Strengthening policy action to tackle social acceptability issues in European aquaculture

Despite the rapid development of aquaculture worldwide, production has stagnated in Europe and North America, notwithstanding the public policies that support the sector. This stagnation may stem from the insufficient integration of social dimensions into aquaculture governance, often characterized by top-down policies and technology-driven approaches. While environmental, economic and social factors significantly influence the social acceptability of aquaculture, environmental impacts, such as habitat degradation and the spread of disease, have historically dominated regulatory frameworks. Today, low social acceptability appears to be the major obstacle to the sector's growth, highlighting shortcomings in terms of stakeholder engagement, transparency and fairness in the distribution of the benefits generated by the sector. This paper reflects the collective insights from the ICES Working Group on Social and Economic Dimensions of Aquaculture, emphasizing that challenges to social acceptability of aquaculture are widespread but context-dependent and remain insufficiently addressed in public policies related to aquaculture development. This paper recommends broadening governance beyond environmental concerns to include social and economic dimensions from the outset, strengthening public participation in decision-making processes and adopting holistic, socially informed marine spatial planning. In addition, it highlights the importance of recognizing the role of informal governance mechanisms and the production of meaningful social data as essential aspects to foster community acceptance and the sustainable development of aquaculture. Adapting aquaculture policies to local contexts through inclusive and adaptive governance is therefore essential to the sustainable growth of the sector.