic Activities in Estonia (EMTAK) based on NACE Rev. 2:
0311 Marine fishing;
0312 Freshwater fishing
Statistical concepts and definitions (S.3.4)
Baltic Sea fishing – fishing on the open sea and/or in coastal waters of the Baltic Sea
Commercial fishing – fishing or collecting agar-agar with commercial fishing gear (longlines, entangling nets, trap nets, seine nets, trawls)
Fisherman’s fishing authorisation – the right to fish by commercial fishing gear at sea to the 20 m isobath or on Lake Peipus, Lake Lämmijärv and Lake Pskov or on another waterbody belonging to the state
Fishing area – a defined and registered area at sea to the 20 m isobath or on another waterbody, which is established for rational division, use and protection of fishery resources and fishing grounds or for fish farming in a natural waterbody.
Depending on the establisher, a fishing area can be:
- national fishing area;
- municipal fishing area;
- private fishing area.
Fishing with restricted fishing rights – fishing with restricted authorisation, which gives the right to fish with limited fishing gear
Inland waters fishing – fishing on inland waters
Ocean fishing – fishing at a distance from the coast, on the open ocean or in the economic zones of other countries
Restricted fishing authorisation – the right to fish with a limited number of commercial fishing instruments (with one to three entangling nets or with one fyke net of up to 1 metre high or with one bottom line of up to 250 hooks) at sea to the 20 m isobath, or on Lake Peipus, Lake Lämmijärv and Lake Pskov on an area of water up to 1 kilometre from the shore, or on Lake Võrtsjärv
Commercial fishing – fishing or collecting agar-agar with commercial fishing gear (longlines, entangling nets, trap nets, seine nets, trawls)
Fisherman’s fishing authorisation – the right to fish by commercial fishing gear at sea to the 20 m isobath or on Lake Peipus, Lake Lämmijärv and Lake Pskov or on another waterbody belonging to the state
Fishing area – a defined and registered area at sea to the 20 m isobath or on another waterbody, which is established for rational division, use and protection of fishery resources and fishing grounds or for fish farming in a natural waterbody.
Depending on the establisher, a fishing area can be:
- national fishing area;
- municipal fishing area;
- private fishing area.
Fishing with restricted fishing rights – fishing with restricted authorisation, which gives the right to fish with limited fishing gear
Inland waters fishing – fishing on inland waters
Ocean fishing – fishing at a distance from the coast, on the open ocean or in the economic zones of other countries
Restricted fishing authorisation – the right to fish with a limited number of commercial fishing instruments (with one to three entangling nets or with one fyke net of up to 1 metre high or with one bottom line of up to 250 hooks) at sea to the 20 m isobath, or on Lake Peipus, Lake Lämmijärv and Lake Pskov on an area of water up to 1 kilometre from the shore, or on Lake Võrtsjärv
Statistical unit (S.3.5)
Legal person;
natural person
natural person
Statistical population (S.3.6)
Natural and legal persons engaged in fishing
Reference area (S.3.7)
Estonia as a whole
Time coverage (S.3.8)
1992–…
Base period (S.3.9)
Not applicable
Unit of measure
Fish catch – tonne in live weight
Reference period
Year
Institutional mandate
Legal acts and other agreements (S.6.1)
Official Statistics Act;
Regulation (EC) No 1921/2006 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 18 December 2006 on the submission of statistical data on landings of fishery products in Member States and repealing Council Regulation (EEC) No 1382/91 (Text with EEA relevance);
Regulation (EC) No 216/2009 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 March 2009 on the submission of nominal catch statistics by Member States fishing in certain areas other than those of the North Atlantic (recast) (Text with EEA relevance);
Regulation (EC) No 217/2009 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 March 2009 on the submission of catch and activity statistics by Member States fishing in the north-west Atlantic (recast) (Text with EEA relevance);
Regulation (EC) No 218/2009 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 March 2009 on the submission of nominal catch statistics by Member States fishing in the north-east Atlantic (recast) (Text with EEA relevance).
Regulation (EC) No 1921/2006 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 18 December 2006 on the submission of statistical data on landings of fishery products in Member States and repealing Council Regulation (EEC) No 1382/91 (Text with EEA relevance);
Regulation (EC) No 216/2009 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 March 2009 on the submission of nominal catch statistics by Member States fishing in certain areas other than those of the North Atlantic (recast) (Text with EEA relevance);
Regulation (EC) No 217/2009 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 March 2009 on the submission of catch and activity statistics by Member States fishing in the north-west Atlantic (recast) (Text with EEA relevance);
Regulation (EC) No 218/2009 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 March 2009 on the submission of nominal catch statistics by Member States fishing in the north-east Atlantic (recast) (Text with EEA relevance).
Data sharing (S.6.2)
None
Confidentiality
Confidentiality - policy (S.7.1)
The dissemination of data collected for the purpose of producing official statistics is guided by the requirements provided for in § 32, § 34, § 35 and § 38 of the Official Statistics Act.
Confidentiality - data treatment (S.7.2)
Not applicable, as fishing data are administrative data received from registers and based on quotas and are not confidential.
Release policy
Release calendar (S.8.1)
Notifications about the dissemination of statistics are published in the release calendar, which is available on the website. Every year on 1 October, the release times of the statistical database, news releases, main indicators by IMF SDDS and publications for the following year are announced in the release calendar (in the case of publications – the release month).
Release calendar access (S.8.2)
The release calendar is available to consumers on the website Calendar.
User access (S.8.3)
All users have been granted equal access to official statistics: dissemination dates of official statistics are announced in advance and no user category (incl. Eurostat, state authorities and mass media) is provided access to official statistics before other users. Official statistics are first published in the statistical database. If there is also a news release, it is published simultaneously with data in the statistical database. Official statistics are available on the website at 8:00 a.m. on the date announced in the release calendar.
Frequenct of dissemination
Year
Accessibility and clarity
News release (S.10.1)
Not published
Publications (S.10.2)
Not published
On-line database (S.10.3)
Data are published in the statistical database under the subject area Economy/Fishing in the following tables:
KA10: Ocean fish catch by species;
KA20: The Baltic Sea fish catch by species;
KA30: Inland waters fish catch by waterbody and species.
KA10: Ocean fish catch by species;
KA20: The Baltic Sea fish catch by species;
KA30: Inland waters fish catch by waterbody and species.
Data tables - consultations (S.10.3.1)
Data tables related to the survey were viewed 1,763 times in 2024, 1,770 times in 2023, 1,426 times in 2022, 1,676 times in 2021 and 1,644 times in 2020.
Each table view is counted as a separate viewing. This is based on the database URLs, which show that the data have been selected and the table formed.
Each table view is counted as a separate viewing. This is based on the database URLs, which show that the data have been selected and the table formed.
Micro-data access (S.10.4)
Not applicable. Statistics Estonia uses aggregate data received from the Agriculture and Food Board, therefore, microdata are not available to us.
Other (S.10.5)
Fishing data are also available on Statistics Estonia's website in the section fishing.
The data serve as input for statistical activities 10001 “Environmental trends” and 10601 “Material flow accounts”.
The data on fishing and landings of fish catches are transferred to Eurostat via the data transmission program EDAMIS.
The catch data for fishing area C21_A for a given reference year are submitted to Eurostat by 30 May of the following year at the latest. Eurostat has requested that Estonia share its fishing data with the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization (NAFO), and the Ministry of Regional Affairs and Agriculture have agreed to this.
The catch data for fishing areas C27_A and C34TO51_A for a given reference year are submitted by 30 June of the following year at the latest.
The data on landings of fish for a given reference year are submitted by 30 June of the following year at the latest.
The catch efficiency data for fishing area C21_A for a given reference year are submitted by 30 August of the following year.
The total catch value is submitted to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).
The data serve as input for statistical activities 10001 “Environmental trends” and 10601 “Material flow accounts”.
The data on fishing and landings of fish catches are transferred to Eurostat via the data transmission program EDAMIS.
The catch data for fishing area C21_A for a given reference year are submitted to Eurostat by 30 May of the following year at the latest. Eurostat has requested that Estonia share its fishing data with the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization (NAFO), and the Ministry of Regional Affairs and Agriculture have agreed to this.
The catch data for fishing areas C27_A and C34TO51_A for a given reference year are submitted by 30 June of the following year at the latest.
The data on landings of fish for a given reference year are submitted by 30 June of the following year at the latest.
The catch efficiency data for fishing area C21_A for a given reference year are submitted by 30 August of the following year.
The total catch value is submitted to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).
Metadata - consultations (S.10.5.1)
The metadata related to the statistical activity were viewed 11 times (1 January 2024 – 31 December 2024). This figure does not represent the number of viewers, as the metadata may have been viewed multiple times by a single user.
Documentation on methodology (S.10.6)
The methodology complies with the requirements stipulated by the European Parliament and the Council Regulations (EC) No 216/2009, 217/2009 and 218/2009 (see Legal acts and other agreements).
Quality documentation (S.10.7)
This statistical activity is guided by the European Statistics Code of Practice – revised edition, 2017.
The quality report on the previous year's landings data is transmitted to Eurostat via the Metadata Handler by 31 December every third year, with the most recent report covering the data for 2022:
quality report on landings
The quality report on the previous year's landings data is transmitted to Eurostat via the Metadata Handler by 31 December every third year, with the most recent report covering the data for 2022:
quality report on landings
Quality management
Quality assurance (S.11.1)
To assure the quality of processes and products, Statistics Estonia applies the European Statistics Code of Practice and the Quality Assurance Framework of the European Statistical System (ESS QAF). Statistics Estonia is also guided by the EFQM Excellence Model and the requirements in section 7 “Principles and quality criteria of producing official statistics” of the Official Statistics Act.
Quality assessment (S.11.2)
Statistics Estonia performs all statistical activities according to an international model (Generic Statistical Business Process Model – GSBPM). According to the GSBPM, the final phase of statistical activities is overall evaluation using information gathered in each phase or sub-process; this information can take many forms, including feedback from users, process metadata, system metrics and suggestions from employees. This information is used to prepare the evaluation report which outlines all the quality problems related to the specific statistical activity and serves as input for improvement actions.
Quality is managed by the quality manager.
Quality is managed by the quality manager.
Relevance
User needs (S.12.1)
The statistical activity is commissioned by the Ministry of Regional Affairs and Agriculture and the European Commission (Eurostat). The publication of data obtained in the course of this statistical activity is financed from the state budget in accordance with the state order.
User satisfaction (S.12.2)
Since 1996, Statistics Estonia has conducted reputation and user satisfaction surveys. Surveys conducted at least once a year target both the existing and potential consumers of statistics. All results are available on Statistics Estonia's website in the section User surveys. The survey referred to does not concern a specific statistical activity but is a general satisfaction survey.
Information on user satisfaction can also be obtained through user feedback, which has been mostly positive.
Information on user satisfaction can also be obtained through user feedback, which has been mostly positive.
Completeness (S.12.3)
The data are complete and meet the content requirements set in the fishing and landing regulations.
Data completeness - rate for U (S.12.3.1a)
All required indicators have been collected and calculated (completeness 100%).
Accuracy and reliability
Overall accuracy (S.13.1)
As the fishing sector is highly regulated, the administrative data on which this statistical activity is based are likely to be accurate.
Sampling error (S.13.2)
Not applicable as this is not a sample survey.
Sampling error - indicators for U (S.13.2.1a)
Not applicable as this is not a sample survey.
Non-sampling error (S.13.3)
Not applied
Coverage error (S.13.3.1)
Not applicable as this statistical activity is based on administrative data.
Over-coverage - rate (S.13.3.3.1)
Not applicable as this statistical activity is based on administrative data.
Measurement error (S.13.3.2)
Not applicable as this statistical activity is based on administrative data.
Non response error (S.13.3.3)
Not applicable as this statistical activity is based on administrative data.
Unit non-response - rate for U (S.13.3.3.1a)
Not applicable as this statistical activity is based on administrative data.
Item non-response - rate for U (S.13.3.3.2a)
Not applied
Processing error (S.13.3.4)
Not applicable as this statistical activity is based on administrative data.
Model assumption error (S.13.3.5)
Not applicable as this statistical activity is based on administrative data
Timeliness and punctuality
Timeliness (S.14.1)
The data are published 145 days after the end of the reference year (T + 145 days).
Time lag - first results for P (S.14.1.1)
The data are published once – 145 days after the end of the reference year (T + 145 days).
Time lag - final results for U (S.14.1.2a)
The data are published once – 145 days after the end of the reference year (T + 145 days).
Punctuality (S.14.2)
The data have been published at the time announced in the release calendar.
Punctuality - delivery and publication for U (S.14.2.1a)
100% of the data has been published on time.
Coherence and comparability
Comparability - geographical (S.15.1)
The data are geographically comparable due to the use of an international methodology.
Comparability - over time (S.15.2)
The data are comparable over time for the entire time series (1992–…). The methodology, basic principles, definitions and classifications have remained the same over time.
Length of comparable time series for U (S.15.2.1a)
There have been no breaks in the time series of any of the tables, which means that the number of observation periods in the last unbroken time series equals the number of all observation periods.
Coherence - cross domain (S.15.3)
There is no direct connection with other domains.
Coherence - sub annual and annual statistics (S.15.3.1)
Not applicable as data are not published for periods shorter than one year.
Coherence - National Accounts (S.15.3.2)
Not applicable as not directly usable in national accounts.
Coherence - internal (S.15.4)
The outputs of the statistical activity are coherent
Cost and burden
Since this statistical activity is based on data from administrative sources, there is no data submission and therefore no burden.
Costs are not calculated separately for different statistical activities.
Costs are not calculated separately for different statistical activities.
Data revision
Data revision - policy (S.17.1)
The data revision policy and notification of corrections are described on Statistics Estonia's website in the section Principles of dissemination of official statistics.
Data revision - practice (S.17.2)
The published data may be revised if the methodology is modified, errors are discovered, new or better data become available.
Data revision - average size for U (S.17.2.1a)
Not applied
Statistical processing
Source data (S.18.1)
Data on the fish catch from the oceans, the Baltic Sea and inland waters by species and fishing area (commercial fishing) are received from the Agriculture and Food Board.
Frequency of data collection (S.18.2)
Year
Data collection (S.18.3)
Legal and natural persons submit data on commercial fishing to the Agriculture and Food Board. Statistics Estonia receives the fishing data from the Agriculture and Food Board once a year by email on the basis of an agreement.
Data validation (S.18.4)
Arithmetic and qualitative checks are used in the validation process, including comparison with the data of previous periods. Fishing data are validated and quality assured by the Agriculture and Food Board. If significant discrepancies are found when comparing the results of the reference year with those of previous periods, the owner of the administrative data will be contacted.
Data compilation (S.18.5)
The data collected by the Agriculture and Food Board are converted into statistical output. This includes calculating additional indicators (data are published with some subdivisions and as aggregates).
The aggregates are
- ocean fish catch by species;
- Baltic Sea fish catch by species (separately for coastal catch and trawling vessels catch and for the Baltic Sea fish catch total);
- inland waters fish catch by waterbody and species (separately for Lake Peipus, Lake Võrtsjärv and other inland waterbodies and for inland waterbodies total).
The aggregates are
- ocean fish catch by species;
- Baltic Sea fish catch by species (separately for coastal catch and trawling vessels catch and for the Baltic Sea fish catch total);
- inland waters fish catch by waterbody and species (separately for Lake Peipus, Lake Võrtsjärv and other inland waterbodies and for inland waterbodies total).
Imputation - rate (S.18.5.1)
Data values are not imputed.
Adjustment (S.18.6)
Not applied
Seasonal adjustment (S.18.6.1)
Not applied
Comment
None