Fish farming (aquaculture)

PURPOSE

The aim of the statistical activity is to collect and publish data on the Estonian aquaculture sector. Aquaculture data are used to manage the European Union's Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) and to monitor and evaluate the aquaculture market. The CFP helps to ensure that both fishing and aquaculture are sustainable, well managed, and contribute to food security in the long term.

TYPE OF ACTIVITY

Census survey

STATISTICAL PRESENTATION

Data description (S.3.1)

Quantity of sold fish and crayfish by farmed species, salinity of water and by type of facility; value of sold catch by farmed species;

sale of fish roe (for consumption) and value of sold catch;

production of hatcheries and nurseries for release into the wild or a controlled environment by farmed species and age group;

quantity of fish and crayfish collected from the wild and purchased by species; value by species;

area and volume of waterbody used for fish and crayfish farming by type of facility, incl. waterbodies with fresh water and sea water (every three years).

The quantity and value of production are based on live weight.

Classification system (S.3.2)

Age group of fish and crayfish;

classification of fish farming facilities;

classification of fish by species;

aquatic environment

Sector coverage (S.3.3)

The data cover aquaculture.

The Classification of Economic Activities in Estonia (EMTAK) based on NACE Rev. 2:

03211 Marine aquaculture;

03221 Freshwater aquaculture.

Statistical concepts and definitions (S.3.4)

Cage – a net structure with floats placed in the sea or in a natural freshwater body

Enclosure with water recirculation system – artificial structure where water is re-used after bio-filtering

Hatchery and nursery – artificial structure where eggs and juveniles are bred, hatched and reared

Pond and tank – a natural structure or a structure with artificial walls and bottom where water interchange takes place up to 10 times a day

Raceway – an artificial structure with high water turnover rate (more than 10 times a day) without water recirculation

Sale of commercial fish – fish farming production sold as commercial fish to Estonia and foreign countries in the current year

Statistical unit (S.3.5)

Enterprise

Statistical population (S.3.6)

Aquaculture enterprises

Reference area (S.3.7)

Estonia as a whole

Time coverage (S.3.8)

1992–…

Data for the previous year are published. The data released in 2025 refer to the period 1 January 2024 to 31 December 2024.

Base period (S.3.9)

Not applicable

UNIT OF MEASURE

Sold fish production – tonnes (t);

sold fish eggs for consumption and eggs or specimens transferred from the wild – kilograms (kg);

eggs or specimens sold or transferred for restocking the wild or to a controlled environment – thousand pieces;

value – euros;

average price – euros/kg;

aquaculture facilities – number, hectare (ha), square metres (m³)

REFERENCE PERIOD

Year

INSTITUTIONAL MANDATE

Legal acts and other agreements (S.6.1)

Official Statistics Act;

Regulation (EC) No 762/2008 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 9 July 2008 on the submission by Member States of statistics on aquaculture and repealing Council Regulation (EC) No 788/96 (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.

On European level, Regulation (EC) No 223/2009 on European statistics (recital 24 and Article 20(4)) of 11 March 2009 (OJ L 87, p. 164), stipulates the need to establish common principles and guidelines ensuring the confidentiality of data used for the production of European statistics and the access to those confidential data with due account for technical developments and the requirements of users in a democratic society.

Confidentiality - data treatment (S.7.2)

The dissemination of data collected for the production of official statistics is based on the requirements laid down in §§ 34 and 35 of the Official Statistics Act.

The principles for treatment of confidential data can be found here: Data protection (Privacy policy).

Data are confidential if they are based on data from fewer than three enterprises or if data from a single enterprise account for more than 90% of the total. Before the data release, enterprises are asked for permission for the disclosure of confidential data, if necessary.

Secondary confidentiality:

Upon aggregation, primary confidential data must not be identifiable. In other words, if primary confidential data are identifiable within the aggregate, either the entire set or an additional subset must be suppressed to prevent the confidential data from being deduced.

RELEASE POLICY

Release calendar (S.8.1)

Notifications about the dissemination of statistics are published in the release calendar, which is available on Statistics Estonia's 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)

The news can be viewed on Statistics Estonia's website in the section News.

A news release based on data from this statistical activity is published once a year in May. The news release published on 23 May 2025 can be found here: "A record quantity of fish roe was sold last year".

Publications (S.10.2)

Not published

On-line database (S.10.3)

Data are published in the statistical database at under the subject area Economy/Fishing in the following table:

KA40: Commercial catch and realisation in fish farms by species.

Data tables - consultations (S.10.3.1)

The database table related to the statistical process was viewed 350 times in 2024, 438 times in 2023, 258 times in 2022, 297 times in 2021, 709 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.

Micro-data access (S.10.4)

The dissemination of data collected for the purpose of producing official statistics is guided by the requirements provided for in §§ 33, 34, 35, 36, and 38 of the Official Statistics Act. Access to microdata and anonymisation of microdata are regulated by Statistics Estonia’s procedure for dissemination of confidential data for scientific purposes.

Other (S.10.5)

The data serve as input for the statistical activities 10601 “Material flow accounts” and 10106 “Environmental goods and services sector accounts”.

The data on the previous year are submitted to Eurostat once a year via EDAMIS on 30 December the latest. The following data are submitted to Eurostat annually: quantity of sold fish, crayfish and fish roe (separately for marine and freshwater aquaculture), quantity of fish and crayfish collected from the wild or a controlled environment (and taken to hatcheries and nurseries), and quantity of fish released (or sold for release) into the wild or a controlled environment. Data on the area of waterbodies used for aquaculture are submitted every three years.

Together with the data, a detailed quality and methodology report is also submitted to Eurostat via the Metadata Handler, in accordance with Regulation (EC) No 762/2008 of the European Parliament and of the Council.

The sold quantities of farmed fish are submitted to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) annually; data on the area of waterbodies used for aquaculture are sent when collected (every three years).

Metadata - consultations (S.10.5.1)

The metadata related to the statistical process were viewed 46 times (1 January 2025 – 31 December 2025) and 19 times (1 January 2024 – 31 December 2024). These figures do 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 used is based on Regulation (EC) No 762/2008 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 9 July 2008 and on Eurostat's Aquaculture Statistics Handbook and other materials of Eurostat’s working party on fishery statistics.

The methodology applied in Estonia is described in quality reports submitted to Eurostat.

Quality documentation (S.10.7)

This statistical activity is guided by the European Statistics Code of Practice.

A quality report is submitted annually to Eurostat, in accordance with Regulation (EC) No 762/2008 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 9 July 2008.

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.

RELEVANCE

User needs (S.12.1)

The main representatives of public interest are the Ministry of Regional Affairs and Agriculture and the European Commission (Eurostat). The publication of data collected within the statistical activity is financed from the state budget based on commissions.

The data are also used by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations.

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 users 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.

Completeness (S.12.3)

The data are complete and correspond to the data composition requirements of the EU regulation on aquaculture statistics.

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)

The source data are compared with data for previous periods and checked for internal consistency. The coverage of the population and the response rate are also checked.

The type of survey and the data collection methods ensure sufficient accuracy.

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)

An effort is made to reduce non-sampling errors through continuous methodological and survey process improvements.

Coverage error (S.13.3.1)

The frame is a list of active enterprises whose main or secondary activity is aquaculture (EMTAK 03.2). The list is generated from the business register for statistical purposes.

Since the frame is based on register data, there is minimum under- or over-coverage.

Over-coverage - rate (S.13.3.3.1)

Not applicable

Measurement error (S.13.3.2)

An effort is made to avoid measurement errors through multi-stage control procedures. There is no information on major measurement errors. The questionnaire is carefully designed, is in electronic format, and includes a number of arithmetical and logical checks.

Non response error (S.13.3.3)

As the specific sector is very narrow, it is crucial for all enterprises to submit their data.

Unit non-response - rate for U (S.13.3.3.1a)

Non-response error is not expected; the non-responding units are not engaged in aquaculture.

Item non-response - rate for U (S.13.3.3.2a)

Not applied

Processing error (S.13.3.4)

Not applied

Model assumption error (S.13.3.5)

Not applicable

TIMELINESS AND PUNCTUALITY

Timeliness (S.14.1)

The data are generally 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: generally 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: generally 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 (as announced in the release calendar).

COHERENCE AND COMPARABILITY

Comparability - geographical (S.15.1)

An internationally harmonised methodology, based on the European Union Regulation on aquaculture, allows for cross-country comparisons of published data.

Comparability - over time (S.15.2)

The data are comparable over time. The methodology and 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 the table, 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)

As there are no connections with other sectors, cross-sectoral coherence cannot be assessed.

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

Total time of filling in reports of the statistical activity: 27 hours (data for 2025).

Total time of filling in reports of the statistical activity: 76 hours (data for 2024).

Costs are not calculated separately for different statistical processes.

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)

There are no planned revisions. 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)

The total population is 49 units. A census survey is used, which means that all enterprises whose main or secondary activity is aquaculture are included in the survey population.

The sample includes enterprises registered with the Agriculture and Food Board and engaged in aquaculture (EMTAK 3221 and EMTAK 3211) as the main or secondary activity.

Enterprises farming aquarium and ornamental species are excluded from the sample.

Frequency of data collection (S.18.2)

Year

Data collection (S.18.3)

Data are collected and the submission of questionnaires is monitored through the self-service environment. The questionnaires have been designed for independent completion in the self-service environment and include instructions and checks. The questionnaires and information about data submission are available on Statistics Estonia's website in the section Questionnaires.

Data are collected with the annual official statistics questionnaire “Fish and crayfish farming”; all enterprises engaged in aquaculture are surveyed.

If the respondents have any questions about the questionnaire, they can contact customer support.

Data validation (S.18.4)

The input data are checked and, if necessary, corrected according to specified rules. The compliance of output data with the quality requirements is checked, including comparison with data for previous periods (input quantities, values, distribution (by species)), checking the reasons for non-response in the previous year (activities suspended or terminated or paused for a year), and checking the coverage of the population and the response rate.

Data compilation (S.18.5)

Imputation is mostly not used, as the data are collected as a census. However, if necessary, missing values are replaced with the same entity's data for the previous period.

Variables which were not collected but which are necessary for producing the output are calculated. New variables are calculated by applying arithmetic conversion to already existing variables. This may be done repeatedly; the derived variable may, in turn, be based on previously derived new variables.

Microdata are aggregated to the level necessary for analysis. This includes aggregating the data according to the classification and calculating various statistical indicators.

Imputation - rate (S.18.5.1)

The imputation rate shows the share of imputed values among all values.

In this statistical process, data values are not imputed.

Adjustment (S.18.6)

Not applied

Seasonal adjustment (S.18.6.1)

Not applicable as the reference period is one year.

COMMENT

Aquaculture data are published by species where possible. Data on fish roe for consumption are published as the total of all species.