Building trust: why the EU must act on aquaculture’s social acceptance

Aquaculture has long been heralded as one of Europe’s engines for sustainable food production and the blue economy. Yet, despite its promise, the sector continues to face uneven levels of public acceptance across the continent. Concerns about environmental impacts, competition for coastal space, and a perceived lack of transparency have left many citizens wary of fish farming activities, even as demand for locally produced seafood grows.

This tension is at the heart of a new policy brief released by the Horizon Europe project SEA2SEE, which argues that political action is urgently needed to address what it calls “the major obstacle to the sector’s growth”: social acceptability. The report, prepared by an international group of experts from the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) Working Group on the Social and Economic Dimensions of Aquaculture, warns that Europe cannot fully unlock aquaculture’s potential unless trust is rebuilt between producers, policymakers and the public.

The authors emphasise that “progress is needed in terms of political action that acknowledges contextual local and regional settings” to enhance the social acceptability of aquaculture in Europe. Public perceptions, they underline, are not an afterthought but a decisive factor shaping the future of the industry.

The brief makes clear that the problem is not a lack of recognition of aquaculture’s importance. On the contrary, the sector is widely seen as essential to Europe’s food security. But without stronger policies to ensure transparency and dialogue, negative perceptions will continue to overshadow its contributions. In some regions, local communities feel excluded from decision-making processes; in others, misinformation about environmental performance fuels distrust.

To address these challenges, the SEA2SEE consortium calls for coordinated action. It recommends the creation of harmonised systems to monitor public perceptions across Europe, enabling policymakers and producers to better understand and respond to concerns. It also urges greater transparency—sharing clear information about production practices and opening structured dialogues with NGOs, citizens and local authorities.

Equally important, the brief argues that social acceptability must be fully integrated into aquaculture governance. This means treating societal concerns with the same weight as environmental or economic factors in planning and licensing decisions. Only by embedding these considerations into policy frameworks, the authors suggest, can Europe build the trust required for sustainable expansion.

The report concludes that “adapting aquaculture policies to local contexts through inclusive and adaptive governance is therefore essential to the sustainable growth of the sector” and to its ability to contribute fully to Europe’s sustainable food systems.

For Europe’s aquaculture professionals, the message is unambiguous. Social acceptance is not simply a matter of public opinion; it is the condition for the sector’s licence to grow. The solutions, according to SEA2SEE, lie not in technical fixes alone but in reshaping how the industry engages with society at large.