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.