Symposium: European Marine Academies - Youth, Sustainable Fishing, Ocean Governance

Summary

Report of the opening session and of the round table on fisheries held at the Symposium of European Marine Academies in Marseille in March 2025. Following the addresses by Jean-Emmanuel Sauvée, François Lambert, Olivier Poivre d’Arvor and Amine Lehna on UNOC and the place of young people, the workshop moderated by Alain Biseau set scientific data against public perceptions on the state of stocks, fisheries management and fleet renewal.

General information

• Event title: Symposium of European Marine Academies
• Organiser: Académie de marine
• Date: 25 and 26 March 2025
• Venue: Marseille, École nationale supérieure maritime (ENSM) and CMA CGM’s TANGRAM Center
• Moderator: presenter of the session
• Theme: Contemporary maritime issues, young people and preparation for the United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC); “Fisheries” workshop and sustainability
• Summary written by: Deep Blue

Presentation of the symposium

Organised by the Académie de marine with a view to UNOC in Nice, the symposium of 25 and 26 March 2025 brought together at the ENSM (Marseille) marine academies from France, Spain, Portugal, Belgium, Germany and Sweden, as well as professionals and NGOs. The opening session established the centrality of maritime issues, the linkage between scientific knowledge and the experience of seafarers, and the priority involvement of young people. The first thematic round table was devoted to fisheries, with a review of the situation based on scientific data, controversies over public perception and sectoral proposals for a sustainability encompassing ecological, economic and social dimensions.

Participants

• Moderator
• Presenter of the session
• Speakers
• Jean-Emmanuel Sauvée — President of the Académie de marine
• François Lambert — Director General of the École Nationale Supérieure Maritime (ENSM)
• Olivier Poivre d’Arvor — Ambassador for the Poles and Maritime Issues, Special Envoy of the President of the Republic for UNOC
• Amine Lehna — President of Deep Blue
• Alain Biseau — Moderator of the “fisheries” workshop
• Ernesto Penas Lado — Chair of the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT); former director at the European Commission
• Alain Laurec — Former director in charge of fisheries at the European Commission
• Olivier Le Nézet — President of the National Fisheries Committee
• Elisabeth Vallet — Ethic Ocean

Report of the contributions

I. Bringing maritime knowledge together and passing it on to young people ahead of UNOC

Address by Jean-Emmanuel Sauvée, President of the Académie de marine

Key idea: Linking Europe’s maritime heritage to a planetary responsibility, structuring the dialogue between the academies around the themes of UNOC and placing young people at the heart of the transmission of knowledge.

A. From ancient Marseille to ocean responsibility

Jean-Emmanuel Sauvée opens the symposium by recalling the founding of Marseille by Greek sailors 2,600 years ago and the explorations of Pytheas and Euthymenes, to underline how long-standing the link between society and the sea is. He asserts that maritime economic development must be based on science and on respect for the planet, described as “the most precious common good”.

B. Contributions of the academies to UNOC in Nice

He places the symposium within the preparations for UNOC and announces seven workshops on the conference’s themes (fisheries, marine protected areas, climate change, pollution, research, blue economy, law of the sea, financing). He welcomes the European dimension (Spain, Portugal, Germany, Sweden, Belgium) and the contribution of Ambassador Rena Lee to the High Seas Treaty (BBNJ), in the spirit of the Académie’s motto: “Per hanc prosunt omnibus artes”.

C. Passing on knowledge and mobilising young people

He stresses the presence of students (French Navy, merchant navy, Sorbonne, ESCP, École des Ponts, École polytechnique) and calls for written contributions that will feed into a presentation of findings at the end of April 2027. The commitment of his generation aims to ensure that “the sea is their future”.

II. The ENSM: a centuries-old heritage, European cooperation and renewed ambition

Address by François Lambert, Director General of the ENSM

Key idea: Affirming the historical and strategic role of the ENSM in maritime education, promoting maritime Europe and pursuing a plan to double the number of graduates to meet the needs of the sector.

A. A 450-year heritage serving maritime culture

François Lambert recalls the roots of the ENSM, heir to the school of hydrography founded in Marseille in 1571, which predates the Académie de marine. He invites the students to enrich their maritime culture through contact with the academicians and cites Jean-Emmanuel Sauvée, a former student who became a leading entrepreneur.

B. Maritime Europe and the school’s momentum

He praises the European gathering as a demonstration of the value of comparing experiences (fisheries, MPAs). He places the event within the ENSM’s strategy: a performance contract to double the number of graduate officers by 2027, supported by the State, and the integration of the CMA CGM Tangram training centre on site.

C. Reform, polar expertise and a sustainable economy

He pays tribute to the teams, in particular Professor Hervé Baudu, involved in the STCW reform and an expert on polar issues. The ENSM wants to contribute to a sustainable maritime economy and to train the generations who will carry it forward.

III. The ocean on the multilateral agenda: combining science and seafarers’ experience

Address by Olivier Poivre d’Arvor, Ambassador for the Poles and Maritime Issues; Special Envoy for UNOC

Key idea: Placing the ocean at the centre of international relations, basing action on scientific expertise and the experience of seafarers, and mobilising the academies for UNOC.

A. The centrality of the ocean and high seas governance

Olivier Poivre d’Arvor recalls that maritime issues are issues of the future and must fit within the multilateral framework of the United Nations. He underlines what is at stake in the BBNJ Treaty for governing 64% of the ocean’s surface.

B. Two pillars: science and maritime practice

He advocates a regenerative blue economy based on scientific assessments (sea-level rise, plastic pollution, acidification) and on the practical knowledge of seafarers, which is essential to protect the ocean and use it sustainably.

C. A call to take part in Nice

He invites the academies to contribute to the Nice Conference, which will bring together some one hundred heads of State and government, combining memory, knowledge and experience to promote a sustainable and equitable ocean.

IV. Thinking about the maritime future with young people: a question of sovereignty

Address by Amine Lehna, President of Deep Blue

Key idea: Closing the cognitive distance between French elites and maritime affairs, training a generation able to uphold legal, diplomatic, industrial, military and food sovereignty, and institutionalising the engagement of young people.

A. The paradox of an education far removed from the sea

Amine Lehna regrets that future decision-makers are trained far from maritime realities. Deep Blue aims to “break down the walls around maritime affairs” in grandes écoles and universities, through awareness-raising (40 young people in 2023; 40,000 internet users), international initiatives (Venezuela, Panama, Morocco) and public-speaking competitions (“Tribune Bleue”) up to the United Nations.

B. Training for sovereignty

He breaks sovereignty down into four dimensions: lawyers for French waters, diplomats to defend national interests, a lasting naval industry and defence, and a fishing sector for food sovereignty. He warns of the “erosion” of sovereignty if young people remain distant.

C. Proposals for national and European mobilisation

He proposes a fund dedicated to awareness-raising, a compulsory “maritime issues” module in higher education, a CAPES teaching qualification in “ocean sciences and geopolitics”, a youth quota in the National Order of Maritime Merit, a “Citizens’ Convention on the Sea”, and the creation of a “National, European and Mediterranean Youth Council for the Ocean” for a Europe that leads on the oceans.

V. The state of fisheries: global stabilisation, European progress and the role of management

Address by Alain Biseau, Moderator of the “fisheries” workshop

Key idea: Setting out a quantified assessment of global catches and of the regional variability of stocks, highlighting the notable improvement in the North-East Atlantic and calling for clarification of the notions of sustainability and of management scales.

A. Stabilisation of catches and the rise of aquaculture

Alain Biseau states that global fisheries production has stabilised at around 90 Mt since the 1980s (80 Mt from the sea), while per capita consumption has more than doubled (≈ 9 kg to ≈ 22 kg), growth driven by aquaculture. He notes the uneven productivity of the basins, with the Indian Ocean carrying significant weight.

B. Slow overall deterioration and regional disparities

At global level, he observes an increase in overfished stocks, but 62% of stocks remain sustainably exploited, accounting for more than 80% of landings. He stresses the wide regional disparities in levels and trends of sustainability.

C. Marked improvement in Europe

In the North-East Atlantic, the share of French landings from sustainably exploited populations rose from 19% (2000) to 58% (2023), a trend confirmed by the European Commission and ICES, although the CFP target of 100% has not yet been reached. He calls for clarification of the categories (small-scale vs industrial) and of the sustainability criteria.

VI. Against pessimistic narratives: science-based management works

Address by Ernesto Penas Lado, Chair of ICCAT; former director at the European Commission

Key idea: Refuting the catastrophist image of fishing on the basis of data; showing that failures stem from the absence of management rather than from its nature; illustrating this with case studies and broadening the discussion to climate and socio-economic issues.

A. A critique of media perceptions and a call to look at the data

Ernesto Penas Lado challenges negative portrayals (e.g. the documentary “Seaspiracy”) and quotes Hannah Ritchie: “look at the data instead of the headlines”. He warns against radical solutions (giving up eating fish, synthetic proteins) disconnected from scientific assessments.

B. The effectiveness of management: Atlantic vs Mediterranean

He establishes a correlation between the state of stocks and the existence of robust management systems. In the Atlantic, fishing mortality is on average below sustainability targets, following policies in place since the 1980s whose effects were felt from the 2000s. In the Mediterranean, a lag of around 15 years (first plans in 2019 against 2004 in the Atlantic) explains a less favourable situation, although the trend is positive.

C. Case studies and the advantages of wild fisheries

• Bay of Biscay anchovy: closure in the 2000s, recovery and subsequent certification, proof that restoration is possible when management is enforced despite opposition.
• Albacore tuna (ICCAT): abundant biomass, low exploitation rate, sustainability even with a fishery targeting juveniles.

He adds that tunas are “completely covered” by RFMOs, which favours stocks that are mostly “in the green”. On climate, he argues that wild fisheries have a very low carbon footprint compared with land-based animal proteins, sometimes even compared with certain plant proteins. Replacing 90 Mt of fish with soya would require considerable additional farmland, with impacts on water, pesticides and land use. He warns of industrial concentration if marine proteins were replaced by “in vitro” or plant-based proteins, and calls for a public debate on the models (decentralised vs oligopolies).

D. European policies and public perception

He criticises the gap between the assessments of the European Environment Agency and fisheries management data, seeing in it an “escalation” of environmental objectives over fisheries objectives, with no clear hierarchy in the Treaties. He recalls the historical objectives of security of supply and productivity (since 1958) and defends a “prudent and rational use of resources” rather than “ultra-conservationist approaches”.

VII. The specific features of marine ecology and the conditions for a reliable assessment

Address by Alain Laurec, Former director in charge of fisheries at the European Commission

Key idea: Explaining the gap between expertise and the media “doxa” by ignorance of the particular features of marine life; setting out the biological foundations (primary production, reproduction, dispersal) and the methodological rules of a robust fisheries assessment.

A. Humility before living systems and rejection of simplistic terrestrial analogies

Alain Laurec underlines the complexity of biology, illustrated by the failure of Nixon’s “war on cancer”, and the inadequacy of land-based benchmarks applied to the sea. Marine ecology is “exotic” compared with terrestrial ecology, and the invisibility of processes beneath the surface fuels simplifications.

B. Primary production and food chains

He recalls the role of cyanobacteria in the oxygenation of the seas and the endosymbiosis at the origin of photosynthetic organelles. Marine primary production relies on single-celled organisms; food chains progress in small increments of size up to the organisms that are exploited.

C. Reproductive strategies, dispersal and nursery grounds

Marine life cycles rely on eggs, larvae and metamorphoses. Offshore spawning grounds release larvae that drift in surface currents and are later recruited in coastal nursery grounds. He illustrates this with lobster and spiny lobster larvae (phyllosoma) and points out that protecting spawning grounds may be less effective than protecting nursery grounds, since most recruitment takes place in these habitats.

D. Assessment methodology and governance

A serious assessment requires:

• covering the whole area occupied (spawning grounds and nursery grounds);
• aggregating data from all gears and fleets;
• using stable time series with consistent protocols;
• submitting the analysis to international peer scrutiny.

He criticises the exclusive focus on “industrial fleets”, pointing out that technical progress has increased the efficiency of all fisheries (e.g. motorised pirogues in West Africa). He calls for recognition of the role of RFMOs and research bodies, and for caution towards false experts and media unanimity.

VIII. Comprehensive sustainability, governance and food sovereignty

Address by Olivier Le Nézet, President of the National Fisheries Committee

Key idea: Asserting the legitimacy of fishers, clarifying the fight against IUU fishing, integrating climate disruption and land-based pollution into management, and giving priority to fleet renewal for the transition and for food sovereignty.

A. Professional legitimacy and complementary knowledge

Olivier Le Nézet denounces the moral blame placed on fishers (“born guilty, dies guilty”) and calls on scientists to speak out more publicly to counter “false truths”. He would like environmental NGOs to broaden their scope to sustainable development, including its economic and social aspects.

B. IUU fishing vs illegal fishing, and international governance

He distinguishes IUU fishing (absence of a State framework) from illegal fishing (breach of an existing framework), deplores the absence of sanctions against States engaging in IUU fishing, and wants UNOC to put this issue at the centre, failing which BBNJ and other frameworks will remain ineffective.

C. Climate disruption and management models

He asserts that seafarers are the first victims of climate disruption, observing shifts in species and ecological reconfigurations (e.g. the return of the octopus). He mentions anchovy: a biological success but a loss of markets after a prolonged closure, and argues for gradual measures with an assessment of economic and social impacts and a restoration compatible with the coastal economy.

D. Land-based pollution and coastal water quality

He insists on pollution from land, citing the estimate of “178 years” needed to restore the sewerage networks in Brittany. He concludes that restoring coastal nursery and spawning grounds requires massive investment and citizen mobilisation, otherwise fishing restrictions will remain ineffective.

E. Fleet renewal, energy transition and sector governance

Top priority: renewing an ageing fleet (≈ 35 years for towed gear, ≈ 25 years for static gear, up to ≈ 60 years in the overseas territories). He puts full decarbonisation at the 2080–2100 horizon and targets the energy transition in the short term (engines, hull, paints, propellers). He highlights the financial barriers (≈ €250,000 per metre; ≈ €5 million for a vessel; a 40% down payment beyond the reach of young people) and calls for State aid to be authorised again. He criticises the “zero discards” landing obligation as an “environmental, economic and social absurdity” and distinguishes the reduction of discards, which is desirable, from their total elimination, which he rejects. He mentions food sovereignty and traceability, and expresses reservations about MSC certification.

IX. The value chain, the responsibility of professionals and a cautious reading of stocks

Address by Elisabeth Vallet, Ethic Ocean

Key idea: Working with the entire sector to reconcile consumption and conservation, making professionals responsible for a sustainable offer, and recalling cases of collapse and operational purchasing criteria.

A. A collaborative approach across the whole sector

Elisabeth Vallet presents Ethic Ocean as an NGO working with producers, fish wholesalers, retailers, fishmongers and restaurateurs, and raising awareness in training centres. Her association is chaired by Gilles Boeuf and sponsored by chef Olivier Roellinger.

B. Responsibility for a sustainable offer and global findings

She considers that identifying a sustainable species is too complex for consumers; this responsibility should fall on professionals. She notes that between 20% and 25% of global wild catches are turned into fishmeal and fish oil for aquaculture and livestock farming. She recalls that the Mediterranean is the second most overfished area in the world, while acknowledging progress in management.

C. Case studies and criteria for sustainable consumption

• Newfoundland cod: collapse in the 1990s; moratorium in 1992; no recovery 35 years later; consumption in France mostly sourced from Iceland and Norway.
• Orange roughy (deep sea): fragile biology; rapid depletion; fishing banned in Europe.
• Atlantic salmon and European eel: multiple pressures (overfishing, pollution, dams, habitat destruction); eel classified as critically endangered; 90% of glass eels arriving in France; scientific advice for a complete fishing ban not followed, glass eel quotas having been increased two years ago.
• Globalisation and traceability: cod caught in Europe, filleted in China, re-imported.

She sets out three criteria:

• 1. origin and state of the stock (FAO areas and sub-areas; cod example: good state in Iceland, onset of overfishing in Norway, collapsed stocks in the Channel/North Sea; hake good in the Atlantic, collapsed in the western Mediterranean); MSY and biomass/exploitation colour codes;
• 2. fishing technique (active vs passive gear), avoiding the simplistic small-scale/industrial opposition;
• 3. size at sexual maturity, often above the legal size: favour individuals that have been able to reproduce.

X. Session transition: launch of the “fisheries” workshop

Address by the presenter of the session, moderator

Key idea: Closing the introductory sequence and opening the thematic round table on fisheries.

A. Announcement of the speakers

The moderator thanks Amine Lehna and introduces the “fisheries” workshop, handing over moderation to Alain Biseau and calling on Ernesto Penas Lado, Alain Laurec, Olivier Le Nézet and Elisabeth Vallet.

B. Reminder of time constraints and arrangements for questions

At the end of the session, he reminds speakers of the need to keep to 10 to 15 minutes each and indicates that questions should be sent in writing to an address to be communicated later.

General conclusion

The symposium of 25 and 26 March 2025 at the ENSM was structured around three main lines. First, the historical and European dimension of maritime knowledge, championed by Jean-Emmanuel Sauvée and François Lambert, provided the framework for mobilisation ahead of UNOC, with Olivier Poivre d’Arvor’s call to combine science and the experience of seafarers. Second, the strategic issue of young people, presented by Amine Lehna, gave rise to institutional proposals to train a generation that is sovereign on ocean matters. Finally, the “fisheries” workshop debated scientific assessments and public perceptions: Alain Biseau presented a mixed picture, Ernesto Penas Lado defended the effectiveness of data-based management policies, Alain Laurec recalled the specific features of marine life and the methodological requirements, Olivier Le Nézet argued for comprehensive sustainability and reforms (governance against IUU fishing, fleet renewal, revision of “zero discards”), while Elisabeth Vallet refocused responsibility on the sector for a sustainable offer and detailed operational purchasing criteria.

Points of convergence:

• The need for science-based management that is applied and enforced.
• The importance of taking into account the complexity of marine ecosystems (primary production, dispersal, nursery grounds).
• The priority involvement of young people and intergenerational transmission.

Divergences and tensions:

• Reading of the global state of resources: Elisabeth Vallet’s caution vs Ernesto Penas Lado’s refutation of catastrophist narratives.
• Hierarchy and coordination of environmental and fisheries policies at European level: criticism by Ernesto Penas Lado and Olivier Le Nézet of certain approaches and measures (including “zero discards”).
• Arrangements for international governance in the face of IUU fishing and sanction mechanisms.

Open questions:

• Conditions for extending the “Atlantic model” of management to the Mediterranean and other basins.
• Financing and timetable for fleet renewal and the energy transition.
• Systematic integration of economic and social impacts into management decisions, in a context of climate disruption.
• Improving traceability and responsibility for the offer along the value chain.

Outlook:

• Active contribution of the academies to UNOC in Nice.
• Institutionalisation of youth councils for the ocean and of a dedicated CAPES.
• Strengthening of RFMOs, of peer scrutiny and of scientific communication to the public.
• Investment programmes for coastal water quality and the restoration of nursery grounds.

Bibliographic information

Type

Conference

Date

March 2025

Author

Deep Blue Foundation

Editor

Deep Blue Foundation

Study Centres

ONS · ILEB

Original language

French

Original document

PDF, 12 pages

Full text

Transcription of the original document

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