LIFE Members gathered at the European Parliament alongside MEPs and key stakeholders to push for fairer access to resources and support for low-impact fishing. The event, hosted by LIFE and Blue Ventures, highlighted the vital role of the “forgotten fleet.” It comes at a crucial time as the EU reviews the effectiveness of the Common Fisheries Policy.
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Press review:
The European Commission’s Control Regulation of 22 November 2023 is intended to tighten fisheries management by enforcing stricter catch reporting. To this end, Article 14, dealing with fishing logbook completion, encourages selectivity by including a Margin of Tolerance rule, requiring vessels to report catches accurately within 10% per species. Previously, the Margin of Tolerance—the allowed discrepancy between reported and actual catch—was calculated as a percentage of the total catch. This meant that as long as the overall weight was close to reality, species-specific errors were tolerated.
On 24 May 2024, the Commission adopted an Implementing Act, without consulting Advisory Councils, that provides “a derogation from the existing margin of tolerance that may be granted for unsorted landings from small pelagic fisheries, industrial fisheries, and tropical tuna purse seine fisheries” in certain designated Listed Ports, thus weakening the rule and raising serious concerns about misreporting, fairness, compliance, and the potential for overfishing.
The Loophole: Exemptions for Listed Ports
Despite the stricter selectivity rule established in the Control Regulation, through the Implementing Act vessels landing at specially designated Listed Ports will receive a derogation, without any additional measures to ensure accurate species-level reporting. According to DG Mare, nine applications for Listed Port status have been submitted by Member States, but the locations remain unknown.
This exemption disproportionately benefits large vessels landing high-volume, low-value catches—particularly those in the fishmeal sector—allowing them to bypass stricter reporting requirements. This unfair system places other segments of the fleet at a competitive disadvantage and raises serious concerns about transparency and sustainability, highlighting the need for a level playing field in the industry.
A Repeat of the Landing Obligation Failure?
The situation bears striking similarities to the failed implementation of the Landing Obligation (LO), which was meant to eliminate the discarding of unwanted fish at sea. To encourage compliance, quotas were increased based on the assumption that all fish would be landed. However, in reality, enforcement was weak, and many vessels continued discarding fish, leading to artificially inflated quotas and worsening fish stock depletion.
A similar dynamic is at play with the new Margin of Tolerance rule. While the Commission assumes that Listed Ports will uphold a “gold standard” of monitoring—possibly through CCTV and other measures—there is little evidence to suggest this will be enforced effectively. Instead, the exemption will allow misreporting to continue unchecked.
A Call for Transparency and Accountability
The lack of transparency surrounding the Listed Ports exemption raises major concerns. Why are certain ports granted this status? What monitoring mechanisms are in place to ensure compliance? There are already considerable differences in sampling plans between Member States and without additional safeguards, this exemption threatens to undermine the very purpose of the new regulation, allowing industrial-scale operations to exploit the system while other fishers are left operating under stricter rules.
If the Commission is serious about improving fisheries control, it must address these inconsistencies. That means:
Without these measures, the new Margin of Tolerance rule risks being another well-intended but poorly executed regulation that ultimately fails to protect fish stocks and ensure a level playing field for all fishers.
Conclusion
The European Commission has taken one step forward with stricter catch reporting rules, but two steps back by creating an exemption that weakens its effectiveness. Rushing through a derogation aimed at vessels with vast, unsorted mixed catches just a number of months after the Control Regulation entered into force is difficult to understand, particularly in the context where advances in eDNA mean that we can accurately detail the species composition of these vessels at a fraction of the cost of other control methods. The Commission has however chosen to give preferential treatment to these vessels, even though they largely supply and export fishmeal to the non-EU market.
Unless immediate action is taken to address this loophole, the regulation could repeat past mistakes by undermining accurate catch reporting, leading to further mismanagement of fish stocks and unfair advantages for large-scale industrial fishers. We advocate for greater transparency and enforcement to prevent historic errors from repeating themselves.
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COMING UP: LIFE and Blue Ventures, with the support of MEPs Isabella Lövin (the Greens/EFA), Emma Fourreau, and Luke Ming Flanagan (The Left), are organizing the event “Make Fishing Fair: Unlocking Art. 17 for a Just Fishing Future” on March 25th from 12:00 to 14:30 at the European Parliament in Brussels. The event will feature guest speakers, including LIFE members from France, Ireland, and Sweden, MEPs Paulo di Nascimento Cabral (EPP) and Karin Karlsbro (Renew) and representatives from the EU Commission/DG Mare D3 unit. Register here.
LIFE’s Newly elected President Gwen Pennarun takes the floor at the High-level “Ocean Pact” meeting with Commissioner Kadis
20/2 – LIFE’s newly elected President, Gwen Pennarun, spoke at the High-Level Roundtable “Fisheries and Oceans Dialogue – Helping Design the European Oceans Pact” organized by the European Commission’s DG MARE. With the participation of Commissioner Costas Kadis and key decision-makers, the discussion focused on the need to foster a broader, integrated and holistic approach to EU ocean governance, biodiversity protection, sustainable growth in the blue economy, and the need to strengthen marine knowledge and support coastal communities.
This event followed two intensive days at the European Parliament, where LIFE staff and Gwen Pennarun engaged with MEPs and attended the PECH Committee meeting to advocate for low-impact small-scale fisheries. Discussions covered small-scale fisheries in the EU, Article 17, and upcoming EU and international fisheries initiatives. Some MEPs raised concerns about the need for a binding framework for fair quota allocation, the depletion of Baltic stocks due to large-scale interests, and the importance of integrating traditional ecological knowledge into fisheries management. LIFE remains committed to ensuring small-scale fishers have a strong voice in EU decision-making.
Exchange on Small-Scale Fisheries in the EU and Article 17 in the European Parliament
19/2 – The Pech Committee of the European Parliament had an exchange with DG Mare on small-scale fisheries in the EU and Article 17 of the CFP basic Regulation. Key takeaways: the Commission does not see a clear role to play in implementing Article 17, but are committed to publishing a Vademecum on Article 17 and driving improvements so long as their role allows for that. Several MEPs commented on the need for a new definition of SSF – including tonnage and size beyond vessel length. One MEP warned about putting SSF against the larger scale sector (LSF) in obtaining quota, whilst another highlighted that Article 17 looked fine on paper, but the reality was that LSF had concentrated most of the quota and there was none available to transfer to SSF. There were also calls for “proper and fair” quota allocation and access to EMFAF funding for SSF from MEPs.
Building Global Alliances: LIFE Executive Secretary travels to Sri Lanka
24-26/2 – LIFE’s Executive Secretary, Marta Cavallé, was invited to attend the International Workshop “Strengthening Collaboration and Capacity-Building in Small-scale Fisheries”, held in Sri Lanka and organised by the International Collective in Support of Fishworkers (ICSF). With more than 60 participants from Asia, Africa, Latin America, the Caribbean and Europe, the workshop was a great opportunity to strengthen collaborations and alliances between the SSF movements across the globe and draft a strategy to enhance capacity and support. On the first day, Marta Cavallé presented to the global audience the results of the collective European Regional YAFA workshop held in 2022 with ICSF and Mulleres Salgadas. In particular, she highlighted the main challenges for the European SSF sector and the related final statement and call to action. The statement laid the groundwork for broader reflection on collective action within the global SSF movement and highlighted shared goals.
Advancing the Energy Transition in Small-Scale Fisheries: Insights from the First Working Group Meeting
10/2 – The first meeting of the Working Group for SSF within the Energy Transition Partnership (ETP) aimed to introduce the European Commission Initiative to the group, familiarize participants with one another, and conduct an initial brainstorming session on the Energy Transition. Coordinated by LIFE, this meeting marked the first in a series of four, designed to provide concrete recommendations to the European Commission for developing an actionable Energy Transition plan by early 2026.
The meeting brought together 16 small-scale fishers and their representatives from 13 different countries, some of whom are actively engaged in projects and have experience in the field. It served as a platform to highlight key challenges and opportunities while beginning to identify the primary human, technical, financial, and regulatory barriers and enablers necessary for the SSF sector’s Energy Transition.
The next meeting, scheduled for March 27, will focus on technical and research gaps. Experts in the field, along with fishers already advancing case studies and solutions, will be invited to gain deeper insights into the current state of Energy Transition technologies in small-scale fisheries.
Multi-AC workshop on the Control Regulation
5/2 – LIFE participated in the NWWAC workshop on the Control Regulation and later sought clarification on two key points. The Commission discussed developing a catch reporting app, prompting requests for details on its design, functionality, trial locations, and implementation timeline. Clarification was also sought on listed ports receiving a margin of tolerance derogation. Questions focused on how these ports improve species composition data in unsorted mixed landings, the tools ensuring species catch weights remain within a 10% margin, and whether the Commission has compared these methods with modern control techniques like DNA testing.
LIFE Board of Directors Elects New President and Sets Future Priorities
12/2 – The LIFE Board of Directors met to elect a new President, as Christian Decugis stepped down after 7 years of leadership (since November 2018). Following discussions and a show of hands, Gwen Pennarun from Brittany, France, was elected, marking the start of a new chapter in LIFE’s advocacy for small-scale fishers.
The Board reviewed LIFE’s 2025 budget, with the staff presenting the key planned activities and underpinning financial resources available. Discussions then focused on priorities for the Xth Legislature, including LIFE’s position on the European Oceans Pact, a proposal for a Small-Scale Fisheries Advisory Council (SSF AC) and its potential role, and the evaluation of the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) and the pros and cons of its reform.
This meeting reinforced LIFE’s strategic direction, ensuring small-scale fishers remain at the heart of EU policy discussions.
Eurobarometer: Shifting Trends in Seafood Consumption Across Europe
Latest Eurobarometer report finds that seafood consumption in Europe has declined since 2021, with only one-third of respondents eating fishery and aquaculture products weekly—a 4% drop—while 15% never consume them at home.
Price is now the top factor in purchasing decisions (55%), overtaking product appearance. Economic pressures are driving a shift toward frozen and tinned products over fresh seafood. Coastal residents consume more fish and prefer wild-caught products, while landlocked consumers show less concern about production methods.
Labeling remains important, with 69% valuing the date of catch or harvest. However, interest in environmental labeling has declined by 8 percentage points.
For the first time, the survey examined seaweed and algae consumption. While not yet mainstream, two-thirds have tried algae products in the past year, mainly in sushi, with half enjoying the taste and one-third recognizing health benefits.
The Shocking Costs of Electrification
LIFE’s Senior Adviser, Jeremy Percy, attended a presentation of a fishing vessel electrification project. A key issue he highlights is the cost of converting existing fishing vessels from fossil fuel to battery power. Two major costs are administrative fees – around 15% of the total costs for the “red tape” required to obtain the necessary vessel certification and registration; and around 30% for labour – in this case, the time spent converting the boat by the fisher himself. Although he received a 60% grant, it did not cover either of these costs. On a positive note, our Senior Adviser commented that “much of the hardware costs are already coming down and the efficiency of electric motors, battery storage and solar panels is improving all the time.”
In the press
Seaglow in Eurofish Magazine Issue 1 2025
The Fishing Daily: MEP Flanagan demands fairer treatment for small-scale fishers
The Fishing Daily: Gwen Pennarun elected as LIFE President
Danish public radio (DR) on the misuse of EMFAF sustainability funds