Climate change, competition from other parts of the world and falling consumer demand are major challenges for the fishing industry in the years ahead. That’s according to a report commissioned by the EU to look at the prospects for European fisheries for 2050.
Three of the four scenarios in the study present a bleak outlook for Europe’s fishing fleet.
By 2050, fishermen and women could be chasing ever declining stocks with climate change exacerbating falling quotas whilst at the same time facing increased competition from outside Europe.
Falling quotas is already a reality for many fishermen and women. Last month, the Irish Fish Producers Organisation warned that the quotas set by EU ministers for 2025 included some big cuts which is going to “further reduce fishermen’s incomes”.
If all these factors are combined – climate change, low stocks, cheaper imports – the report predicts dire consequences by 2025 for European fisheries “characterised by socio-economic hardship and cultural change.”
If this was to happen, the report warns that small scale fishermen will likely not be able to keep up with technological developments leaving them with poor working conditions and lacking the investment to make improvements.
The large trawlers meanwhile would only be able to generate “marginal” profits probably mainly for “large corporations.”
The stark outcomes are supposed to jolt the European Commission. In 2023, the EU committed to “address emerging challenges in the sector”.
The report sets out what those challenges could be.
“EU fisheries play a vital role in providing a healthy supply of food to local, national and international markets. They are also part and parcel of the EU’s coastal cultural heritage.
However, the sector faces increasing pressures from climate change, biodiversity loss, economic uncertainties, and geopolitical challenges.
These realities underline the need for a forward-looking approach to ensure the long-term future of fisheries”, the report authors conclude.
The study calls for investment in marine research, technological support and workforce renewal to ensure the long-term viability of EU fisheries and the communities that depend on them.
The report will be discussed today at an EU conference on “Fishers of the Future”
“The event will focus on discussing future scenarios and profiles of fishers and exploring how they can contribute to building pragmatic solutions for the challenges the sector is facing.”