Participatory issues in fisheries governance in Europe

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to describe the fisheries governance system in the European Union (EU) and review fishers' participation in the decision-making process in the EU. Design/methodology/approach - The study was based on a variety of sources, such as review of the literature, including scientific articles and reports, and data collected by the Coastal Transects Analysis Model (CTAM) online decision support tool. Findings - The review reveals major improvements in involving fishers in the decision-making process in Europe, but participation and empowerment are still generally lacking. Social implications - The lack of fisher participation in the decision-making process leads to limited acceptance of management measures which in turn results in management objectives not being met, with negative effects on environmental, economic and social sustainability. Originality/value - The paper provides a review of participation in the EU decision-making process. The results could give management bodies an insight into the failures of participation and point to possible ways forward.