Overview
EU countries are obliged to report annually on this balance, using the guidelines prepared by the European Commission.
Also on an annual basis, the Scientific, Technical and Economic Committee for Fisheries (STECF) reviews the national fleet reports and assesses the balance between the fishing capacity and the fishing opportunities for key fleet segments in the EU.
A fishing fleet capacity ceiling in kilowatts (kW) and gross tonnage (GT) is established for each EU country. New fishing vessels may enter the fleet only after the same fleet capacity (in kW and GT) is removed. Through this ‘entry-exit’ system, the EU’s fleet capacity is kept stable.
Access to waters
In general, fishing vessels registered in the EU fishing fleet register have equal access to all of the EU waters and resources that are managed under the common fisheries policy. Access to fisheries is normally authorised through a fishing licence.
There are two temporary exceptions to the rule of equal access
- an EU country can limit access in waters up to 12 nautical miles from its coast to certain vessels and fisheries
- in Europe’s outermost regions, access can be restricted in waters of up to 100 nautical miles from their coasts to vessels registered in these territories and to vessels that traditionally fish in those waters
The exceptions expire on 1 January 2032.
Fishing fleet register
The Commission maintains the EU fleet register with the necessary vessel information received periodically from EU countries.
Master data register
The Master data register contains data structures and lists of fisheries codes to be used in electronic information recording and exchanges among Member States and for Member States' communications with Norway with the purpose to record and report fishing activities.
News
The Commission will host a week-long event to address the pressing issues facing the world's ocean. From 3 to 7 March 2025, the European Ocean Days will bring together experts, policymakers, and stakeholders from various fields to discuss sustainable blue economy, fisheries science, and innovative
In 2024, Tetra Tech and partners, a consortium contracted by the European Commission, engaged in a consultation process with EU fishers, their representatives from EU advisory councils, and social partners. The goal was to explore potential future scenarios for the fishing sector by 2050.
The European Commission is actively following up to the European Citizens’ Initiative (ECI) 'Stop finning – Stop the trade,' which asked the Commission for action to end international trade of loose shark fins.