A new video testimonial from small-scale fishers in Cyprus, France and Spain highlights a crucial message: many of the pressures facing Mediterranean low-impact fisheries are not rooted in the design of the Common Fisheries Policy, but in its incomplete and inconsistent implementation and enforcement.
From declining fish populations and increasing fishing effort, difficult access to fishing opportunities and the lack of effective protection in Marine Protected Areas, fishers describe the daily realities on the ground.
The EU Common Fisheries Policy already includes the tools needed to restore fish stocks, ensure fairer access to resources and strengthen coastal communities. As the policy undergoes evaluation, these lived experiences provide grounded, evidence-based insights into what must work better in practice. NGOs urge the European Commission to protect the future of the Common Fisheries policy and fully implement it instead of reforming it.
The video was led by the MedSea Alliance together with Seas At Risk Client Earth, Ecologistas en Acción, Enalia, Low Impact Fishers of Europe, Oceana Europe. The video was developed with the support of Meridian Agency.
Posted on: 26 February 2026
