Carbon-friendly & economically resilient EU fisheries

The document argues that the EU fisheries sector must shift away from carbon-intensive, high-impact fishing to meet the goals of the European Green Deal and the European Climate Law. It recommends a comprehensive approach including the creation of national emission-reduction roadmaps, the transition from active mobile bottom-contacting gears to passive techniques, and the elimination of fossil fuel subsidies. The brief emphasizes the need to quantify all greenhouse gas emissions, including those from seabed disturbance and the removal of fish biomass, and suggests integrating fisheries into the EU Emission Trading System (ETS). It also advocates for fairer funding access for small-scale coastal fisheries and the use of ecosystem-based fisheries management to protect 'blue carbon' habitats.

• The EU fisheries sector is almost entirely dependent on fossil fuels, and current energy transition plans fail to address all emission sources beyond fuel, such as the disturbance of carbon-rich habitats and the disruption of species' roles in carbon cycling.
• Mobile bottom-contacting gears are more fuel-intensive and risk releasing sedimentary carbon into the water column as CO2, which can increase ocean acidification and reduce the ocean's ability to absorb atmospheric CO2.
• Transitioning from active gears to passive techniques can significantly reduce fuel use, with potential savings of 34% for passive techniques, 37% for semi-pelagic trawls, and 66% for purse seiners compared to more intensive methods.
• Overfishing increases the carbon footprint of seafood; recovering fish stocks could save 50 kilograms of CO2-equivalent per kilogram of wet-weight seafood by reducing the economic and fuel effort required to find fish.
• Small-scale coastal fisheries (SSCF) are underfunded, having received only 20% of EU funds in recent decades despite making up nearly 80% of the EU fishing fleet.
• To effectively price the climate impact of fishing, the EU should eliminate fuel tax exemptions via the Energy Taxation Directive and include fishing activities within the EU Emission Trading System (ETS) and the FuelEU Maritime Regulation.

APA

ClientEarth (2023). Carbon-friendly & economically resilient EU fisheries. https://www.clientearth.org/media/rfwlefb1/policy-brief-carbon-friendly-economically-resilient-eu-fisheries-for-screens.pdf

Chicago

ClientEarth. Carbon-friendly & economically resilient EU fisheries. 2023. https://www.clientearth.org/media/rfwlefb1/policy-brief-carbon-friendly-economically-resilient-eu-fisheries-for-screens.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=ClientEarth |title=Carbon-friendly & economically resilient EU fisheries |date=May 2023 |url=https://www.clientearth.org/media/rfwlefb1/policy-brief-carbon-friendly-economically-resilient-eu-fisheries-for-screens.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{clientearth2023carbonfriendly, author = {{ClientEarth}}, title = {{Carbon-friendly \& economically resilient EU fisheries}}, institution = {ClientEarth}, year = {2023}, month = may, url = {https://www.clientearth.org/media/rfwlefb1/policy-brief-carbon-friendly-economically-resilient-eu-fisheries-for-screens.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }