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The symposium objectives were:

1) To review the wide range of socio-economic and ecological interactions between fisheries and aquaculture and the roles of various stakeholders with respect to these interactions.

2) To identify where future research should focus and propose measures to decrease interactions that compromise sustainable development and management, and promote interactions that contribute to sustainability.

3) To provide information to policy- and decision-makers to contribute to the general awareness of trends in socio-economic and ecological interactions within and between the sector and other rural sectors.

4) To facilitate dialogue between scientists, researchers, fisherfolk, aquaculturists and policy- and decision-makers on the motives, interactions and interests of stakeholders.

5) To advise EIFAC on appropriate management and development measures and tools for inland fisheries and aquaculture in Europe.

The symposium made considerable progress towards understanding the interactions between ecological/ environmental and socio-economic/governance objectives for fisheries and aquaculture. There was a broad recognition that inland fisheries and aquaculture need to shift from a sectoral view where they are treated in isolation to an integrated, multidisciplinary systems view.

The symposium provided a number of clear and comprehensive conclusions and recommendations to the twenty-fifth session of EIFAC for follow-up by the appropriate responsible bodies.