RecFishing Forum event: Exploring the inclusion of marine recreational fisheries in the Common Fisheries Policy

The event of the European Parliament Forum on Recreational Fisheries and Aquatic Environment took place on 23 March. It explored the benefits and obstacles related to the inclusion of marine recreational fisheries in the Commission Fisheries Policy, taking stocks of different perspectives: recreational and commercial fishers and scientists.

MEP Niclas Herbst and MEP Pierre Karleskind  co-chaired the roundtable discussion “Exploring the inclusion of marine recreational fisheries in the Common Fisheries Policy: Opportunities and challenges” organised by the European Parliament Forum on Recreational Fisheries and Aquatic Environment, with the support of the European Anglers Alliance (EAA) and the European Fishing Tackle Trade Association (EFTTA).

Click here to download the event report.

The webinar took place on 23 March 2022, from 09:30 to 11:30.

Up to 10 million Europeans go fishing recreationally at sea every year, generating an annual total economic impact of 10.5 billion euro and supporting 100,000 jobs in Europe. Angling provides many social and health benefits and income diversification for Europe’s coastal and remote communities. It also increases the knowledge of the marine environment and the commitment to protect it. As a selective fishing activity, it can positively contribute to the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP). 

But the CFP only refers once to recreational fisheries and does not consider it as a distinct sector, alongside aquaculture and commercial fisheries. At the same time however, the sector has been increasingly regulated through various EU policy instruments with a patchwork approach. At the EU level, the sector is thus mainly seen through a control and management prism, leaving aside its economic and social sustainability and development perspectives.

The European Anglers Alliance and the European Fishing Tackle Trade Association have been calling for the full inclusion of the recreational fisheries sector in the CFP. This would allow for the further exploitation of the untapped potential for a more sustainable blue economy and bring benefits for the coastal and remote communities. It would also mean exploiting its beneficial environmental, social and economic impact and improving data collection, management and control.

In 2018, the European Parliament called on the European Commission to “evaluate the role of recreational fisheries in the future CFP.” In the context of the PECH Committee’s work on an own-initiative report on the state of play in the implementation of the CFP and future perspectives, the RecFishing Forum event provided a unique space for dialogue. The EAA and EFTTA presented in more details their call for the inclusion of recreational fisheries in the CFP. The discussion  tackled both the benefits of making the marine recreational fisheries a distinct sector in the CFP as well as the potential concerns or obstacles to it. Representatives from the angling community were in the attendance to answer the questions Members of the European Parliament have had on this matter.