Overview   Directorate-General for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries

Every year, the European Commission organises a seminar on fisheries science. The event attracts dozens of stakeholders from different areas to discuss and learn about topical issues in the fascinating world of oceans and fisheries. The focus of this year’s seminar was on marine protected areas (MPAs), and their beneficial role not just for the environment, but also for fishing and coastal communities.

The European Commission has published an in-depth analysis of Member States’ sanctioning systems for infringements of the rules of the common fisheries policy (CFP), covering the period from 2015-2019 and all coastal Member States.

The Indian Ocean Tuna Commission (IOTC) held its annual meeting from 7 to 11 June 2021. The main priority of the meeting was to discuss how to address the yellowfin tuna stock in the Indian Ocean.

The Commission has today signed the Written Record, laying down the details of the agreement in principle reached between Commissioner Sinkevičius and his UK counterpart on 2 June 2021, after the Council meeting this morning in Luxembourg had endorsed the agreement.

Why is the Commission reporting on the state of play and on the basis of which indicators is the assessment made?

Today, the Commission adopted the Communication “Towards more sustainable fishing in the EU: state of play and orientations for 2022”. In line with the European Green Deal objectives, EU fisheries are moving towards more sustainable, supporting the transition towards a healthy and environmentally friendly EU food system and underpinning sustainable sources of revenue for EU fishers, the communication shows. The sector's socio-economic performance remains good, despite the coronavirus crisis, also due to the swift support of the Commission.

On this June 8th, as we celebrate World Oceans Day, we are happy to announce the 2021 edition of the #EUBeachCleanup campaign, aiming to raise awareness on the human impact on the ocean and build a worldwide citizens’ movement for sustainable action.

The EU and the United Kingdom concluded today the negotiations on an agreement in principle setting out catch limits for jointly managed fish stocks

The Commission, leading the fight against illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing worldwide, has issued a warning (so-called yellow card) to the Republic of Ghana that it risks being identified as a non-cooperating country in the fight against illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing.

Today, the European Commission provides guidance on the EU rules on single-use plastics and adopts an Implementing Decision on the monitoring and reporting of fishing gear placed on the market and waste fishing gear collected. These rules aim to reduce marine litter from single-use plastic products and fishing gear and promote the transition to a circular economy with innovative and sustainable business models, products, and materials.

An evaluation of compliance with the landing obligation (LO) in selected fisheries in the Baltic Sea carried out in 2017 and 2018 has found an overall good level of compliance with the LO in pelagic gear herring and sprat fisheries over. However, the trend in other demersal segments in the Baltic Sea remains concerning, with a lower level of compliance with the LO in the fixed and towed gears catching plaice, as well as towed gear fleet segments targeting cod.

From 31 May to 4 June 2021, the European Union is hosting the third meeting of the parties to the Port State Measures Agreement (PSMA). The PSMA is the first binding international agreement targeting specifically illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing.

Wave energy is a highly valuable and predictable source of renewable power. Up to 10% of the EU’s energy can be harvested from waves by 2050, so the technology will be indispensable in reaching net-zero emissions.

This is a snakeskin jacket. It’s a symbol of my individuality and my belief in personal freedom. Without any doubt one of the best movie quotes ever. But if “Wild At Heart” had been released in the 2020s, instead of the early 1990s, chances are Nicolas Cage’s idiosyncratic piece of garment might have been made from an entirely different sort of skin altogether: that of Atlantic salmon.

Until 1975, countries all over the world routinely dumped obsolete or unusable munitions (conventional and chemical) on the seafloor.

On 20 & 21 May the virtual European Maritime Day (EMD) conference is broadcasted from this year’s host city, Den Helder in the Netherlands. The focus of exchanges, attracting more than 2,400 ocean stakeholders, is the contribution of a sustainable blue economy to post-covid recovery and the European Green Deal.

Following yesterday's communication on Sustainable Blue Economy, the Commission and the European Investment Bank Group, composed of the European Investment Bank (EIB) and the European Investment Fund (EIF), are announcing an increased cooperation to implement the new blue economy strategy.

The European Commission has published the fourth edition of “The EU Blue Economy Report”, providing an overview of the performance of the EU-27 economic sectors related to oceans and the coastal environment.

The European Commission has launched an open Public consultation on the EU Algae initiative.

Today, the Commission is proposing a new approach for a sustainable blue economy in the EU for the sectors related to oceans, seas and coasts.