The EU Commission has presented a vision for fisheries and aquaculture towards 2040, setting the direction for the next 15 years to strengthen the environmental and economic viability of the sector.
“Europe’s fisheries and aquaculture sector is vital to the prosperity and identity of our coastal communities”, said Commission executive vice-president Raffaele Fitto: “With our Vision 2040, we are setting a clear course towards a sector that is competitive, sustainable and fit for the future. By supporting innovation, strengthening resilience, promoting fair opportunities and safeguarding our natural resources, we want to ensure that fisheries and aquaculture continue to provide quality food, quality jobs and long-term value for citizens across the European Union.”
Titled ‘Vision 2040 for fisheries and aquaculture’, the strategy aims to safeguard the livelihoods of communities dependent on the sector. Across the EU, the sector employs more than 200,000 people – nearly 124,500 in fisheries and almost 76,000 in aquaculture, with many more working across processing, wholesale, distribution and retail.
The strategy covers the entire value chain and seeks to provide the predictability businesses need to invest and grow, while protecting the aquatic resources and ecosystems on which they depend. It is built around strengthening both the supply of and demand for EU aquatic food and sets out key priorities to help the sector thrive: healthy ecosystems, energy transition, securing supply chains, boosting demand and securing a stable food supply, supporting producers and easing access to finance, while strengthening international cooperation.
The Commission is to consider the potential of technological innovation and fully documented fisheries, drawing on a dedicated implementation dialogue with stakeholders later this year.
From 2030 efforts will shift towards scaling up low and zero-emission technologies, supported by financing, infrastructure and fleet modernisation.
The EU executive says it will update its 2014 guidelines for assessing the balance between fishing capacity and fishing opportunities.
There will be support measures or investments in more efficient and safe vessels, innovation and income diversification, promoting activities such as ‘pescatourism’.
The Vision also seeks to boost demand for EU-produced aquatic food by supporting diversification and helping consumers make informed choices.
There will be targeted initiatives to improve access to finance, support small-scale fishers, strengthen research and innovation, introduce harmonised training and certification standards across the EU and prepare a Blue Generational Renewal Strategy to launch next year to help attract younger generations to the sector.
The Commission says it will be stepping up the fight against illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing, strengthening international fisheries rules, and developing a new generation of Sustainable Fisheries Partnership Agreements (SFPAs).
Vision 2040 for fisheries and aquaculture
External dimension of fisheries
