Common fisheries policy and bycatch: European legislative context and strategies for the valorization of underutilized fish species

Despite modern fishing being focused on a limited number of fish that are highly valuable on the market, other species, including those of limited commercial value and damaged or undersized specimens, are accidentally caught. These fish, generally identified as "unwanted catches", have significant nutritional potential for human nutrition but are often discarded due to their limited commercial interest or used as category 3 by-products, as specified in Regulation (EC) No 1069/2009. The Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) promotes sustainable fishing and preservation of fish stocks; to this end, unwanted catches should be managed more efficiently. The objective of this review was to analyze the characteristics and critical elements of the European regulatory framework on fisheries, as well as the potential opportunities for valorizing neglected fish species. The main EU legislative reference is Regulation (EU) No 1380/2013, which focuses on the sustainability of fisheries and the prevention of overfishing in marine stocks. By imposing the obligation to land all fish caught, the regulation aims to eliminate discards and minimize unwanted catches. However, de minimis exemptions from the landing obligation for small pelagic and demersal fisheries in the Mediterranean Sea are established by Delegated Regulations (EU) 2023/2460 and 2023/2918. The EU legislative framework is supplemented by other related regulations, which mainly concern the management of discards, the sustainable exploitation of fisheries, the additional provisions on the landing obligation, and the establishment of a control system to ensure compliance with CFP rules. Review of current and historical legislation highlights a clear focus of legislators on the sustainability of fishing activities, but the existing rules need to be updated and clarified in certain parts. Available evidence indicates limitations in the reliability of discard data, and there is little evidence that the landing obligation has significantly reduced unwanted catches. Identifying new opportunities to valorize unwanted catches, as their transformation into ready-to-eat products, is crucial for reducing resource waste and ensuring compliance with the sustainability objectives of the CFP.