Policy document: Small-scale commercial fishing creates added value for coastal communities
Small-scale coastal commercial fishing contributes more than just the catch – it creates jobs, preserves cultural heritage, strengthens the local economy and food security, and offers culinary experiences for tourists. However, current fisheries management is undermining the conditions for viable small-scale fishing, and the number of commercial fishermen is rapidly declining along our coasts.
In the policy document “Small-scale commercial fishing creates added value for coastal communities,” the 2025 trainees at BalticWaters highlight how small-scale commercial fishing is not only important for the ecosystem and the economy, but also for vibrant coastal communities and the people who use them. To preserve these added values, measures are needed that promote fishing for human consumption, protect local stocks, and include small-scale commercial fishermen in decisions affecting their work.
“If small-scale commercial fishing disappears, many of the added values associated with fishing will be lost. The knowledge about fish, fishing, and the sea that has been built up over generations will die out. In the long run, the cultural heritage and fishing identity that have long contributed to vibrant coastal communities will fade away”, write authors Jens Pettersson and Ebba Hadenius.
Download the policy document here (in Swedish)Stay tuned, an English version of the policy document will be published shortly.