In 2025 there were 9,358 seafarers on board in the licensed national fishing fleet, an increase of 1.9% compared with the number on board in 2024, equivalent to an additional 177 individuals. The number of licensed gatherers and pedestrian fishermen fell by 5.1%, compared with 2024.
The licensed fishing fleet (3,501 vessels), relatively to the registered fleet, accounted for 51.6% of the total number of vessels (53.1% in 2024), 84.2% of the total capacity (GT) (-3.6 p.p. compared to 2024) and 79.6% of the power engine (81.9% in 2024).
In 2025, 61 vessels left the fleet, 24 fewer than in the previous year (-28.2%). There were 36 new registrations in 2025, i.e. 11 fewer vessels’ entries (-23.4%) than in 2024.
In 2025, total catches of the Portuguese fleet led to 166,872 tonnes of fish, representing an increase of 0.7% of the national fishery production. The overall increase in catch volume resulted from the growth in foreign fishing areas (+10.9%), where 42,153 tonnes were caught, whilst catches in national waters fell by 2.4%.
Fresh and chilled fishery caught generated a revenue of 344,585 thousand Euros, an increase of 2.0% compared to 2024, and the average annual price of fresh or chilled fish rose by 4.3%, from €2.62/kg to €2.73/kg in 2025.
In 2025, the trade deficit of the fishery activity widened by 170.6 million Euros, reaching 1,430.1 million Euros. This development resulted from an increase in imports that exceeded the rise in exports, leading to a reduction in the coverage rate to 51.9% (-1.5 p.p. compared to 2024).
Fishery operational program Mar2030 showed, at the end of 2025, an execution rate of 18.9% of the European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund (EMFAF) allocation.
Fishing quota for Portugal in 2025 fell by around 38%, although the utilisation rate reached 47%, an increase of 21.3 p.p. compared with 2024. Of the relevant species subject to catch limits in 2025, the most significant reductions occurred for horse mackerel, red seabream, blue whiting and Atlantic mackerel.
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