Since Portugal joined the EEC, it has lost 64% of its fish catches and more than 62% of its fishing fleet.
55% confidence
AgriculturePortugal
Omissions
No source found explicitly reports a 64% fall in Portuguese fish catches since 1986; the sources found confirm a marked downward trend in landings but not that exact percentage.
No source found explicitly reports a 62% fall in the Portuguese fishing fleet since 1986; the primary source located (EC 2020 fleet capacity report) reports a 38% fall in fishing effort (kW/day) between 2010 and 2020, a different metric and period.
The most recent official fleet data found dates to 2020 (EC fleet capacity report) and 2022 (DGRM annual fleet report); no 2025/2026 dataset confirming the specific percentages was located.
The choice of EEC accession (1986) as the baseline is a natural reference point rather than an obviously cherry-picked year, but catch and fleet statistics vary considerably depending on the exact indicator used (landings vs. reconstructed catches vs. fleet register).
Sources
PrimaryEuropean Commission — Annual Report on the Portuguese Fishing Fleet (2020 fleet capacity report)"We can see that the overall fishing effort (kW/day) fell by 38% between 2010 and 2020." and "The Portuguese fishing fleet continues to decrease as a result of the ongoing process of adapting capacity" and "The overall downward trend in terms of the number of vessels and gross tonnage is maintained."
PrimaryDGRM — Relatório Anual Frota de Pesca Portuguesa 2022Annual report on the Portuguese fishing fleet for 2022, documenting the size and capacity of the fleet (national Directorate-General for Natural Resources, Security and Maritime Services).
AcademicLeitão et al., 'Fishing down in Portugal' (Fisheries Research)"Upon joining the European Union in 1986, Portuguese fisheries' management became based on the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) and the policies and management measures undertaken since then seem to be the most important factors that contributed to this trend." and "Purse seine catches peaked in 1986, declining since 2003 to values never recorded before. Since 1993, overall landings show a decreasing trend..."