Declining fish stocks, an ageing workforce and unchecked illegal fishing are pushing Cyprus’s small-scale fishing communities to the brink – and fishers say the country still has no coherent strategy to turn the tide.

Representatives of the Union of Small-Scale Coastal Fishers, alongside Enalia Physis Environmental Research Centre, AP Marine and Oceana, met with European Commissioner for Fisheries and Oceans Costas Kadis this week to press the case for urgent national action.

Their message was a clear one: Cyprus must formally adopt and implement a ten-year National Plan of Action for Small-Scale Fisheries, and follow through on the EU’s Common Fisheries Policy (CFP).

The pressures facing the sector are stacking up. Fishers report shrinking catches, invasive species, climate impacts, growing competition for marine space, weak enforcement against illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing, rising costs and unstable incomes. Younger generations are increasingly reluctant to enter a profession that offers little security and even less say in the decisions that shape it.

The plan fishers are calling for was developed jointly with scientists, and sets out a clear vision, priorities, specific actions, defined roles and responsibilities, an indicative budget and a timetable.

Christodoulos Charalambous, President of the Union of Small-Scale Coastal Fishers, said: “Small-scale fishers experience these pressures every day at sea, but Cyprus still lacks a coherent, long-term plan for the future of our sector. We are asking for the formal adoption and implementation of a 10-year National Plan of Action that has been developed together with fishers and scientists.

“The National Plan of Action includes a clear vision, priorities and outcomes, specific actions, roles and responsibilities, an indicative budget and a timetable. Fishers are ready to contribute our knowledge and experience and work constructively with the authorities on solutions that can secure the future of our profession and our coastal communities.”

Among fishers’ priority demands: preferential access to coastal areas and traditional fishing grounds for low-impact fishers; delivery of the CFP’s fish stock recovery objectives; stronger monitoring and enforcement across commercial and recreational fishing; improved market access and funding support; and a meaningful role in the decisions that affect their communities.

A recent European Commission evaluation of the CFP found that while the policy framework itself is sound, inconsistent implementation across the EU has slowed fish stock recovery and deepened economic strain on the sector – a finding Cypriot fishers say mirrors their own experience.

Javier López, Campaign Director for Sustainable Fisheries at Oceana in Europe, said: “The experience of Cypriot small-scale fishers shows the urgent need to implement and enforce the CFP so that it can deliver tangible results. A participatory National Strategy and Action Plan can help turn these commitments into coordinated action in Cyprus and secure a viable future for the sector.

“The forthcoming European Ocean Act also provides an opportunity to strengthen EU marine governance and support small-scale, low-impact fisheries, including through preferential access to coastal waters and measures to protect these areas from destructive fishing practices such as bottom trawling.”

The proposed strategy builds on the Joint Call to Action for the Future of Small-Scale Fisheries in Cyprus, first developed by the Union of Small-Scale Coastal Fishers and Enalia Physis Environmental Research Centre with partner organisations.

Click here for more from the Oceanographic Newsroom.