Campaign: Habitat Protection
EU nature law could be gamechanger for marine biodiversity, but will be meaningless if fisheries not properly addressed – NGO reaction
Today, the European Commission presented its legislative proposal on nature restoration, a new law with binding targets to restore degraded land and marine ecosystems across the EU. This is a major milestone to tackle the current biodiversity and climate crises and restore a healthy relationship between people and nature. We welcome the long-awaited publication of … Read more
Oceana expedition to Alboran Sea uncovers underwater oasis and ‘wasteland’
Gathered data will also support advocacy efforts to ban bottom trawling in European Marine Protected Areas Single-use plastics, abandoned fishing gear, and untreated waste most common pollutants found in seven-day expedition Madrid – Oceana concluded its expedition to the Alboran Sea (South of Spain), where the organisation gathered first-hand evidence of plastic pollution and bottom … Read more
EU makes poor progress on milestones to deliver a healthy ocean by 2030
Yesterday at an EU Ocean Week event, 6 NGOs published their assessment of the EU’s progress to secure a healthy ocean by 2030 – the goal set by the Blue Manifesto(1). The analysis reveals that the EU made little progress in the last year to achieve the necessary targets outlined in the Blue Manifesto(2). Out … Read more
European Parliament calls for action on bottom fishing and true protection for EU’s marine protected areas
Strasbourg – Today, in an important step for the protection of the ocean and the climate, Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) adopted amendments which call on the European Union to prohibit extractive industrial activities – which include fishing practices like bottom trawling [1] – in all marine protected areas. The plenary vote on the Own-Initiative Report of … Read more
European environmental organisations call for a ban on destructive fishing practices in Marine Protected Areas
Just after the UK’s announcement to protect two areas of English waters by banning damaging fishing activities such as bottom trawling, it will be the European Parliament’s turn to show how ambitious it truly is in protecting EU waters. During the first week of May in Strasbourg, members of the European Parliament (MEPs) will have … Read more
Oceana Expands Campaigns in the United Kingdom
Oceana, the world’s largest ocean conservation organisation, is expanding its campaigns to protect and restore waters in the United Kingdom (UK). More than 90% of the world’s ocean productivity is under the direct control of 29 countries and the EU. Post-Brexit, the UK exclusive economic zone is ranked among the top 15 fishing areas in … Read more
As EU celebrates 30 years of Natura 2000, NGOs call for these areas to be actually ‘protected’ and for an EU-wide trawl ban in them
As the EU celebrates the 30th anniversary of Natura 2000, NGOs highlight EU countries’ lax implementation of EU nature laws and permissiveness towards widespread destructive fishing, resulting in the conservation status of threatened marine habitats and species remaining overall dire. NGOs call to quickly redress the balance and create an EU-wide ban on bottom trawling … Read more
More than 150,000 Europeans call on EU to ban bottom-trawling to protect ocean and climate
A giant colourful pop-up book depicting the devastation caused by destructive bottom trawling – and how the marine environment thrives in its absence – was delivered to European Union (EU) Commissioner Virginijus Sinkevi?ius by NGOs this morning, on behalf of more than 150,000 Europeans who have signed a petition calling for the EU to phase out destructive fishing practices, starting … Read more