Mediterranean wild fish consumers tend to be adults aged over 40 years old, as the fish requires some cooking ability. Moreover, the fish are mostly bought by middle and upper class consumers, because of their high price.

Greek consumers tend to eat more fish in restaurants. The frequency of consumption is also hard to quantify because it depends on season and geography. It would appear that Spain is the country where the consumption frequency is the highest (once to two times a week).

The fish can be cooked in all imaginable ways (fried, grilled, in the oven, in salt …), depending on the season and the species.

Mediterranean fish tends to be served whole, hence a preference for smaller sizes of fish. However, there is a market for larger fish for family consumption, and for catering.

Mediterranean fish consumption suffers from decreasing fish availability and the irregularity of supply due to fishing conditions. It has also suffered from the introduction of the Euro in Italy (price inflation), and the decrease in volumes has been only partly compensated by the rise in farmed fish.

The consumption of Mediterranean fish is also influenced by seasonal factors, and by geography; consumers who live on the Mediterranean coasts and islands tend to eat local fish as part of their gastronomic traditions.