5.1 BELGIUM. Short description of the national fleet. Fleet capacity. Fleet structure. Employment. Effort. Production

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1 5.1 BELGIUM Short description of the national fleet Fleet capacity The Belgian national fleet capacity continued to decline with a total of 79 vessels in 2015 (6 of which were inactive), a combined gross tonnage (GT) of 14.6 thousand tonnes and a total engine power of 47.6 thousand kilowatts (kw). Compared to 2014, one vessel ceased its fishing activities and two more were inactive in No new vessels were introduced. Fleet structure In Belgium, the fishing fleet is divided into a large-fleet segment with an engine power of >221 kw (47% of the vessels in 2015) and a small-fleet segment with an engine power of 221 kw (53% of the vessels in 2015). Within the large-fleet segment 78% of the vessels are large beam trawlers of 662 kw or more. Other gears used in this fleet segment include otter trawls, seiners and passive gears. The large-fleet segment represents about 80% of the overall engine power and 77% of the overall GT. The small-fleet segment can be divided into three sub groups. (1) The coastal vessels (45%) have a GT<70 tonnes and make fishing trips under 48 hours, often even less than 24 hours. (2) The Eurokotters (38%) are beam trawlers under 24 m and constructed after They are mainly active in the Southern and Central part of the North Sea and the English Channel and make fishing trips of approximately five days. Most Eurokotters target demersal fish species (mainly sole and plaice), but some vessels also target Nephrops during the summer with demersal otter trawls in the Central part of the North Sea and shrimp just after summer. (3) A small number of vessels do not classify under (1) or (2) and use other gears (dredge, seines, otter trawls) and are active in the North Sea and English Channel. Employment Employment was estimated at 345 jobs, corresponding to 293 FTEs or an average of 3.9 FTE per vessel in According to the Social Secretariat of the Coast, 24% of the fishers were over 50 years of age (data for 2013). Three quarters (75%) of fishers employed in the Belgian fishing fleet were Belgian nationals and 23% had Dutch nationality. The remaining 2% were mostly French (data for 2012). The large-fleet segment accounts for most employment in Belgian fisheries. In 2003, a law on employment ended the No catch, no pay era, assuring income security for each sea trip. This is unique in Europe and may contribute to the fight against illegal fishing. Compared to other member states, Belgian fishers have a relatively high income. Even so, finding appropriate crew remains a challenge, as young people who graduate from the Maritime Institute prefer to work for dredging companies or in tourism. Fishing remains one of the most dangerous professions. Effort An estimated 16.3 thousand days were spent at sea in 2014, a small increase compared to While the amount of energy consumed also increased (+4%), overall, energy costs decreased by 6% as a result of lower fuel prices. Between 2013 and 2014 the number of active vessels remained the same and the landings per unit of fishing effort (kg per fishing day per trip) increased with 7%, indicating an improved efficiency. In general, efforts have been made to use more fuel-efficient engines and fishing techniques since the fuel crisis of Belgian vessels operate mainly in the North Sea, the English Channel, the Bristol Channel and other areas of the North Atlantic. Important areas in 2014 were in order of decreasing importance: the Central North Sea (IVb), the Eastern Channel (VIIb), the Southern North Sea (IVc), the Bristol Channel (VIIf), the South-East Irish or Celtic Sea (VIIg). In other areas, the total catch was less than 1000 tonnes. Production Landings increased with 4% to 26.2 thousand tonnes of seafood, with a value of 81.5 million in This represents a 10% increase in value on The fleet targets mainly demersal species. Sole remains the dominant species, generating the highest landed value ( 32.6 million) and representing about 40% of the total landings value. In terms of the weight, European plaice (8.8 thousand tonnes) remains the top landed species, generating the second highest landed value ( 10.8 million). The North Sea was the most important area in terms of landed value (45%), followed by the Eastern Channel (30%), the Bristol Channel (VIIf) and the Celtic Sea (VIIg) (together 16%) and the Bay of Biscay (5%). When considering average prices, landings from the Bay of Biscay were the most valuable (7.55 /kg), while landings from the North Sea had the lowest value per kg ( /kg). As in previous years, these differences are a reflection of the sole proportions in the catches (highest in the Bay of Biscay and lowest in the Central North Sea). Another contributing factor is the amount of anglerfish caught in the Bay of Biscay. Due to the strong quota restrictions in the Irish Sea (VIIa) for sole in 2014, the 196

2 landings from this area decreased with 41% compared to Landings from the Western Channel (VIIe) also decreased (-38%). Economic results for 2014 and recent trends National fleet performance Although the Belgian national fleet remained in a net loss making position in 2014, its economic performance compared to previous years improved and this trend is expected to have continued into 2015, as fuel prices remained lower than in previous years and fish prices were relatively high. Revenue, estimated at 85.4 million, increased by 10% due to an 11% increase in income from landings while other income ( 3.6 million) decreased by 5%. When including direct income subsidies, total income (no income from fishing rights) amounted to 87.2 million. Gross Value Added (GVA), gross profit and net profit in 2014 were estimated at 36.6 million, 7.4 million and million, respectively. GVA increased by 27%, gross profit and net profit increased by 220% and by 60%, respectively. These results indicate a still weak, yet significantly improved economic situation compared to previous years. Total operating costs increased due to the 11% increase in crew costs, while energy costs decreased by 6%. When including capital costs, total costs amounted to 88.3 million, exceeding total revenue and generating a net loss of million or million when including subsidies. Overall, the cost structure has remained relatively constant over the years. However, in 2014 there was some apparent decrease in the proportion of the energy costs to 27% of the overall costs. In general the proportion of labour costs is relatively high, amounting to 31% in Contrary to the situation in some other European countries, the crew share is a direct percentage of the value of landings without subtracting variable costs. The crew share usually amounts to 30% of the value of landings. In 2014, the wages and salaries of the crew represented about 33% of the value of landings. The (depreciated) replacement value of the Belgian fleet was estimated at 58 million and investments amounted to 4.9 million, a 9% decrease compared to Belgian vessels are old: the average age is 28 years. This figure increases every year as no investment in building or buying new vessels is being made. Even though there is a will to invest in new vessels within the sector, it is unclear who should provide the necessary funds. The current vessel owners do not seem to have the capital to undertake such large investments. Resource productivity and efficiency indicators The gross profit margin in 2014 was 8.7%, indicating a low operating efficiency of the sector. However, this is an increase of 192% compared to the previous year and of 179% compared to the average of all previous years since Net profit margin was estimated at -3.5%, a 63% increase on The Rate of Return on Fixed Tangible Assets (RoFTA) improved in comparison to previous years, but remained negative at -3.9%. After an overall improved development trend since 2008, labour productivity (GVA/FTE) remained stable in 2014: GVA increased by 27%, but the number of FTE also increased by 28%, indicating no efficiency gains. Average gross profit per vessel per day at sea was Fuel consumption per landed tonne has followed an overall decreasing trend since 2008 (-45%), but is still relatively high at 1.5 thousand litres per landed tonne. One of the reasons behind this high fuel consumption is that the fishing grounds are spread out and sometimes far away from the Belgian coast. Another explanation is related to the use of trawling gear, as the focus lays on catching demersal species. Landings per unit of effort (in weight per days at sea) has followed an increasing trend since 2008 and increased a further 4% in The landings per unit of fishing effort (per weight per fishing day per trip) even increased with 7%. Overall, these figures indicate an improved efficiency. Drivers affecting the economic performance trends Higher landings and higher average fish prices, together with lower fuel costs were the main driving forces behind the overall improvement in the profitability of the fleet. The average fish price in 2014 increased by 4%. More specifically, the increase in average price of several important species, such as plaice, great Atlantic scallop, lemon sole, and turbot led to an increase in income and had a positive impact on profitability. The average price of sole remained relatively stable in However, increased landing of 25% lead to an increase of 6.45 million for sole alone. This lead to a total higher value of landings of 10% compared to The value of landings per active vessel was never as high as in The average fuel price in 2014 was 0.05 per litre lower than in 2013, which is still high compared to the situation before The Belgian fleet is dominated by trawlers, both beam and demersal trawlers. Therefore, as trawling is typically fuel intensive, even slight decreases of the fuel price make a difference. Fluctuations in fuel prices are therefore a key driver for the profitability of the fleet. Specific programmes of the European Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) oriented to decommissioning, lead to an exponential decline in the number of active vessels. In 1992 there were still 205 fishing vessels, while in 2002 there were 130 (-37%). This number stayed then relatively stable for some years, to decrease again in the years before the fuel crisis. The fuel crisis in 2008, followed by the economic crisis, lead to a further large decrease in the capacity of the Belgian fleet and to poor economic performances. However, it would seem that the remaining fleet is now slowly recovering. 197

3 Markets and Trade In 2014, about 19% of landings occurred in foreign harbours. Of the Belgian harbours, Zeebrugge was the most important with about 65% of domestic landings. Around 83% of landings in foreign harbours occurred in the Netherlands and 14% in the UK. This is partly explained by the fact that important fishing grounds for the species landed abroad were situated North of the Netherlands. In addition, a third of the fleet was owned by Dutch nationals. These owners prefer to land in their home ports, where the price for plaice is generally higher (7 cent per kg higher in the Netherlands as compared to Belgium in 2013). In 2014, the Belgian fleet landed and sold 1.6 thousand tonnes of plaice in Dutch harbours, representing 42% of the Belgian landings in the Netherlands and about 19% of the total landed plaice. In addition, cod caught as by-catch in the plaice fishery was sold in the Netherlands at the same average market price as in Belgium. Sole on the other hand tends to remain more valuable on internal Belgian markets. Scallops were mainly destined for the French and UK markets. Belgium is a net exporter for both plaice and sole. In 2014, a total of 8.6 thousand tonnes plaice was exported and a total of 2.4 thousand tonnes sole. On average, about 3 thousand tonnes of whole plaice are exported from Belgium to the Netherlands every year, while only 600 tonnes are reversely imported. This represents almost all of the Belgian whole plaice export. Furthermore, about 1.0 thousand tonnes of whole sole are exported from Belgium to the Netherlands. Management instruments The fleet is managed mainly through total available catches (TACs), together with a range of input controls. National restrictions are set on the maximum days at sea that a vessel may achieve within a year. In 2014, this maximum was set at 270 days for all vessels (excluding beam trawlers targeting shrimp and dredges targeting scallops), regardless of the area and fishing stock. Exchanges of sea days for catch possibilities were allowed, except for sole, plaice and cod. The fishery in the Bay of Biscay is restricted to only a few months. In the context of the recovery of cod and hake stocks, a number of measures were implemented depending on the fishing gear in the North Sea, the Irish Sea, Skagerrak and West of Scotland. Many additional yearly restrictions exist, depending on the fleet segment, the species and the area. For example there was a limit of 100 kg of whiting per day in VIIb-k for the small-fleet segment and 200 kg per day for the large-fleet segment. TACs and quotas Total initial available quota (TAC) for the Belgian fleet in 2014 was 32 thousand tonnes (an increase of 1%). The global quota for sole, which is especially important for the Belgian fleet, decreased with 15% to 3 thousand tonnes in Changes varied according to fishing regions and included: 15% decrease in the North Sea (IIa, IV), 36% in the Irish Sea (VIIa), 9% in the Bristol Channel and Celtic Sea (VIIfg), 8% in the Bay of Biscay (VIIIab), 18% decrease in the Eastern Channel (VIId) and 9% in the Western Channel (VIIe). The global quota for European plaice increased by 9% to 7.4 thousand tonnes in 2014, while the quota for anglerfish increased by 11% to 3.6 thousand tonnes. It remained the same for turbot, brill and lemon sole, but decreased for cod (- 8%) and rays (-8%). Belgium conducted 63 quota trades with 7 other member states in This, together with the transferable quota from 2013 to 2014, allowed for a sufficient amount of quota for the important species. Trading with other member states allowed for a 25% increase in sole quota, amounting to a total of 3.8 thousand tonnes. For European plaice this amounted to a total of 9.7 thousand tonnes (+30%). Even so, eight closings of the fishing grounds were necessary. Despite closing these fishing grounds a number of quota exceeds were reported mainly for ray. Innovation and Development Research on technical innovation as an alternative for the beam trawl in the flatfish and shrimp fishery is on-going. The fuel crisis of 2008 forced the fleet to adjust to the rapidly increasing fuel costs. A number of vessels changed from traditional beam trawling to alternative beam trawling methods. For example, to reduce drag forces, instead of using a beam, a wing was used (sumwing) or a beam on wheels or a combination of both (seawing). Another adjustment was to reduce the overall weight of the used gears. Following the fuel crisis, bankruptcy was a reality for those fishers who did not adjust their fuel consumption. Even though fuel prices have been decreasing since 2013, the remaining fleet is still recovering from this crisis. Contrary to the Dutch fleet, only one Belgian commercial vessel is currently using the pulse trawl technique. The Flemish government issued three permits to use the pulse technique. However, two of them have not been used. One of the reasons may be that the reduced quota for sole in the North Sea (the only area where the pulse technique is partly permitted) do not justify the investment. Most enterprises own only one vessel and therefore cannot take the risk of investing in a new technique when an increase in revenue is not assured. The risk of bankruptcy when making a wrong decision is high and therefore most enterprise owners are reluctant to make important changes. In general, transition towards the implementation of these new techniques in the sector is slow as fishers are hesitant due to high investments, the uncertainty of the impact of the techniques and the possible market effects. Facing the soon to be implemented landing obligation, research on gear selectivity is on-going. Devices such as cut-away top panels, square mesh top panels, benthos release panels, T-90 cod-ends, square mesh cod-ends, narrow cod-ends and tunnels in square meshes are being developed and tested in Belgium. 198

4 Performance by fishing activity The Belgian fleet is dominated by beam trawlers and to a lesser extent demersal trawlers and seiners. In both cases, the larger length segments appear to perform better than the smaller length group vessels. In the case of the beam trawlers, roughly the larger vessel length segments correspond to the large-fleet segment, taking long and far trips. The shorter vessel lengths roughly correspond to the coastal vessels and the Eurokotters. In 2014, the economic performance of the coastal vessels and Eurokotters had significantly improved. For the large beam trawlers of more than 662 kw the negative trend of the past years had turned into a more positive outlook. Performance of selected fleet segments Beam trawlers: The profitability of the beam trawlers in 2014 was weak, however the economic development trend suggests improvement. The net profit margin increased considerably in comparison to the average of the previous years. Two major external factors in 2013 and 2014 had an influence on this outcome: an increase in fish price combined with a slight decrease in fuel prices. Beam trawl 18-24m: 27 active vessels operating predominantly in Area 27.4 and Area 27.7, employing 23% of total FTE. Value of landings amounted to 12.4 million, 15% of total national landings. These vessels target a variety of species including common sole ( 5.2 million), common shrimp ( 3.8 million), European plaice ( 1.0 million) and turbot ( 0.6 million). They reported a negative gross profit of 3.9 thousand and a net loss of 1.5 million in 2014, but with an improved economic development trend and a GVA of 5.2 million. Beam Trawl 24-40m: 29 active vessels operating predominantly in Area 27.7, but also in Area 27.4 and 27.8, employing 58% of total FTE. The value of landings amounted to 56 million, representing 68% of total landing value. These vessels target a variety of species, particularly common sole ( 25 million), European plaice ( 8.2 million), lemon sole ( 4 million), anglerfish ( 3.5 million), turbot ( 2.9 million) and cod ( 2.9 million). They reported a positive gross profit of 8.5 million and a net profit of 1.4 million in 2014, an improved situation to 2012 and 2013, due to a higher value of landings. Crew wages were higher in this fleet segment compared to other fleet segments. Labour productivity was also highest. Demersal trawlers and seiners: This segment included 8 vessels between 18 and 24 m, 5 vessels between 24 and 40 m, and 3 vessels under 18 m, operating predominantly in Area 27.7 and 27.4, together employing around 15% of total FTE. Value of landings amounted to 10.7 million. Targeted species include common sole ( 1.7 million), European plaice ( 1.6 million) and Nephrops ( 2.4 million). Profitability was weak with a net loss of million. Large-scale fleet The large-fleet segment (> 221 kw, as defined in Belgium) includes 46% of all Belgian fishing vessels, but represents about 80% of overall engine power and 77% of overall GT. This segment mainly consists of beam trawlers m that assure the majority of annual landed fish and employment of the Belgian fleet and target demersal fish species, with sole, plaice and anglerfish as most important in terms of revenue. With fishing rights in the distant North Sea and the North East Atlantic, many vessels fish in campaigns. In between two fishing trips, these vessels do not return home, but land fish in foreign harbours. There were 29 active vessels with more than 662kW, which coincide with the 29 vessels described above in the beam trawl 24-40m fleet segment. A limited number of vessels of the large-fleet segment use other fishing gear. The Eurokotters ( 221 kw; > 70 GT) are part of the Belgian nationally defined small-fleet segment. However, in terms of scale, they can be considered as an intermediate category between the coastal vessels and the beam trawlers belonging to the large-fleet segment. They figure in the beam trawl 18-24m fleet segment described above and target mainly sole and plaice. There were 16 Eurokotters in Small-scale fleet In 2014, there was only one active fishing vessel under 12m long and there were no vessels belonging to the small-scale fleet according to the European definition (vessels under 12m using passive gears). Yet, according to Belgian classification, the coastal fishing vessels within the small-fleet segment ( 221 kw and < 70GT) are considered as small scale. These vessels make short trips of max hours and mainly focus their activities within the 3 nautical mile (nm) zone of the Belgian Part of the North Sea, in which they have exclusive fishing rights. The vessels are equipped with beam or demersal trawls and target demersal fish during winter and spring, and shrimp during summer and autumn. In 2014 there were 17 coastal fishing vessels, representing 22% of the active Belgian fishing vessels, landing 1.4 thousand tonnes or 5% of total landings. Average labour costs for this coastal-fleet segment remained rather stable with regards to the landings, representing 26.8% of the value of landings in The value of landings was on average per day at sea with an average fuel consumption of 729 litres per day at sea (compared to litres per day at sea for the large beam trawler vessels of more than 662 kw). Fuel costs decreased considerably for the coastal fishers and represented 22% of costs in The fleet segment was generally profitable in 2014 with an average net profit of 55 thousand, an improvement compared to 2013, when on average it was also profitable. In both years, the prices of common shrimp, sole and lemon sole were relatively high. 199

5 Projections for 2015 and outlook Preliminary results for 2015 forecast a 6% decrease in landed weight, with a 1% increase in landed value. Projections suggest that decreases in effort and fuel consumption translated in part to a 12% decrease in operating costs, and, together with an 8% reduction in capital costs fostered further economic performance improvements in 2015: GVA (+25%), gross profit (+135%) and net profit (+361%). For the first time since at least 2008, projection results suggest that the Belgian fleet operated at a profit in 2015: with an estimated net profit margin of 9.0%. Positive economic developments can also be seen in performance indicators GVA to revenue (53%), GVA per FTE ( ) and gross and net profit margins. The 2015 gains are offset slightly in 2016 as an increase in landings (+15%) is counteracted by low prices, resulting in a 11% decrease in revenue. With fuel costs also declining in 2016 (-19%) the fleet remains profitable with gross and net profit margins of 16% and 5% respectively. Data issues No major issues need to be reported. There has been a change in data management: from manually adjusted queries to an automated database since The data comes from the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries of the Flemish Government who conducts the data collection. Response for economical values of 2014 was obtained from 91% of the active fleet (87% of the total fleet). For effort and landings, the coverage was very close to 100%. Therefore, the overall coverage of the national fleet was very adequate. Remarks: fishing effort (kg per fishing day per trip) was calculated as the catch per fishing day divided by the total number of trips of the fleet as explained in the 2016 JRC- Report on the 2 nd Workshop on Transversal Variables, pp (Ribeiro et al. 2016). 200

6 Data source: MS data submissions under the DCF 2016 Fleet Economic (MARE/A3/AC(2016)); All monetary values have been adjusted for inflation; constant prices (2015). Figure 5.1 Belgium: Main trends in economic performance indicators (absolute value, panel 1a/top left and relative value, panel 1b/top right); cost structure (panel 2a); productivity (panel 2b); key input/outputs (panel 3a); efficiency (panel 3b); landings (panel 4a); average price of top species (panel 4b). 201

7 Table 5.1 Belgium: National fleet statistics and economic performance results. Data source: MS data submissions under the DCF 2016 Fleet Economic (MARE/A3/AC(2016)); All monetary values have been adjusted for inflation; constant prices (2015) Trend 2014 to to avg Total number of vessels (#) % -14% Number of Inactive vessels_ms (#) % -27% Vessel tonnage (thousand GT) % -13% Engine power (thousand kw) % -15% Average vessel age (year) % 13% Average vessel length (metre) % 0% Enterprises with one vessel (#) % -9% Enterprises with 2 to 5 vessels (#) % -50% Enterprises with more than 5 vessels (#) FTE (#) % -4% Total employed (person) % -13% Days at sea (thousand day) % -9% Fishing days (thousand day) % -8% Number of fishing trips (thousand) % 1% Energy consumption (million litre) % -15% Live weight of landings (thousand tonne) % 17% Value of landings (million ) % 3% Income from landings (million ) % 4% Other income (million ) % -6% Direct income subsidies (million ) % 2% Income from leasing fishing rights (million ) Wages and salaries of crew (million ) % 3% Unpaid labour value (million ) % -18% Energy costs (million ) % -13% Repair & maintenance costs (million ) % 9% Other variable costs (million ) % 1% Other non-variable costs (million ) % 5% Annual depreciation costs (million ) % 0% Rights costs (million ) Opportunity cost of capital (million ) % -25% Tangible asset value (replacement) (million ) % -13% Fishing rights (million ) Investments (million ) % -52% Financial position (%) % 25% Gross Value Added (million ) % 17% GVA to revenue (%) % 13% Gross profit (million ) % 186% Gross profit margin (%) % 179% Net profit (million ) % 63% Net profit margin (%) % 65% GVA per FTE (labour productivity) (thousand ) % 19% Return on fixed tangible assets (%) % 65% 202

8 Table 5.2 Belgium: National fleet statistics and economic performance results based on fleet segment level data. Data source: MS data submissions under the DCF 2016 Fleet Economic (MARE/A3/AC(2016)); All monetary values have been adjusted for inflation; constant prices (2015). Data for 2015 and 2016 are projected. Variable / indictor unit Trend 2015 to to 2015 Total number of vessels (#) % -1% Total employed (person) % 0% FTE (#) % 11% Days at sea (day) 19,469 19,340 18,166 17,407 16,806 16,259 16,299 15,270 17,266-6% 13% Energy consumption (thousand litres) 60,635 54,633 47,805 40,638 39,748 38,483 39,832 37,248 42,138-6% 13% Live weight of landings (tonne) 21,801 19,354 21,666 22,192 24,180 25,172 26,216 24,526 28,298-6% 15% Value of landings (thousand ) 84,278 71,797 82,809 83,264 77,991 74,045 81,465 82,044 73,181 1% -11% Income from landings (thousand ) 84,319 71,755 82,324 83,460 78,164 73,893 81,774 81,815 73,284 0% -10% Other income (thousand ) 2,715 4,865 3,932 3,647 4,191 3,814 3,617 3,647 3,669 1% 1% Wages and salaries of crew (thousand ) 28,107 25,493 27,655 26,359 25,067 24,320 27,054 26,743 23,996-1% -10% Unpaid labour value (thousand ) 3,246 2,507 2,488 2,381 2,687 2,111 2,112 2,176 2,187 3% 1% Energy costs (thousand ) 37,880 21,593 24,243 26,283 28,061 25,076 23,533 16,892 13,702-28% -19% Repair & maintenance costs (thousand ) 5,675 5,497 5,509 5,144 5,715 5,230 5,932 5,308 5,300-11% 0% Other variable costs (thousand ) 12,671 11,406 11,072 10,934 11,161 10,119 11,318 10,232 11,816-10% 15% Other non-variable costs (thousand ) 7,205 8,176 7,951 6,930 7,049 8,533 8,019 7,425 7,423-7% 0% Annual depreciation costs (thousand ) 11,210 9,626 9,579 9,101 9,562 8,861 9,671 8,857 8,860-8% 0% Opportunity cost of capital (thousand ) , % -1% Tangible asset value (replacement) (thousand ) 59,782 84,218 74,637 59,322 59,548 62,060 57,967 56,445 56,291-3% 0% Gross Value Added (thousand ) 23,602 29,948 37,481 37,817 30,369 28,749 36,588 45,604 38,713 25% -15% Gross profit (thousand ) - 7,751 1,948 7,339 9,076 2,615 2,317 7,422 16,685 12, % -25% Net profit (thousand ) - 18,913-10,963-3, ,179-7,288-2,944 7,694 3, % -54% 203

9 Table 5.3 Belgium: National fleet statistics and economic performance results by fishing activity. Data source: MS data submissions under the DCF 2016 Fleet Economic (MARE/A3/AC(2016)); All monetary values have been adjusted for inflation; constant prices (2015). LSF Trend 2014 to to avg Total number of vessels (#) % -13% Vessel tonnage (thousand GT) % -13% Engine power (thousand kw) % -14% FTE (#) % -4% Total employed (person) % -13% Days at sea (thousand day) % -9% Fishing days (thousand day) % -8% Number of fishing trips (thousand) % 1% Energy consumption (million litre) % -15% Live weight of landings (thousand tonne) % 17% Value of landings (million ) % 3% Income from landings (million ) % 4% Other income (million ) % -6% Direct income subsidies (million ) % 2% Wages and salaries of crew (million ) % 3% Unpaid labour value (million ) % -18% Energy costs (million ) % -13% Repair & maintenance costs (million ) % 9% Other variable costs (million ) % 1% Other non-variable costs (million ) % 5% Annual depreciation costs (million ) % 0% Opportunity cost of capital (million ) % -25% Tangible asset value (replacement) (million ) % -13% Investments (million ) % -52% Gross Value Added (million ) % 17% GVA to revenue (%) % 13% Gross profit (million ) % 186% Gross profit margin (%) % 179% Net profit (million ) % 63% Net profit margin (%) % 65% GVA per FTE (labour productivity) (thousand ) % 19% 204

10 Table 5.4 Belgium: National fleet statistics and economic performance results by fleet segment. Data source: MS data submissions under the DCF 2016 Fleet Economic (MARE/A3/AC(2016)); All monetary values have been adjusted for inflation; constant prices (2015). Total number of vessels FTE Days at sea Energy consumed per landed tonne Live weight of landings Value of landings Revenue (#) (#) (day) (litre/tonne) (tonne) (thousand ) (thousand ) GVA per FTE (labour productivity) Return on fixed tangible assets Gross Value GVA to Gross profit Net profit Average wage (thousand Added revenue Gross profit margin Net profit margin per FTE ) (%) (thousand ) (%) (thousand ) (%) (thousand ) (thousand ) (%) BEL A27 TBB ,382 1,555 17,776 55,792 58,588 26, , , Weak 144% Improved BEL A27 TBB ,586 1,480 3,727 12,401 12,824 5, , Weak 52% Improved BEL A27 DTS ,665 1,478 3,856 10,703 11,219 3, , , Weak -129% Deteriorated BEL A27 PMP , ,569 2,760 1, Weak 78% Improved Profitability (2014) Net profit margin % Economic average development ( ) trend Table 5.5 Belgium: Landed value, weight and average price of principal species. Data source: MS data submissions under the DCF 2016 Fleet Economic (MARE/A3/AC(2016)); All monetary values have been adjusted for inflation; constant prices (2015). Value of landings (real) Live weight of landings Average landed price (real) (thousand ) (thousand tonne) ( ) Common sole European plaice Lemon sole Turbot Common shrimp Anglerfishes Atlantic cod Great Atlantic scallop Norway lobster Brill