Failure to fully implement the European Union’s Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) as intended has led large-scale industrial fisheries to benefit at the expense of small-scale and low-impact fisheries, according to Seas At Risk.
A new study, titled “Power structures shaping E.U. fisheries” and commissioned by Seas At Risk – along with partners Sciaena, Ecologistas en Acción, and BUND – determined Europe’s small-scale fishers commonly experience low wages, part-time employment, and exclusion from key decision-making.
“Although small-scale fisheries are critical providers of jobs, cultural heritage, and local food security, they remain underfunded and underrepresented, making them particularly vulnerable to economic marginalization,” Seas At Risk Senior Policy Officer Bruno Nicostrate told SeafoodSource.
The E.U.’s CFP has the framework to ensure small-scale fisheries are prioritized, Seas At Risk maintains, but it is not being consistently implemented.
In other words, while existing laws provide opportunities to transition to low-impact fisheries and support small-scale fishers, policymakers are failing to utilize these options and are often even failing to meet the law’s compulsory minimum requirements, the study said.
With regards to minimum requirements, the NGO points to a continuing disregard for the maximum sustainable yield (MSY) catch limits set by the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea regarding several fish stocks each year, despite the CFP’s requirement to end overfishing at the latest by 2020 for all stocks.
“The current use and lack of implementation of the CFP and its implemented regulations have contributed significantly to the concentration of fishing quotas among large-scale industrial operators, exacerbating socioeconomic inequalities and threatening the future of small-scale fisheries,” Nicostrate said.
That concentration of fishing quotas among large-scale operators has especially threatened small-scale fishers, Nicostrate said, explaining that many E.U. member states have based allocations on historical track records and vessel size, granting privilege to larger fleets.
“These criteria advantage industrial operators with the resources to maximize their fishing efforts, while small-scale fishers are left with limited access to quotas,” he said. “The resulting concentration of quotas has driven economic consolidation, with large firms acquiring smaller ones to strengthen their market dominance.”
At the same time, industrial fishing interests exercise considerable influence over E.U. policy through lobbying, and this access has enabled them to shape regulations and quota distributions that often prioritize economic returns over ecological sustainability.
Not only is the lobbying simply resulting in prioritized quota distributions, but there is also a lack of transparency in how the bloc allocates those fishing opportunities, the study said.
Despite the legal opportunities embedded in the CFP, national governments consistently fall short in implementing and reporting progress on minimum standards, Nicostrate said, attributing this failure to a combination of three interrelated factors: lack of political will, limited administrative capacity, and industry pressure.
As a result, lack of compliance goes largely unchecked, and member states face minimal consequences for neglecting social and environmental considerations in quota allocation, he said.
“The failure to implement the environmental and social criteria of the CFP is not the result of a single cause but rather the outcome of systemic challenges. A combination of short-term political incentives, weak administrative structures, and the influence of powerful industrial interests continues to hinder progress,” Nicostrate said. “Without stronger efforts to ensure equitable quota distribution, transparent governance, and targeted support for small-scale fleets, the viability of Europe’s traditional fishing communities remains at serious risk.”
To alleviate some of the problems facing Europe’s small-scale fishers, Seas At Risk recommends ignoring calls to overhaul the CFP.
“Among certain representatives of the sector, political officials, and administrators, there exists a kind of illusion about the possibility of improving the situation by calling for a reform of the CFP. In reality, this is a specific demand from the owners of industrial fishing companies who see an opportunity to eliminate certain environmental and socio-economic rules in order to strengthen their dominant position in the market,” Nicostrate said. “A reform would take several years, during which nothing could be implemented that would have a real impact, either locally, for small-scale fishers, or environmentally. There is an urgent need to renew the workforce. If nothing is done now, and attention shifts toward negotiating and implementing a reform, many fishers, both small-scale and industrial trawler crews, will have retired or lost their jobs by then.”
Instead, Seas At Risk recommends moving away from the current MSY model, which is based solely on catch volume and a single-species approach. Rather, the E.U. should develop an ecosystem-based approach for medium- and long-term management, as requested in the current CFP, and to adopt the concept of maximum economic yield (MEY) to set annual quotas, according to the NGO.
“The distribution of quotas and possible conditions linked to environmental protection measures or social support measures could encourage fishers to adapt their practices and adopt more selective and less impactful fishing gear,” Nicostrate said.
The NGO also wants more transparency and small-scale priority placed around the E.U.’s subsidy system for fishing.
The European Maritime, Fisheries, and Aquaculture Fund (EMFAF), endowed with EUR 6 billion (USD 6.8 billion) for the period between 2021 and 2027, is the main source of subsidies for the E.U. fishing sector. However, Seas At Risk highlighted that small-scale coastal fishing receives only 3 percent of the EMFAF’s direct subsidies.
To remove existing barriers limiting EMFAF access, the NGO proposes introducing a dedicated funding track within EMFAF specifically designed for small-scale fisheries; establishing a network of dedicated units tasked with assisting in project applications, ensuring administrative compliance during project implementation, and facilitating reporting and audits after project completion; and developing and implementing pre-financing mechanisms specifically targeted at small-scale fishers that provide upfront funding.
“Implementing these proposals would contribute directly to the objectives of the CFP, the European Green Deal, and the sustainable development of Europe's coastal regions,” Nicostrate said.
Additionally, in the forthcoming E.U. Ocean Pact, the European Commission has a unique opportunity to propose new measures and to establish a concrete action plan to support small-scale operations, Nicostrate said.
