The existing Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) has not delivered sustainable fisheries for Europe. In addition to lost fisheries productivity, there have been unwanted impacts on the marine environment and economically inefficient fisheries that are more vulnerable to financial shocks. The recent European Commission (EC) Green Paper on the reform of the CFP reconfirms the need to adopt an ecosystem approach to ensure the CFP supports the Marine Strategy Framework Directive. This POSTnote describes challenges to ecosystem-based fisheries management and how these might be tackled.