In 2005, the German fisheries sector experienced increased landings and profits compared to previous years. Rapidly increasing fuel prices, however, had a negative impact on the overall result. With a degree of self-sufficiency of merely 25%, both the processing industry and consumers in Germany are still heavily dependent on imports from other EU member States and from third countries. Per capita fish consumption has stabilised at approximately 14 kg, thereby remaining below the global mean value established by FAO. The most important fish for consumption are Pollock, herring, tuna and salmon.

In 2004, a total of 240 000 mt of fish and fishery products were landed by German fishing vessels. In 2005, this number rose to 253 000 mt while value increased from EUR 177 million to EUR 211 million. For many of the economically important fish species, a general tendency towards higher prices was reported. At the same time, fuel prices, which rose considerably in 2005, had a negative impact on operating results.