What’s the Future for Small-Scale Fishers in Mediterranean Europe?

The most memorable event I attended during the United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC) in Nice was a panel dedicated to small-scale fishers. What stood out was the energy, authenticity and engagement rarely seen in conference settings. Among the panelists was a representative from the Low Impact Fishers of Europe (LIFE), a platform that brings together and supports small-scale fishers at the European level. I reached out to them after the event to hear directly from their Mediterranean members. Despite the many challenges small-scale fishers face in one of the most-overfished seas in the world — overtourism, climate change, invasive species, competition over fewer and fewer resources, increasing maritime uses, bureaucracy and little generational renewal — they sound committed to reclaiming their space in marine governance. They know, as they often repeat, the hard truth: Without fish, their job and way of life will likely disappear.

Kazimir Bogović was once a restaurant owner. Then, seven years ago, he swapped the kitchen for a fishing boat. The decision wasn’t driven by money, but a longing for freedom. Fishing runs deep in his blood: his father, grandfather and great-grandfather were all fishers. So now he spends his winter nights harpooning octopus, squid and cuttlefish. Then, during the summer months, like many of the 60 fishers on the small Croatian island of Mali Lošinj, he sets traps for lobster, octopus and fish.

“We strongly support the [use of] selective tools and care for the sea, so we can leave something for future generations,” Bogović tells me, describing the mission of the small-scale fishers’ association of the Adriatic he belongs to.

Every year, the small-scale coastal fishers’ association organizes a meeting with researchers from institutions like the Center for Marine Research in Rovinj or the Institute of Oceanography and Fisheries in Split. The goal is to gain a deeper understanding of the state of the Adriatic Sea and identify measures to support the regeneration of its resources.

One initiative, in particular, has been eye-opening for many fishers along these coasts: the establishment in 2017 of a fisheries-restricted area in the Jabuka (or Pomo) Pit, a deep-sea area between Italy and Croatia that serves as a vital spawning ground for hake and langoustines. Bogović recalls: “After a few years, around that area, even trawlers have seen that they catch much better than before.”

Now, the small-scale fishers’ association is in talks with the Croatian government about establishing new fisheries-restricted zones in other locations.

But when asked about the future of small-scale fishing in the Mediterranean, Bogović sounds less optimistic.

“There will always be someone who will do this job because, like me, they want their freedom and they like the sea,” he says. But licenses and boats are getting more and more expensive. “The number [of small-scale fishers in the Adriatic ] will only go down.”

Antonis Petrou, a marine biologist who has spent over two decades serving as scientific advisor to the Pan Cypriot Association of Professional Coastal Fishermen, is even more pessimistic. “I’m guessing that in 20 or 25 years, there won’t be any professional small-scale fishers left,” he tells me, speaking about the situation in Cyprus. “It will only be a part-time job or a hobby — not a job you can feed your family and make money with.”

Back in 2012, Cyprus supported 12 trawlers and around 500 small-scale vessels, of which 300 were full-time professional fishers. Today, only two trawlers remain, alongside 327 coastal licenses — just about 100 of which belong to full-time professionals. Some fishers earn as little as 20 to 30 euros a day. Very few young people are entering the profession, and older fishers often struggle to retire, as the state no longer offers compensation from EU funds for removing their boats from the registry.

The problem is simple, as Petrou repeated several times during our interview: There's no fish to catch. This is due, he explains, to a combination of factors: overfishing from the past, climate change, the spread of invasive species and poor management.