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By Pascale Moehrle, Executive Director and Vice President at Oceana in Europe, and Dr Monica Verbeek, Executive Director of Seas At Risk
The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not represent in any way the editorial position of Euronews.
A prosperous future for fisheries is still within reach. This is the legacy policymakers must commit to today, not tomorrow. Closing our eyes to the realities of our situation leads nowhere, Pascale Moehrle and Dr Monica Verbeek write.
ADVERTISEMENTA new report published by the European Commission on 14 January, Fishers of the Future, paints four different scenarios for fisheries and marine ecosystems by 2050, from best- to worst-case. Those of us familiar with the current state of our seas recognise that the worst-case scenarios are already unfolding, casting doubt on the report’s more optimistic projections.Instead of thriving seas, sustainable practices, and equitable livelihoods, we have vast stretches of the seabed scarred and barren — the remnants of unchecked exploitation — and marine ecosystems in freefall, compounded by the effects of climate change. The more optimistic scenarios assume that incremental policy adjustments, technological advancements, and market shifts will lead to a sustainable fishing sector. However, these assumptions rest on an unrealistic foundation. Key elements of the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) remain unimplemented, and subsidies continue to fuel the very industrial practices driving ecological collapse.Flying in the face of lived experiencesIn impacted communities such as Thorupstrand in Denmark, unchecked quota privatisation (the allocation or transfer of fishing rights to private individuals or corporations, often through market-based mechanisms) pushed fishers to breaking point. Harmful subsidies (which make it artificially profitable despite its inefficiency and high environmental costs) and fuel tax exemptions perpetuated destructive industrial fishing at the expense of small-scale operations. The report’s optimism flies in the face of these lived experiences and risks delaying urgent action.Bottom trawling, a destructive fishing method where heavy nets are dragged along the seabed, continues to devastate seabeds and biodiversity, even in supposed Marine Protected Areas (MPAs), the designated regions of the ocean where human activity is managed or restricted to safeguard ecosystems. Despite the EU’s commitments, only two member states have initiated action to ban bottom trawling in MPAs, leaving most areas unprotected. These failures are compounded by a lack of enforcement and regression in fisheries governance, illustrated by the many legal cases brought by environmental groups before national courts last year in France, Spain, Germany, Sweden and the Netherlands. Five million livelihoods at stakeFailing to properly manage MPAs is costing Europeans, because well-protected MPAs, free from destructive fishing, provide broad economic benefits on top of biodiversity and climate resilience, as they boost artisanal fisheries, tourism and recreational activities in many EU coastal regions. Many examples across Europe have resulted in positive socio-economic impacts such as Kosterhavet Marine National Park (Sweden), Os Miñarzos Marine Reserve (Spain), and Torre Guaceto MPA (Italy). The blue economy sector employs almost 5 million people in the EU, and delivering effective MPAs is vital to supporting important sectors which operate around and near MPAs, like fishing, boating, diving and angling. The report remains vague on the exclusion of small-scale fishers, coastal communities and NGOs from decision-making processes, reinforcing inequities in resource allocation. ADVERTISEMENTIndustrial fleets, often benefiting from the bulk of quota distributions and subsidies, dominate the sector while traditional fishers face diminishing access to resources. While it highlights economic opportunities in sustainable practices, it fails to address the economic precarity of the current sector. Industrial bottom trawling persists because it is artificially sustained by subsidies, including fuel tax exemptions, despite its economic inefficiency and ecological harm. There is an urgent need for a detailed comparison of the costs of industrial fishing versus the benefits of transitioning to low-impact methods.We can’t keep closing our eyes to the situationThe window for change is closing. The next five years will determine whether the EU’s fisheries can survive the current crisis. Immediate action must include fully enforcing the CFP, banning bottom trawling in all MPAs, and redirecting subsidies to low-impact fisheries. ADVERTISEMENTWithout these measures, the worst-case scenarios outlined in the report will arrive far sooner than 2050.If well managed, fisheries have the potential to provide healthy food and sustain local communities while respecting the marine environment. Europe has all the tools at its disposal to achieve this — and indeed, where the rules of the CFP have been well implemented, we have seen fish stocks rebound, with positive returns for the fishers who rely on them. A prosperous future for fisheries is still within reach — one where sustainable fisheries thrive, coastal communities are empowered, and ocean ecosystems are restored. This is the legacy policymakers must commit to today, not tomorrow. Closing our eyes to the realities of our situation leads nowhere.ADVERTISEMENTPascale Moehrle is executive director and vice president at Oceana in Europe, and Dr Monica Verbeek is executive director of Seas At Risk.
