EU fisheries advisory councils warn STECF social dimension work ignores mental health, crew shortages, and coastal community realities. Photo: European Union
Gaps in STECF Social Dimension Work Criticised
Two EU fisheries advisory councils have criticised gaps in the European Commission’s approach to the social dimension of fisheries, warning that coastal communities and crew welfare remain overlooked despite being one of the three pillars of the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP).
In joint advice sent on 21 August 2025 to Charlina Vitcheva, Director-General for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, the North Sea Advisory Council (NSAC) and the North Western Waters Advisory Council (NWWAC) stressed that the ongoing work of the Scientific, Technical and Economic Committee for Fisheries (STECF) Expert Group on Social Data is “essential but incomplete”.
The advisory councils welcomed STECF’s development of National Fisheries Profiles, Community Fisheries Profiles and a new Annual Social Report, but insisted that the data remain patchy, often outdated, and at risk of being misinterpreted in policy debates. They warned that two major Danish fishing harbours had already been left out of the profiling work due to missing stakeholder input, raising questions about representativeness.
“The political system has long treated social aspects as secondary to environmental and economic issues. This imbalance undermines the sector’s identity and resilience,” the advice stated.
Mental Health and Crew Shortages
The advice highlights several overlooked issues, including the mental health of fishermen, which the councils say has received “limited attention” despite growing evidence of its importance for safety, recruitment, and long-term sector viability.
Crew shortages and reliance on foreign crews were also raised, with concerns over isolation, language barriers and limited integration of migrant workers. The councils warned these problems risk eroding safety standards and creating further social tensions in coastal communities.
Call for Broader Data and Engagement
The NSAC and NWWAC urged the Commission to expand data collection to cover recreational fisheries, ecotourism, and diversification opportunities for small-scale fishermen who struggle to survive on fishing alone. They stressed that local knowledge must be better integrated into Fisheries Community Profiles through pilot initiatives, warning that top-down approaches risk missing critical detail.
They also pointed to Brexit and agreements with Coastal States as continuing blind spots in social data collection. “Indicators addressing the impact of UK and Third Country decisions on EU fishing communities are still missing,” the advice noted.
Demanding Timely Feedback
The councils said that stakeholders should be given the chance to review STECF outputs before publication to avoid policy decisions being made on flawed data. They also called for closer coordination between STECF, ICES, and the advisory councils to prevent duplication and reduce costs.
A Warning for Policymakers
The advice concludes that EU fisheries policy cannot claim to be sustainable without tackling social realities alongside environmental and economic considerations. “Only by addressing the full spectrum of sustainability can the EU ensure the fishing sector will endure,” the two councils warned.
