BRIEFING SERIES: Recommendations to the EU and the UK on the setting of fishing opportunities

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Report | September 1, 2025

About this Briefing Series

This Briefing Series, supported by the 29 undersigned organisations, is designed to assist the responsible decision makers in the European Union (the European Commission, the Council of the EU and the Member States) and the United Kingdom (the UK Government and devolved administrations) in managing 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 Series consists of 11 Briefings covering the following topics related to the setting of fishing opportunities:

1. Cover Briefing: Key recommendations on setting fishing opportunities (this briefing)

2. Context and legal framework

3. “Best available” is not good enough – addressing shortcomings in the current scientific advice

4. Shared fish stocks

5. Fishing opportunities in an ecosystem context

6. Mixed fisheries considerations

7. The fishing effort regime in the Western Mediterranean Sea

8. Landing obligation challenges