Aquaculture plays a crucial role in meeting growing global demand for nutritious seafood. However, feed remains the dominant contributor to the environmental footprint of farmed fish production, accounting for between 50–90% of total impacts in many systems. Over the past two decades, the aquaculture sector has significantly reduced its reliance on marine ingredients such as fishmeal and fish oil. This shift has often been presented as a key sustainability achievement.…

The European Commission has published the mid-term review of the EU Zero Pollution Action Plan, assessing progress since the strategy was launched in 2021 and outlining priorities for the coming years. The review confirms that while encouraging progress has been made in several areas, significant work remains to meet the EU’s 2030 pollution reduction targets and the longer-term objective of a toxic-free environment by 2050. The Action Plan is a key pillar of the European…

A new study commissioned by the European Commission sheds light on the growing societal costs associated with PFAS pollution in Europe. The report, The Cost of PFAS Pollution for our Society, assesses the economic and environmental impacts of these persistent chemicals across the European Economic Area (EEA). PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) are a large group of synthetic chemicals used widely in industrial processes and consumer products because of their…

A new study published in Biodiversity and Conservation highlights concerns among fisheries stakeholders regarding the limited visibility of fish and fisheries issues within current biodiversity planning under the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). You can download the paper by  Newton Friedman et al. 2026 here The research analysed 182 National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans (NBSAPs) using text analysis techniques to examine how aquatic ecosystems…

The Marine and Freshwater Research Institute (MFRI) of Iceland has published a revised catch advice for the Iceland-East Greenland-Jan Mayen (IEGJM) capelin stock for the 2025/2026 fishing year. After the completion of consecutive acoustic surveys in autumn 2025 and winter 2026, scientists now advise that total catches should be set at no more than 197,474 tonnes, a 351% increase relative to the existing quota.  This update is grounded in the most recent survey data and…

EFFOP recently participated in the annual ICES Meeting with Advisory Councils and Observers (MIACO), a key annual forum where scientists, advisory bodies, and stakeholders review the latest ICES advice and discuss the future direction of marine science and management. This year’s meeting combined a detailed look at the 2025 advice cycle with forward-looking discussions on ecosystem-based management, climate considerations, and innovation in advisory processes.…