Energy transition partnership in fisheries and aquaculture: towards a roadmap for the energy transition
The high fossil fuel dependency of the EU’s fisheries and aquaculture sector, makes the sector economically vulnerable to increases in fuel prices and reduces the sustainability of fisheries and aquaculture products. To ensure the long-term resilience and sustainability of the EU’s fisheries and aquaculture sector, there is a need to improve the energy efficiency of the sector in the short to medium term and to prepare the sector for the transition to alternative and low-carbon energy sources to achieve a resilient and climate-neutral sector by 2050.
The energy transition in the EU fisheries and aquaculture sector serves the dual objective of (i) increasing the socio-economic resilience of the sector by reducing its high dependency on fossil fuels and thereby the impact of its fluctuating prices and (ii) assuring the appropriate contribution of the sector to the EU’s green ambitions by eliminating its net GHG emissions, including indirect emissions related to operations. The objectives follow from those set out in the communication on the energy transition in EU fisheries, published in February 2023 as part of the fisheries and ocean package.
The challenge of the energy transition in the EU fisheries and aquaculture sector cannot be faced by one player alone; it requires the involvement, willingness, coordination, and collaboration of a wide range of stakeholders. The Energy Transition Partnership is a multi-stakeholder platform that aims to improve this necessary stakeholder collaboration, with the objective of facilitating and promoting cooperation, knowledge sharing and dialogue between all private and public stakeholders, who need to act together to accelerate the energy transition in the sector.
By the first quarter of 2026, the European Commission will develop, in close cooperation with the Energy Transition Partnership, a roadmap for the energy transition of the EU
Oceans are a great carbon sink, absorbing excess heat and energy released from rising GHG emissions. Seaweed cultivation can be an effective NBS, as in addition to being a source of food and energy, and having other uses, its production contributes to carbon sequestration and ecosystem restoration. Macias et al. have assessed the environmental suitability of EU marine regions for seaweed cultivation, showing that Atlantic regions are the most suitable areas for seaweed cultivation, particularly for cold-water and intermediate-water species. Moreover, taking a precautionary approach by using only 1% of the suitable area and considering logistical constraints (water depth and distance to coast), seaweed production in Member States’ waters could reach about 5.5 million tonnes, assimilating about 1.9 million tonnes of carbon, 225 000 tonnes of nitrogen and 24 000 tonnes of phosphorous per year over an area of about 1 900 km2.
fisheries and aquaculture sector towards climate neutrality by 2050. This roadmap will be one of the main deliverables of the partnership and will outline investments needs, discuss sector initiatives and inform policy decisions to help achieve the energy transition.
In implementing the strategic guidelines for a more sustainable and competitive EU aquaculture, the European Commission published a staff working document on the energy transition of EU aquaculture in December 2024. The aim of the document is to provide information on energy efficiency and on the use of renewable sources of energy in aquaculture production. It provides an overview of the energy used in different production systems, the technologies that can be applied, and good practices. The document also aims to provide relevant information for the purposes of developing the roadmap for the energy transition initiative.
For more information, please visit the section on Energy Transition within the EU Blue Economy Observatory.
The impacts of climate change are expected to exacerbate water scarcity in the EU, particularly in southern and south-western European regions, where river discharge could decrease by up to 40% by 2050. Recently, Macias et al. estimated that such a reduction in river flow may result in a 10%-decline in marine primary productivity and a 6%-decrease in the biomass of commercial marine species in the Mediterranean Sea; however, local and regional reductions could be much higher, disrupting coastal and marine ecosystems together with their related socio-economic sectors..
