Campaigners call for EU to tax fishing industry to fund decarbonisation

Report says revenues raised from a gradually imposed fuel tax could be used to transition to low-carbon fisheries

The EU lavished up to €15.7bn in fossil fuel subsidies on its fishing industry over the last decade, but campaigners are now calling for those funds to be redirected towards decarbonisation.

Fuel tax exemptions for the fishing industry save so much money that they could pay the salaries of 20,000 fishers every year – or pay for 6,000 new energy reduction and decarbonisation projects, according to a new analysis.