The sustainable character of fishing did not truly become a concern for the European Union until the 1990s, with the introduction of requirements for environmental conservation. This evolution of European policy on the exploitation of marine living resources is in line with respect for the major principles and decision-making mechanisms that exist within the EU. In the fields of fishery and aquaculture, France occupies an estimable position within the EU. There is indeed a French policy on the sustainable exploitation of fish resources. France's competences in matters of the management and conservation of fish resources vary according to the system of the areas in which these resources are accessible to it. The fisheries sector in France obeys basic principles whose application is eminently precautionary. © ISTE Ltd 2015. All rights reserved.