News

Joint Briefing Series to Support Sustainable Fisheries Management

Published on July 17, 2025

This comprehensive Briefing Series, which was produced/supported by 29 environmental NGOs and recreational fisheries representatives, aims to assist decision-makers in the European Union (European Commission, Council of the EU, and Member States) and the United Kingdom (UK Government and devolved administrations) toward more sustainable and ecosystem-based decisions when setting fishing opportunities in a way that: 

  • Finally ends overfishing, 
  • Significantly contributes to restoring and/or maintaining all fish stocks above healthy levels and to minimising levels of incidental catches, and  
  • Safeguards marine ecosystem functioning and resilience, also in light of mounting pressures like climate change. 

The cost of continuing unsustainable fishing practices is high: it puts the future of fish stocks, fisheries, coastal communities, and access to sustainable seafood at risk. To ensure healthy oceans and productive, resilient fisheries for current and future generations, we urge policymakers to adopt the recommendations laid out across the entire Briefing Series.

The series is further supported by regional and topic-specific positions and briefings, including the Joint NGO recommendations on Baltic Sea fishing opportunities for 2026 (June 2025) which provide tailored insights for specific sea basins and groups of species.

 

What’s Included in the Series?

The Series consists of 11 Briefings covering the following topics related to the setting of fishing opportunities: 

  • Briefing 1– Cover Briefing: Key recommendations on setting fishing opportunities 
  • Briefing 2 – Context and legal framework 
  • Briefing 3 – “Best available” is not good enough – addressing shortcomings in the current scientific advice 
  • Briefing 4 – Shared fish stocks 
  • Briefing 5 – Fishing opportunities in an ecosystem context 
  • Briefing 6 – Mixed fisheries considerations 
  • Briefing 7 – The fishing effort regime in the Western Mediterranean Sea 
  • Briefing 8 – Landing obligation challenges 
  • Briefing 9 – Depleted stocks with zero or very low catch advice 
  • Briefing 10 – Stocks not managed by a TAC 
  • Briefing 11 – Deep-sea stocks 

 


Note: Briefing 7 features fewer logos as not all signatory organisations are active in the Mediterranean. Briefing 3 includes additional endorsements from the Low Impact Fishers of Europe (LIFE), European Anglers Alliance (EAA), Baltic Salmon Fund, and the Baltic Salmon Rivers Association, alongside the other 29 supporting organisations.