Within the Western European Region only Norway has a specific Aquaculture Act. The majority of countries rely upon provisions in the national fisheries and environmental acts in order to enforce necessary regulations. Protection of the environment, food safety and transboundary aquatic animal movement are the main pre-occupations for legislation and regulations concerning aquaculture.

Environmental Impact Assessments (EIA) are used as an integral part of the process for determining most applications for marine, brackish and freshwater aquaculture, which is influenced by the EU Water Framework Directive and the Habitats and Birds Directive. The member states are required to ensure that all aquaculture companies operate within the rules and regulations set-out by the legislation and integrate environmental protection requirements into the approval process.

There are numerous EU and EC Directives, council decisions and convention texts that are relevant to the aquaculture industry. See the European Commission website for further details.