Bring Back The Fish

In a bold, inspiring move, the European Union is healing its natural world with the Nature Restoration Law. Enacted in August 2024 and now gaining momentum, this landmark legislation commits the EU to restoring 20% of its land and sea by 2030, aiming for all degraded ecosystems by 2050. With €8.3 billion annually, it’s a beacon of hope—proof Europe can reclaim its ecological heritage, boost biodiversity, and secure a sustainable future. Each EU nation contributes to this effort, directing funds to nature-based projects tailored to their needs. Nowhere is this more transformative than in Europe’s oceans, where ocean pasture restoration can revive historic fish harvests, revitalize communities, and combat climate change. We can do it—here’s how.

A Collective Commitment with National Flexibility

EU Nature Restoration Law is moving forward to restores the Trees and Seas of Europe and will soon Bring Back the Fish

The Nature Restoration Law blends collective action with local empowerment. The €8.3 billion yearly budget is a shared responsibility, with all 27 EU states contributing based on economic capacity, drawing from programs like the Common Agricultural Policy and the European Maritime, Fisheries, and Aquaculture Fund. Its strength lies in flexibility: while the EU sets targets—30% of degraded habitats by 2030, 90% by 2050—each nation crafts its own National Restoration Plan by mid-2026, channeling funds to address specific challenges.

Land-locked countries like Austria may focus on forests or wetlands, while coastal nations like Portugal, Spain, and Ireland can target their seas. This ensures maximum impact, fostering ownership and pride. It’s not just a mandate—it’s a chance for every EU nation to lead and show what’s possible together.

Ocean Restoration: Bringing Back the Fish

The law’s potential to transform Europe’s seas is exhilarating. Over 80% of marine habitats are degraded, with fish stocks—sardines of Portugal and Spain, pilchards of the UK and Ireland, Atlantic salmon, and whitefish west of the British Isles—far below historic levels. The €8.3 billion offers a lifeline, and ocean pasture restoration is the key: immediate, affordable, and effective.

Ocean pastures, the plankton-based foundation of marine food webs, have suffered from nutrient loss and acidification. Restoring them means reviving phytoplankton—the “grass” that feeds fish—sparking a cascade of life. As its champion, I’ve proven it works: modest mineral dust applications, rich in iron, turn barren waters into thriving pastures. In the North Pacific, my efforts boosted salmon catches from 50 million to over 225 million fish. In Europe, this scalable solution needs only a fraction of the budget, promising economic returns in the hundreds of millions of euros.

Reviving Fisheries: A Win for Nature and People

Picture Portugal’s sardine fleets returning with full nets, Spain’s seafood markets thriving, Ireland’s pilchard fisheries reborn, and Atlantic salmon surging from Scotland to Scandinavia. Imagine whitefish schools so dense they slow ships, feeding a continent. These are real outcomes of ocean pasture restoration under the law. It restores fisheries to historic health, aligning with its nature-based ethos.

The benefits extend beyond ecology. Every euro invested yields profits through enhanced fish stocks, jobs, and cultural renewal. Portugal could revive its canning industry, Ireland its fishing villages. It’s a win-win: nature heals, people prosper.

Blue Carbon Powerhouse: Fighting Climate Change

Ocean pasture restoration is also Europe’s strongest climate weapon. Restored pastures capture over a billion tonnes of CO2 yearly via phytoplankton photosynthesis, turning it into vibrant ocean life—blue carbon, recognized by the Paris Climate Treaty. This puts billions of fish on EU plates while halting ocean acidification, where CO2 becomes corrosive acid.

This dual impact makes it the most cost-effective, immediate way to mitigate emissions. Unlike slow, costly tech solutions, it uses nature’s own systems, deployable now. Coastal nations can lead, supercharging carbon sequestration and fishery recovery, proving ecological and climate goals align. It’s a crisis turned triumph.

We Can Do It—Together

The Nature Restoration Law is a promise we can keep. With €8.3 billion yearly and nations tailoring efforts to their lands and seas, we have the tools and will to succeed. Ocean pasture restoration offers a fast, proven path to revive sardines, pilchards, salmon, and whitefish while capturing CO2.

The targets—20% restored by 2030, all by 2050—are ambitious but achievable. From Lisbon to Dublin, Denmark to Iceland, EU nations are rising, united in the belief that nature’s revival is ours. We can do it—because we must, and we know how. Let’s invest in our oceans and show the world Europe’s green future starts now, restoring ocean pastures to historic abundance.