Opportunities to secure healthy marine ecosystems and a sustainable future for European fisheries

The EEA briefing ‘Healthy seas, thriving fisheries: transitioning to an environmentally sustainable sector’ provides an overview of the environmental state of European fisheries and identifies concrete options to help achieve a competitive and sustainable fishing industry in the long-term. 

Fisheries rely on healthy marine ecosystems, but Europe’s seas are generally in poor condition due to increasing pressures from human activities and climate change, the briefing states. Around 40% of fish and shellfish in Europe’s seas are not in good status or fished sustainably, and  balancing the demand for marine space and resources between fishing and  other activities of the “Blue Economy”, such as offshore wind farms will be increasingly important. 

Healthy seas, thriving fisheries: transitioning to an environmentally sustainable sector

Fisheries also can negatively impact marine ecosystems, including through bycatch, catch discards, habitat degradation, abandoned or lost fishing gear, pollution, and by releasing carbon from the seafloor. The EEA briefing points out that despite success in some European waters in reducing overfishing, harmful practices and unsustainable fishing levels persist. 

The briefing lists several actions that can help ensure the sustainability of Europe’s fisheries. Key measures include keeping all harvesting at sustainable levels, phasing out harmful practices, and promoting low-impact harvesting techniques. Moreover, expanding and better managing the network of marine protected areas would be critical. Currently, protected areas cover about 12% of the EU seas but only a fraction of these have management plans and less than 1% offer strict protection, including banned fishing. The EU has committed to protect 30% of its seas by 2030, with 10% being strictly protected.

The European Green Deal addressed the need to achieve sustainability in EU fisheries and secure a fair and just transition. An action plan to protect and restore marine ecosystems for sustainable and resilient fisheries was published as part of a comprehensive Fisheries and Ocean package in 2023, which is linked to the Biodiversity Strategy for 2030. 

The recent political guidelines for the next European Commission, presented by President-elect, Ursula von der Leyen, refers to ensuring the fisheries sector “remains sustainable, competitive and resilient and with upholding a level playing field for the European fisheries chain”, and that “a European Oceans Pact will focus on boosting the blue economy and ensuring the good governance and sustainability of our oceans in all of their dimensions.”