Briefing Series “Recommendations to the EU and the UK on the setting of fishing opportunities” – Briefing 5 of 11: Fishing opportunities in an ecosystem context

Fisheries & Seafood | 17 July 2025

Briefing Series “Recommendations to the EU and the UK on the setting of fishing opportunities” – Briefing 5 of 11: Fishing opportunities in an ecosystem context

Fisheries & Seafood

Europe

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Briefing Series “Recommendations to the EU and the UK on the setting of fishing opportunities” – Briefing 5 of 11: Fishing opportunities in an ecosystem context

This Briefing is part of a joint Briefing Series, co-signed by 29 organisations (including environmental NGOs and recreational representatives), which presents our key recommendations to EU and UK decision-makers regarding the setting of recovery-focused, precautionary and ecosystem-based fishing opportunities.

A healthy, resilient and productive ocean is a fundamental prerequisite for thriving fisheries and coastal communities. This Briefing explains why and how EU and UK decision-makers should ensure that the fishing opportunities they set - and the scientific advice that these are underpinned by - are explicitly geared towards:

Rapid rebuilding of fish populations that are below sustainable biomass levels;
Reaching and maintaining population levels well above BMSY (the biomass capable of producing the maximum sustainable yield), with a healthy age/size structure; and
Taking full account of climate change and other ecosystem dynamics, including the need to leave a sufficient food supply in the ocean for dependent predators.

In order to achieve this, we recommend that they (1) request fully recovery-focused and ecosystem-based advice (also see Briefing 3), and – where this is not yet available – (2) incorporate the necessary precaution into their fishing opportunities by setting them below the single-stock advice (also see Briefing 1).

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Briefing Series “Recommendations to the EU and the UK on the setting of fishing opportunities” – Briefing 5 of 11: Fishing opportunities in an ecosystem context

Briefing Series “Recommendations to the EU and the UK on the setting of fishing opportunities” – Briefing 5 of 11: Fishing opportunities in an ecosystem context