Odran Corcoran, a Cork native from Togher and marine expert at WWF’s European Policy Office, writes on the occasion of European Maritime Day 2025, taking place in Cork from 21 to 23 May.

This week, the European Maritime Day takes place in my hometown of Cork, the maritime capital of Ireland. But this isn’t just another Eurocratic gathering. It’s a chance for the public and policy-shapers to mold the future of the sea in a city I cherish, the place that has shaped who I am today.

My father, one of nine children, was raised in a council house in Ballyphehane. His father served in the Allied navy during the Second World War. On my mother’s side, my grandfather came from a small coastal village near Cromane outside of Killorglin in Co. Kerry. He was a fisherman, then a fisheries inspector — as his father and grandfather had been before him. My family has always had a connection to the sea, it runs through my blood.

Much of my childhood was spent along the coasts of Cork and Kerry, where I made some of my happiest memories. I vividly remember the first time I saw Fungie, the beloved bottlenose dolphin and iconic member of Dingle’s community. I was just four, on a small boat in Dingle bay, when he surfaced close by. I still recall the sea salt smell of the Atlantic, the ocean spray on my cheeks, the cry of gulls above — it is a memory that still lives within me. It was moments like that shaped me. They gave me a lasting love for the ocean and the serene beauty of the natural world, and a belief that we all have a sacred responsibility to protect it. But somewhere along the way, humanity has lost sight of that duty.

A sea in crisis, and people with it

Despite progress in some areas, Europe’s seas remain in a state of ecological emergency. Illegal fishing persists both within EU waters and through imported seafood, undercutting those who follow the rules. Pollution, wildlife loss and the accelerating impacts of climate change are putting marine ecosystems under growing pressure, and it’s people who pay the price. In places like Dingle and Cork, the wellbeing of fishers, families and entire local economies — it is all tied to the health of the sea. When the ocean suffers, so do they. Coastal communities are watching traditional livelihoods decline, caught between global economic pressures, damaged local ecosystems, and inconsistent marine policy.

It is true that the EU has made important commitments in recent years. The Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) aimed to end overfishing by 2020, while the EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030 pledged to protect 30% of EU seas, with 10% under strict protection. But ambition has too often outpaced delivery. Targets are missed. Implementation is patchy. Enforcement is weak.

Right now, some new threats loom like dark storm clouds over our seas. If the Common Fisheries Policy is reopened under the false promise of cutting ‘administrative burdens’, and its environmental foundation is stripped away, we risk trading long-term security for short-term gain and drifting into even more dangerous waters.