The European Anglers Alliance (EAA) has co-signed, together with 22 other organisations/associations, an open letter addressed to the European Commission on the need to preserve water resilience and prevent the weakening of the Water Framework Directive (WFD).

In the letter, the co-signing organisations underline that the focus should be on accelerating the Water Framework Directive’s implementation and enforcement – as was indicated in the EU Commission’s Water Resilience Strategy.

The full position paper, including notes and references, can be downloaded below. 

In this position paper, the Living Rivers Europe coalition warns against the revision of the Water Framework Directive, which was announced in the EU Commission’s ResourceEU Action Plan (December 2025). This revision will – according to LRE – imply “the lowering of water protection standards to respond to concerns raised in particular by the critical raw materials sector..(and) is casting a major risk of weakening of the water protection rules in Europe”.

 The Living Rivers Europe coalition is composed of the European Anglers Alliance, the European Environmental Bureau, the European Rivers Network, Surfrider Foundation Europe, The Nature Conservancy, Wetlands International and WWF.

The full position paper can be downloaded below. 

The document shares four key recommendations for the EU Commission and co-legislators. 

The International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) has issued restrictive catch advice for Baltic salmon in order to protect weak river-specific stocks, while recognising that carefully designed spatial and temporal management can allow limited fishing opportunities. This advice has triggered policy decisions that directly affect recreational salmon fisheries in the Baltic Sea.

The European Anglers Alliance (EAA) supports the protection and recovery of vulnerable salmon stocks but considers that current management measures affecting recreational anglers are not always proportionate, scientifically robust, or ecosystem-based. Recreational fishing is not the cause of weak salmon populations, yet it delivers high social, economic and conservation value, including strong angler engagement in river restoration and stock recovery.

EAA therefore calls for a more balanced, adaptive and ecosystem-based salmon management approach, grounded in up-to-date science, realistic assessments of recreational fishing impacts, and policies that maintain angler involvement as a key driver for long-term salmon conservation.

EAA suggests the following actions and regulations.

The full position paper, including notes and references, can be downloaded below. 

The International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) has advised zero catch for western Baltic cod under the EU management framework, reflecting the stock’s poor condition driven by environmental stress, reduced reproductive success and a legacy of overfishing. ICES also highlights that more selective commercial fishing gears capable of reducing cod bycatch are still not sufficiently applied.

The European Anglers Alliance (EAA) recognises the need for strong protection and recovery of Baltic cod, but stresses that recreational fishing and commercial fishing are fundamentally different activities. Recreational anglers do not fish for profit and are motivated by the experience, not by maximising catches. Well-designed recreational management measures can therefore deliver high stock protection while maintaining angler participation and socio-economic value for coastal communities.

EAA considers that recreational anglers have already made a substantial contribution to stock protection and should not be excluded from the fishery where equivalent conservation outcomes can be achieved through alternative, science-based management tools. EAA therefore calls for a balanced, ecosystem-based and adaptive approach to Baltic cod management that safeguards stock recovery while preserving recreational fishing opportunities and angler engagement.

The European Anglers Alliance suggests the following regulations and actions concerning Baltic cod for 2026.

The following positions summarise the European Anglers Alliance’s EAA Climate Change Position Paper (September 2021).

The full position paper, including notes and references, can be downloaded below. 

In response to the EU’s climate and energy objectives, the European Union and the United Kingdom have committed to a rapid and large-scale expansion of offshore renewable energy, notably offshore wind, under initiatives such as REPowerEU and the revised Renewable Energy Directive. These targets imply a dramatic increase in offshore wind capacity by 2030, requiring accelerated planning, permitting and construction across European seas.

The European Anglers Alliance (EAA) supports the transition towards renewable energy and recognises the importance of reducing dependence on fossil fuels. However, EAA stresses that this transition must not come at the expense of marine ecosystems, biodiversity and existing sea users, including recreational and small-scale fisheries. Poorly planned offshore wind development risks long-term ecological impacts, spatial conflicts and irreversible damage, particularly given the current data and knowledge gaps on cumulative effects on fish populations and marine habitats.

EAA therefore calls for a precautionary, ecosystem-based and spatially coherent approach to offshore renewable energy development, grounded in sound science, transparent governance and the application of the user pays and polluter pays principles. Offshore wind must deliver climate benefits while safeguarding marine biodiversity and fair access to public marine space.

The following key points summarise the EAA position on Offshore Renewable Energy (ORE).

The full position paper, including notes and references, can be downloaded below. 

The European Anglers Alliance (EAA) welcomes the improved scientific assessment of the European sea bass stock, while underlining that continued precaution and balanced management remain essential. Stock recovery has been achieved through strict and targeted measures, and future decisions must consolidate these gains, avoid premature catch increases, and ensure fair allocation between fishing sectors.

The EAA position for Sea bass opportunities for is as follows.

The full position paper, including notes and references, can be downloaded below. 

The European Anglers Alliance (EAA) recognises fish welfare as an essential element of responsible and sustainable angling. Recreational angling generates significant social and economic value across Europe and, when practiced correctly, is one of the most selective and least harmful fishing methods. EAA promotes knowledge, best practices and proportionate policies that protect fish welfare while recognising the broader pressures affecting fish populations and aquatic ecosystems.

Summary of the EAA position on animal welfare.

The full position paper, including notes and references, can be downloaded below.

The European Anglers Alliance (EAA) fully supports strong measures to protect and restore weak Baltic salmon stocks and agrees with the scientific assessment that several river populations are at serious risk. At the same time, EAA underlines that recreational fishing is not the cause of weak salmon stocks. The main drivers of decline are low post-smolt survival, migration barriers, habitat degradation, altered marine ecosystems and increasing predation pressure, particularly from cormorants.

Recreational anglers and angling organisations are deeply engaged in salmon conservation, investing substantial time, resources and voluntary effort in river restoration, water quality monitoring and fisheries control. Maintaining angler involvement is essential to secure public support, continued investment in restoration measures and long-term recovery of salmon populations. EAA therefore calls for a balanced, ecosystem-based and adaptive management approach, combining effective protection of weak stocks with proportionate recreational fishing opportunities that sustain angler engagement and support broader environmental objectives, including river connectivity, habitat restoration and coordinated management of predation pressures.

As a result, the EAA suggests the following regulations and actions concerning Baltic salmon for 2025.

The full position paper, including notes and references, can be downloaded below.

Ahead of the European elections, the European Anglers Alliance (EAA), as part of the Living Rivers Europe coalition, supports a joint call for urgent action to address Europe’s climate and water crises. Living Rivers Europe brings together environmental NGOs including European Environmental Bureau, WWF, Wetlands International, The Nature Conservancy, and EAA.

Climate change is increasingly felt through water extremes—droughts, floods, heatwaves and water scarcity – exposing decades of river fragmentation, ecosystem degradation and unsustainable water use. A water-resilient Europe requires a fundamental shift in how water is valued and managed, prioritising river restoration and nature-based solutions over new grey infrastructure, with a stronger EU role in coordination, enforcement and climate adaptation.

The full position paper, including notes and references, can be downloaded below.

Joint position paper for a water resilient Europe
Our asks – at a glance:

Fisheries management in the EU is still largely driven by maximum sustainable yield (MSY) and catch limits. This narrow focus has contributed to truncated age structures, the loss of large, highly productive fish, and reduced stock resilience. Scientific evidence increasingly shows that healthy age and size structures are essential for long-term stock productivity, stability and ecosystem health.

Building on scientific advances and discussions held at the European Parliament during the RecFishing Forum, the European Anglers Alliance (EAA) calls for fisheries management to move beyond MSY alone and to integrate age- and size-based indicators, as already required under EU environmental legislation. Selective recreational angling provides practical tools to support such modern, ecosystem-based management approaches.

The full position paper, including notes and references, can be downloaded below.

EAA asks – at a glance:

The European Anglers Alliance (EAA) is deeply concerned about the growing impact of cormorant predation on fish biodiversity in European rivers, lakes and coastal waters. Anglers respect cormorants as a natural part of Europe’s ecosystems. However, following the implementation of the Birds Directive, cormorant populations have reached a favourable conservation status and are no longer threatened.

Current management tools, including Article 9 derogations, have proven insufficient to protect vulnerable fish populations. Scientific evidence, including tagging studies, shows that cormorant predation can rapidly and severely affect fish stocks, particularly where breeding and feeding areas are geographically disconnected. Habitat restoration alone has been shown to be insufficient to address this pressure. Where fish populations and biodiversity are at risk, their protection must be prioritised, while maintaining a favourable conservation status for cormorants.

The full position paper, including notes and references, can be downloaded below.

European Anglers call for:

The European Anglers Alliance (EAA) considers the European eel (Anguilla anguilla) to be at serious risk of extinction. Scientific advice clearly shows that eel recovery is being undermined primarily by non-fisheries impacts, including migration barriers, hydropower mortality, habitat degradation, pollution and illegal trade. While fisheries management plays a role, it cannot deliver recovery on its own without decisive action on these wider pressures.

EAA acknowledges differing views within the angling community, including concerns that poorly designed blanket bans may have unintended consequences. However, EAA stresses that the current situation requires precautionary, ecosystem-based action, with priority given to restoring habitats, ensuring free migration and reducing all human-induced mortality affecting the eel throughout its life cycle.

The full position paper, including notes and references, can be downloaded below.

The EAA calls for:

The International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) confirms that western Baltic cod remains highly vulnerable, affected by poor environmental conditions, reduced reproduction and past overfishing, while selective commercial gears to reduce bycatch are still insufficiently applied. Management therefore requires continued caution.

The European Anglers Alliance (EAA) underlines that recreational fishing is fundamentally different from commercial fishing. Anglers do not fish for profit and are primarily motivated by the fishing experience rather than catch volumes. Long-standing bag limits show that recreational anglers have already contributed to stock protection.

Recreational angling also delivers significant socio-economic benefits to coastal regions, particularly through tourism. EAA stresses that anglers, as users and stewards of the resource, remain committed to supporting the long-term recovery of western Baltic cod.

The full position paper, including notes and references, can be downloaded below.

EAA demands for 2024 – Baltic Cod

The International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) has confirmed that several Baltic salmon river stocks remain weak and at risk, particularly in Assessment Unit 5, and has recommended strong measures to prevent further decline, including closures of mixed-stock sea fisheries. ICES recognises that limited fishing opportunities may be possible under strict spatial and temporal management, provided weak stocks are effectively protected.

The European Anglers Alliance (EAA) agrees with the scientific assessment of stock status and the need for robust salmon management, but stresses that recreational angling is not the cause of weak river stocks. The main drivers of decline lie in river fragmentation, habitat degradation, predation pressure and reduced survival during migration. Recreational anglers are deeply engaged in salmon conservation and river restoration, and their continued involvement is essential to secure public support, long-term investment and the recovery of Baltic salmon populations.

The EAA suggests the following regulations and actions concerning Baltic Salmon for 2024.

The full position paper, including notes and references, can be downloaded below.

The European Anglers Alliance (EAA) supports the urgent acceleration of renewable energy deployment under the EU’s REPowerEU agenda to strengthen energy security and reduce dependence on fossil fuels. However, EAA strongly cautions against treating hydropower as a priority solution within this framework. Further expansion or refurbishment of hydropower risks undermining EU water, biodiversity and nature restoration objectives, while delivering limited and increasingly unreliable energy benefits under climate change conditions.

Hydropower is already one of the main drivers of river fragmentation and biodiversity loss in Europe. A renewed hydropower push would contradict the Water Framework Directive, the Birds and Habitats Directives, and the EU’s commitment to restoring free-flowing rivers. Climate-neutral energy pathways increasingly show that Europe can meet its targets without further hydropower expansion, while avoiding irreversible damage to freshwater ecosystems.

Find the key points of the EAA position
The full position paper, including notes and references, can be downloaded below. 

The European Anglers Alliance (EAA) is part of the Living Rivers Europe (LRE) coalition, together with leading European environmental organisations. Through this coalition, EAA advocates for ambitious, legally binding river restoration targets that address the severe degradation of Europe’s freshwater ecosystems.

Freshwater habitats are among the most damaged ecosystems in Europe, with widespread river fragmentation and declining biodiversity undermining water quality, climate resilience and fish populations. The proposed EU Nature Restoration Law represents a critical opportunity to reverse these trends by restoring river connectivity and scaling up barrier removal. However, given the scale and urgency of freshwater degradation, stronger targets, clearer priorities and adequate funding are needed to ensure meaningful and timely restoration outcomes.

This is a joint statement by the Living Rivers Europe (LRE) coalition, bringing together the European Anglers Alliance (EAA), the European Environmental Bureau, the European Rivers Network, The Nature Conservancy, Wetlands International and WWF.

The full position paper, including notes and references, can be downloaded below.

Summary
Together, we urge the European Parliament and the Council, acting as co-legislators on the EU Nature Restoration Law, to:

The European Anglers Alliance (EAA) believes it is high time to fully include Marine Recreational Fisheries (MRF) in the Common Fisheries Policy. Recreational fisheries generate high social and economic value, support coastal and rural communities, and generally have a lower environmental impact than many other fishing activities, yet they remain underrepresented in CFP decision-making.

Healthy fish stocks are our capital, and the CFP is the framework managing that shared public resource. To deliver a resilient, growth-oriented and sustainable blue economy, recreational anglers must have a seat at the table. Better integration of MRF into the CFP will lead to better data, better policy, better business and better lives.

The full position paper, including notes and references, can be downloaded below.

EAA position – at a glance

The International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) has confirmed that western Baltic cod remains under pressure from poor environmental conditions, reduced reproductive success and the legacy of overfishing, while selective commercial gears to reduce bycatch are still insufficiently applied. Although ICES advice for 2023 allows for increased catches under the EU management plan, the stock remains fragile and highly dependent on cautious, well-designed management.

The European Anglers Alliance (EAA) stresses that recreational fishing differs fundamentally from commercial fishing. Anglers do not fish for profit and are motivated by the experience rather than catch volumes. Long-standing measures such as strict bag limits demonstrate that recreational anglers have already made a meaningful contribution to stock protection, while continuing to deliver significant socio-economic benefits to coastal communities. EAA therefore calls for management approaches that protect cod recovery while preserving proportionate recreational fishing opportunities.

The full position paper, including notes and references, can be downloaded below.

EAA demands at a glance – Western Baltic cod (2023) 

Scientific advice from ICES for Western Baltic cod in 2022 confirms continued poor reproductive success, compounded by environmental constraints and historical over-mortality. While recreational anglers have already accepted significant restrictions, further management must be proportionate to actual sectoral impact and support long-term recovery. Recreational fishing contributes substantial socio-economic value to coastal regions and is driven by experience rather than commercial catch. In this context, EAA calls for balanced, science-based measures that maintain opportunities for recreational cod fishing while prioritising stock rebuilding.

With regards to Western Baltic Cod, these are the EAA demands for 2022.

The full position paper, including notes and references, can be downloaded below. 

EAA Climate Change Position Paper, September 2021

The following positions summarise the European Anglers Alliance’s EAA Climate Change Position Paper (September 2021).

The full position paper, including notes and references, can be downloaded below. 

The European Anglers Alliance (EAA), together with the European Fishing Tackle Trade Association (EFTTA), has long advocated for sustainable management of European sea bass, a key species for millions of sea anglers and the coastal economies they support. Emergency measures to protect the stock were introduced in 2015 after years of declining abundance, including recreational bag limits and closed seasons – often more restrictive for anglers than for commercial fishers. EAA and EFTTA members have been patient and cooperative, but current measures continue to disproportionately impact recreational fishing and management data remain uncertain.

In this context, we propose the following adjustments to bag limits, closed seasons and Minimum Conservation Reference Size (MCRS) to ensure fair and effective sea bass management.

The full position paper, including notes and references, can be downloaded below. 

EAA calls for closed-containment salmon farming now

Wild Atlantic salmon are in rapid decline across Europe, largely due to the proven impacts of open-net salmon farming. Despite decades of mitigation efforts, populations continue to fall. The European Anglers Alliance (EAA) therefore calls for decisive political action to protect this shared European natural heritage and ensure the long-term coexistence of aquaculture and wild fish.

Find the following summary of the EAA Position on aquaculture.

The full position paper, including notes and references, can be downloaded below.

Europe’s rivers are among the most altered ecosystems on Earth, and most are not in good ecological condition. Hydropower – especially small-scale installations – places disproportionate pressure on rivers, reducing their resilience and ability to sustain wildlife.

See following summary of EAA Position Paper on (small-scale) hydropower installations.

The full position paper, including notes and references, can be downloaded below. 

In 2008, the European Parliament urged the European Commission to promote coordinated, sustainable management of cormorant populations and to create conditions for a Europe-wide management plan. This request was not acted upon and remains fully relevant today. Europe’s cormorant population is still estimated at around two million birds, with significant impacts on threatened and protected fish species and on fishing quality in inland and coastal waters.

While the Commission maintains that coordinated use of derogations under the Birds Directive is sufficient, the ongoing scale of damage demonstrates that current approaches are inadequate.

Against this background, find the following summary of the key point and EAA position. This position underlines the need to move from fragmented national responses towards coordinated, science-based management of cormorants in Europe.

The full position paper, including notes and references, can be downloaded below. 

EAA & EFTTA position on recreational fisheries provisions

The EU is revising its Fisheries Control System, with implications for both commercial and recreational fisheries. Following the 2024 European elections, the European Parliament has decided to restart work on the file from scratch, with Clara Aguilera appointed as rapporteur. While many elements of the European Commission proposal are welcomed, the European Anglers Alliance (EAA) and the European Fishing Tackle Trade Association (EFTTA) focus here on the provisions affecting recreational fisheries and call for fair, proportionate and workable rules.

Against this background, find the following summary of the key points of the EAA & EFTTA position. Overall, EAA and EFTTA call for proportionate, workable and evidence-based rules that improve data and compliance without discouraging participation or harming the socio-economic value of recreational fisheries across Europe.

The full position paper, including notes and references, can be downloaded below. 

Sea bass fishing opportunities for 2020 will be decided by the Council of Ministers in December. EAA and EFTTA present a science-based and proportionate approach for recreational sea bass angling that ensures stock sustainability while avoiding unnecessary socio-economic damage.

Find the following summary of the key points of the EAA & EFTTA position on Sea Bass fishing opportunities for 2020.

The full position paper, including notes and references, can be downloaded below.