Newsroom
The future of Cyprus’ fishing harbors may depend not only on what remains in the sea but also on whether a new generation believes it can make a living from it.
With young people often looking elsewhere for stable, better-paid work, Cyprus is urging the European Union to make fishing and aquaculture easier to enter, safer to work in and financially worthwhile. Without new blood, the small fishing communities familiar to generations of Cypriots could find it increasingly difficult to survive.
Cyprus raised the issue during an informal meeting of EU fisheries ministers in Cork, held under Ireland’s presidency of the Council of the EU. The meeting focused on how Europe can attract younger people to an industry facing environmental, financial, and regulatory pressures.
Cyprus was represented by Costas Constantinou, permanent secretary of the Agriculture Ministry’s Directorate General for the Environment.
Constantinou said the EU’s Common Fisheries Policy remains a strong foundation but needs to become simpler and better suited to today’s realities.
Those realities are particularly visible in the Eastern Mediterranean, where climate change and the spread of invasive species are altering marine ecosystems and creating new difficulties for fishermen.
For a young Cypriot considering a future at sea, enthusiasm alone is unlikely to be enough. Entering the sector can mean navigating regulations, securing access to suitable marine areas, and finding the money needed for equipment, training, and a safe, modern vessel.
Cyprus said attracting younger workers will require a stable regulatory environment, easier access to the profession, and simpler licensing procedures for aquaculture businesses.
It also called for greater investment in fleet modernization, safety, professional training, digital technology, and the transition to cleaner forms of energy.
The aim, Constantinou said, should be to turn fishing and aquaculture into secure and attractive careers capable of drawing more young people and women into the sector.
Cyprus also called for sufficient EU funding to continue after 2028, with particular support for small-scale fishermen, island states, and remote coastal communities. For Cyprus, where many operators lack the size and financial muscle of larger European fleets, that support could prove crucial.
The government representative also raised the question of competition from imported seafood. Cyprus said products entering the European market should meet standards equivalent to those imposed on EU fishermen and aquaculture producers.
It called for stronger traceability and tougher action against illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing, so local and European producers are not expected to follow strict rules while competing with cheaper imports produced under weaker standards.
Ministers agreed that decisions about the industry should continue to be guided by scientific evidence while also considering the effect on livelihoods and coastal communities.
The challenge now is turning those broad commitments into something a young person in Cyprus can actually build a future on, because keeping the fishing industry afloat will require more than protecting fish stocks. It will also require people willing and able to take the boats back out.
