The global fishing industry is facing new challenges – and the Church is working to raise awareness and advocate for those who make their living on the sea. Source: Crux.
Cypriot Costas Kadis, the European Commissioner for Fisheries and Oceans, held a dialogue on Monday dedicated to small-scale and coastal fisheries in the European Union.
“Small-scale fishers are at the heart of our coastal communities. Today’s dialogue is an opportunity to listen to their realities and to work together on practical solutions that strengthen their resilience and ensure a sustainable future for this essential part of our maritime fabric,” he said at the meeting in Brussels.
The encounter took place just days after World Fisheries Day, held on November 21.
On that occasion, Cardinal Michael Czerny – Prefect of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development – stressed that fishers must be given a voice and be allowed to actively participate in decisions that affect their lives and work.
“Voice must be given to fishermen lest the policies and laws that affect them be discussed only by those who ‘live and reason from the comfortable position of a high level of development and a quality of life well beyond the reach of the majority of the world’s population’,” the cardinal wrote, quoting Pope Francis’s encyclical letter, Laudato Si’, in his message to mark the day.
The Church has an official outreach for seafarers, the Apostleship of the Sea, commonly known as Stella Maris – Star of the Sea.
On November 13, Pope Leo XIV formally established the Apostleship of the Sea as the central and coordinating body of the Work of the Apostleship of the Sea, approving its statutes.
The meeting at EU headquarters noted small-scale fisheries sustaining local economies, preserving cultural heritage, and sustainable fishing traditions.
It also looked at challenges such as competition for maritime space, access to fishing opportunities, climate change, soaring operational costs, invasive species, and fluctuating market demands.
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Fishing industry facing new challenges, and the Church is trying to help (By Charles Collins, Crux)
