NWWAC urges comprehensive EU Vision for Fisheries and Aquaculture 2040, demanding equal footing with agriculture and addressing sector challenges
The North Western Waters Advisory Council (NWWAC) has submitted its advice to the European Commission. This advice concerns the upcoming Vision for Fisheries and Aquaculture 2040.
The Council is urging for a comprehensive and strategically directed future for the sector. Their recommendations were detailed in a letter sent to Ms. Charlina Vitcheva, Director-General for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries.
The NWWAC welcomed the recognition given to fishers in the recently published Vision for Agriculture and Food 2040. They are acknowledged as custodians of nature and essential actors in European food security.
The Council also welcomed the announcement of a dedicated Vision for Fisheries and Aquaculture 2040. They see this as a crucial opportunity to provide strategic direction for the sector.
It aims to enhance competitiveness and sustainability through innovation. The vision also seeks to promote job creation and blue foods. Furthermore, it intends to address pressing socio-economic and environmental challenges faced by fishing communities.
However, the NWWAC expressed regret that the Vision for Agriculture and Food 2040 lacked concrete proposals specifically for the fisheries sector.
The Council anticipates this omission will be corrected in the forthcoming fisheries vision. They expect a robust response to the sector’s current needs and future ambitions.
The NWWAC particularly highlights the need for fisheries to be treated on an equal footing with agriculture in EU policy.
They support the establishment of a dedicated “Blue Food Initiative.” This initiative would strengthen the position of aquatic foods as a cornerstone of European food security and a transition to sustainable food systems. The Council also urged a clear and explicit link between the upcoming fisheries vision and the broader food policy debate.
To ensure the sector’s competitiveness and resilience, the NWWAC advises promoting fairer global competition. They also call for reducing critical dependencies and enhancing the sector’s ability to adapt to climate change.
It is also essential to improve risk and crisis management capacities, simplify administrative burdens, and strengthen the resilience of the EU seafood market.
The ecological transition must fully account for economic and implementation challenges faced by operators. At the same time, it must preserve healthy ocean ecosystems and conserve biodiversity.
Furthermore, the NWWAC advocates for improving consumer awareness regarding the quality and sustainability of EU seafood. This includes educating on diversifying fish species consumption and addressing public perceptions of the fishing sector.
The Council believes that the Ocean Pact could have more explicitly connected fisheries with the Clean Industrial Deal and its associated innovation and funding mechanisms.
Strengthening these connections is essential to support modernisation, competitiveness, and sustainability efforts with accessible funding tools.
Finally, the NWWAC underlined the importance of ensuring coherence between the proposed Vision for Fisheries and Aquaculture and the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP). This is especially relevant given the Ocean Pact’s reference to a potential revision of the CFP.
Any future approach, they state, must remain grounded in inclusive, transparent governance. Advisory Councils, they add, should play a central role in stakeholders’ engagement.
“The NWWAC stands ready to contribute actively to the development of the Vision for Fisheries and Aquaculture 2040 and looks forward to continued dialogue with the European Commission on this important matter,” stated Alexandra Philippe, NWWAC Chair.
Source: NWWAC