loading . . . As EU rewrites fisheries rules, coastal fishers fear a ‘privatised’ sea <div><img width="600" height="400" src="https://static.euobserver.com/2026/06/[email protected]" class="attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail wp-post-image" alt="" decoding="async" fetchpriority="high" srcset="https://static.euobserver.com/2026/06/[email protected] 600w, https://static.euobserver.com/2026/06/[email protected] 1200w, https://static.euobserver.com/2026/06/[email protected] 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" /></div>Across Europe, those who fish with the least impact are often the ones who struggle the most to make a living. For years, small-scale fishers have been facing dwindling stocks, the effects of climate change, increasing pollution, complex regulations and, above all, the gradual concentration of fishing rights in the hands of the largest industrial operators. The crux of the problem lies in the way fishing quotas are allocated. https://euobserver.com/219320/as-eu-rewrites-fisheries-rules-coastal-fishers-fear-a-privatised-sea/