Fisheries

Fisheries and aquaculture are traditional activities in the Wadden Sea, and more generally in the North Sea. They contribute to the economy of coastal regions and interact with the Wadden Sea World Heritage and its Outstanding Universal Value. The legal framework for fisheries and aquaculture is characterised by a large number of regulations. The EU has exclusive competence for the conservation of marine biological resources and the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) lays down rules for the conservation of fish stocks and the control of fishing fleets. For this reason, most of its legal acts on fisheries and aquaculture are regulations, which apply automatically without transposition into national law. However, member states do have some control and regulation of access to territorial waters under Regulation (EU) No. 1380/2013.

The database brings together the relevant regulations applicable to fisheries and aquaculture activities at international, European, trilateral, national and local levels. The database aims to provide a detailed overview of the legal framework applicable to fisheries and aquaculture and to facilitate analysis and comparison of regulations. It also provides a basis for reflection on how to improve environmental protection in the Wadden Sea. A short description is given for each regulation and filters can be applied to narrow down the research. As fishing in the North Sea can have an impact on the World Heritage Site, regulations that apply in the territorial waters but also in the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of each country have been included.