March 2026

News about fair fisheries, healthy seas and vibrant fishing communities

 

3/2 EU Blue Economy Conference

Brian O’Riordan, LIFE Policy Advisor, moderated the Fisheries & Aquaculture session at the European Blue Economy Conference, which brought together European Commission officials, NGOs, industry representatives and port authorities to discuss the future of Europe’s blue economy. The event offered a useful opportunity to raise the profile of LIFE, to highlight the importance of small-scale fisheries in the evolving Blue Economy agenda, and to steer a discussion around the issues of key importance for fisheries. Recording available here.    

9/2 Call for evidence of the Ocean Act

LIFE has provided its contribution to the European Commission’s Call for Evidence on the forthcoming European Ocean Act . The Ocean Act builds on the European Ocean Pact, and will provide an overarching legal framework to improve the coherence and effective implementation of maritime governance in the EU. It is expected to be adopted in 2026. In its submission, LIFE urges that small-scale fisheries (SSFs) be fully integrated into the heart of EU maritime governance, in recognition of their essential role in supporting coastal communities, safeguarding marine ecosystems, and advancing social, environmental and climate objectives.

The proposed Ocean Act aims to enhance coherence across EU ocean-related policies, build on the revision of the Maritime Spatial Planning Directive (Directive 2014/89/EU), strengthen the governance of the European Ocean Observation System, and simplify reporting requirements in order to reduce administrative burdens.

At the same time, the European Commission is calling for applications for the High-Level European Ocean Board, a new expert group established under the European Ocean Pact. The call for applications is open for a period of 4 weeks, offering professionals and organisations the opportunity to help shape the future of ocean governance, on which LIFE is willing to apply. 

16/2 CINEA event “Feedback to Policy” 

LIFE participated in the CINEA “Feedback to Policy” Workshop on the Energy Transition of the Fisheries Sector and Maritime Decarbonisation, both as a Seaglow consortium partner and as Coordinator of the Support Group on Small-Scale Coastal Fisheries within the Energy Transition Partnership. The workshop brought together EU policymakers and research projects to ensure that lessons from pilot projects, both from Fisheries and Maritime transport perspectives, inform future research priorities,regulatory and funding frameworks.

Seaglow contributed to discussions on fisheries decarbonisation, highlighting the need to bridge technological innovation with operational realities at sea, engaging the small-scale fishers and to provide clear, coherent support mechanisms to enable the uptake of alternative energy solutions.

17/2 High-level Conference on the Energy Transition

LIFE Executive Secretary Marta Cavallé was a panelist at the High-Level Conference “Navigating Change: Towards the Energy Transition in the EU”, which brought together policymakers, sector representatives and industry stakeholders to discuss the strategic direction of the energy transition in fisheries and aquaculture. The event provided an opportunity to present the recently published sectorial SSF recommendations and the joint considerations of the Energy Transition Partnership, setting out key proposals to support small-scale fisheries in the transition process.

Speaking in her capacity as Coordinator of the Energy Transition Partnership Support Group on Small-Scale Coastal Fisheries, Marta contributed to the panel discussions by highlighting how small-scale fisheries are already at the forefront of the Energy Transition due to the low carbon footprint already in place. She emphasised that for full decarbonisation there is need to previously issue specific policies, like a binding Plan of Action to support SSF in Europe, to provide the necessary certainty for a brighter viable future for the sector, and the need to prioritise public funding for SSF (which is ring-fenced, meaningful and tailored to them). Without these conditions, Energy transition may not happen for SSF and they could be left behind.  

The conference featured high-level interventions from EU Commissioner Costas Kadis, Minister Maria Panayiotou on behalf of the Council Presidency, Minister Timmy Dooley representing the upcoming Presidency, and DG MARE Director-General Charlina Vitcheva.

09/2 Herring from Norrland receives the EU quality label Protected Designation of Origin (PDO).

Herring from Norrland (Norrlandsströmming) has been granted Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) status within the EU. The application was initiated by LIFE members Kustfiskarna Bottenhavet, representing small-scale coastal fishers along the northern Swedish Baltic coast.

The designation applies to herring caught in the Bothnian Sea and Bothnian Bay. To qualify as Norrlandsströmming, the fish must be caught using passive gears and landed within 24 hours, ensuring high quality and a low-impact fishing method closely linked to local coastal traditions.

For LIFE and its members, the recognition highlights the value of small-scale fisheries that combine selective fishing practices, strong regional identity and high-quality seafood. The new status is expected to strengthen market recognition for locally landed Baltic herring and support coastal fishing communities in northern Sweden.

25/2 PECH Committee meeting

LIFE attended the February meeting of the European Parliament’s PECH Committee, where a study on Assessing the Impact of Seafood Imports on EU Self-Sufficiency was presented. The study highlights the significant role played by imports in meeting consumer demand for seafood in the EU. If exports are excluded, EU domestic production covers only 14.2% of total seafood consumption, meaning imports supply over 80% of what Europeans eat. The report examines how seafood imports influence the EU’s ability to meet its own demand, comparing production costs, competitiveness and innovation between EU and non-EU producers. It also explores policy options to strengthen the resilience of the EU seafood sector in line with the European Green Deal and the Farm to Fork Strategy. During the discussion, concerns were also raised about the use of fish for reduction into fishmeal and fish oil rather than prioritising direct human consumption, particularly in the Baltic Sea context.

The Committee also held an exchange with the European Commission on the implementation of the revised Fisheries Control Regulation, whose certain provisions have entered into force in January 2026, while others will progressively do so. Several MEPs across political groups raised concerns regarding the practical compliance of small-scale fisheries, highlighting measures that may prove unworkable on the ground, such as the four-hour prior notification requirement before returning to port. While the Commission signalled limited appetite to reopen the legislation, it encouraged the use of flexibilities within the existing legal framework. Issues of digital sovereignty were also discussed, particularly in relation to fisheries data stored in cloud systems registered in third countries.

25/2 RoundGoby Working Group meeting on product development 

LIFE is a partner in the RoundGoby Project, an initiative that seeks to transform an environmental challenge into an opportunity for coastal communities. The project focuses on the round goby, an invasive species originating from the Black Sea that has traditionally been regarded as problematic bycatch with little commercial value. Through innovation and collaboration, partners aim to develop viable markets and unlock new income streams for small-scale fishers.

On 25 February, SUBMARINER Network for Blue Growth hosted the RoundGoby Working Group meeting on product development. The workshop presented pilot results from Sweden, Estonia and Lithuania, explored opportunities to develop round goby into innovative products for human consumption and pet food, and examined how added value could directly support small-scale coastal fisheries.

26/2 From Policy to Practice: Why Enforcement Matters for Mediterranean Fisheries

LIFE, alongside MedSea Alliance, ClientEarth, Oceana and Seas At Risk, contributed to the release of a new video featuring testimonies from small-scale fishers in Cyprus, France and Spain. The central message is unequivocal: the difficulties confronting Mediterranean low-impact fisheries arise less from the structure of the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) itself and more from shortcomings in its application and enforcement.

In the video, fishers speak about shrinking fish stocks, rising fishing pressure, restricted access to quota and insufficiently enforced protections within Marine Protected Areas. Their accounts illustrate the practical challenges faced at sea and in coastal communities. The CFP already provides mechanisms to rebuild stocks, allocate resources more equitably and support resilient coastal livelihoods. As the policy enters a period of review, these first-hand perspectives offer grounded evidence that the current crisis in Mediterranean small-scale fisheries reflects gaps in implementation at Member State level rather than flaws in the policy’s original design.

 

Coming up:

2-6/3 Brussels – European Ocean Days 2026: Organised by DG MARE in Brussels, the event consisted of a week-long series of sessions addressing a range of issues relevant to small-scale fisheries, including the Vision 2040, the forthcoming Islands Strategy and developments under the Mission Ocean initiative.

9/3 EU Commission: deadline consultation on  the upcoming revision of the Marine Strategy Framework Directive. 

10/03 EU Commission: deadline for call for applications for the European Ocean Board

11-12/3 Nordic Seafood Summit

16-17/3 PECH Committee meeting in the European Parliament

23/3 EU Commission: deadline call for evidence on the EU strategy for coastal communities

23/3 EU Commission: deadline call for evidence on the Vision 2040

30/3 AGRIFISH Council 

 

Press Corner:

Fiskerforum: Markets react to mackerel demise 

The Artisanal Fishing Festival, organised by the association Pleine Mer, took place in the port of Brest, Brittany on 6 February 2026 

Community Catch to launch small-scale fisheries certification scheme 

FiskerForum: increasing role of e-commerce and AI in 2026

The Control Regulation is suffocating European fishers