Welcome to Ifish

iFish is a brand new information portal designed to celebrate and champion the 116,000 fishermen across 87,000 vessels fishing in European seas. It also aims to challenge some of the myths surrounding the fishing industry and show you the hard work that goes in to putting tasty and healthy food on our plates.

Few foodstuffs impact on our health, food security and the price of our shopping baskets in quite the same way. Seafood is a key element of European national diets and responsible fishing contributes to balanced coastal communities and ecosystems and creates significant employment inland as well as over the horizon.

A healthy diet should include at least two portions of fish a week, including one of oily fish. Our fishermen are working hard to ensure that we can continue to provide fish not just today or tomorrow but for years and generations to come.

This site aims to show you just how vital seafood is nutritionally, environmentally and economically, and how much we still need our fishermen.

We want iFish content to inspire you to find out more about what is one of the world’s oldest industries and hope you will return often for updates and new material. Our lively blogs section should give you an idea of what life is like for our fishermen while we will keep you up to date with latest news, opinions and fact files on different fish and the seas in which they swim.

iFish is brought to you by Europêche, the trade body representing the fishing industry across Europe. To find out more click here

Fish tales

The European fishing industry is diverse and complex. Fishermen work across many different sizes of vessels and in many different ways, from trawler men aboard gentle giants out at sea for several weeks at a time feeding millions, to lobster potters and day boats providing delicacies for local restaurants around Europe’s coastline.

iFish brings you the real life stories of these fishermen and their communities across Europe. Keep up-to-date with their often hazardous and always thrilling adventures in blogs, tweets and profiles, showing just how hard they work to bring home the fish.

iFish, We Fish

The commercial fisheries of the EU stretch for thousands of square miles, from the inhospitable seas of the Arctic North, to the warmer and more favourable climes of the Southern Mediterranean. These communal waters harbour a plethora of commercial species of fish and shellfish, the landings of which form an integral part of the economies of 23 member countries, accounting for a colossal 4.9 million tonne catch, from a fleet of 87,500 vessels, a statistic that indicates a world ranking of 5th largest in terms of total output.

Fishing for Fairness in Africa

The reformed Common Fisheries Policy (which came into force in January 2014) established a legal framework for EU vessels to fish outside European waters. Sustainable Fishing Partnership Agreements (SFPAs) allow EU fleets to fish in foreign waters in accordance with scientific advice for surplus stocks that would otherwise go uncaught while providing a raft of benefits to that country. The European Union fleet operating off the coast of Africa consists of around 400 vessels. This is less than one per cent of the EU fleet.

Latest Tweets

Sustainability – what does it really mean?

The word sustainability is often used by politicians and scientists and it can sometimes not be very clear what they actually mean. In simple terms, sustainability means the ability for something to endure. So, when we talk about sustainable fishing, we simply mean fishing in a way, whether with large or small vessels, which ensures there will be fish in our seas today, tomorrow and in generations to come.

Download our latest factsheets covering the social, environmental and economic sustainability of the European fishing industry.