The Future of Fisheries Co-Management in the Context of the Sustainable Blue Economy and the Green Deal: There Is No Green without Blue

Appropriate governance structures are extremely important for fishery-dependent communities in developing integrated territorial development strategies and an adaptive capacity for change, including a climate one. This paper assesses to what extent fishery co-management schemes (e.g., fishery LAGs, being regional/local governance instruments in fishing communities) are strengthening sustainability. The latter includes improving energy efficiency, promoting renewable energy sources (RES), coping with the climate crisis, minimizing environmental impacts, and promoting a sustainable blue economy. For detecting the policy aspects of aligning climate neutrality and a sustainable blue economy, the research lens focuses on the Greek Fisheries Local Action Groups (FLAGs), given that these are mostly located in coastal/marine and insular territories with significant blue growth potential. To map and assess their capacity and efficiency in pursuing Green Deal objectives, a co-development process with FLAG managers was put in place. The results and findings of this process reveal the scarcity of sustainability and blue-economy-related strategies. The key conclusion is that a transition to a post-carbon blue economy on a local level requires an understanding of the evolutionary dynamics of fishery co-management schemes. The latter, being multi-sectoral structures, may boost dialogue and cooperation to harmonize local development strategies and EU policies. Maritime spatial planning (MSP), as an evolutionary governance process itself, can be a driver for making FLAGs evolve and strengthen commonization, blue justice, and equity for fishers.