A health-check report on world fisheries and aquaculture by the United Nations (UN) has revealed that one-third of global marine fish stocks are now fished at unsustainable levels and have reached ‘overfished’ status. Oceana flags particular attention to the state of the Mediterranean and Black Sea, which according to the report published today, is the … Read more
Being one of the busiest seas in the world, the Mediterranean is also a sea where illicit fishing activities still go unnoticed and thus unpunished…until now. Most of the cases of illegal fishing that make news in Europe seem to happen in far flung regions such as the Pacific or even the Antarctic. But such … Read more
The Commission’s proposal is a first step in the right direction to tackle the long-lasting overfishing situation in the Mediterranean Sea and realise the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP)’s objectives of achieving Maximum Sustainable Yield (MSY) by 2020 and minimize fisheries impacts on the ecosystems. However, the WMedMAP is clearly insufficient as it stands to reverse … Read more
The government of Malta has announced the designation or expansion of eight marine protected areas in the Mediterranean. This announcement is the result of Oceana efforts that began in 2013, and the protections are based on the findings of two Oceana expeditions (2015 and 2016 LIFE Ba?AR Expeditions). Oceana mapped out sandbanks, reefs and more than … Read more
The Mediterranean Sea, or Mare Nostrum, is one of the world’s most important seas. Located between Africa, Asia and Europe, it is also a primary trade route given its strategic — and geopolitically — important location. Within the coastal region, the people inhabiting the area have had centuries of interactions with the marine environment. Extensive … Read more
High habitat diversity was observed on the Seco de los Olivos Seamount (SW Mediterranean Sea), a Site of Community Importance belonging to the Spanish marine Natura 2000 Network. Thirteen epibenthic habitats were identified by analysing 55 Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) transects from 76 m to 700 m depth and derived data from multibeam bathymetry and … Read more
Oceana lancia un appello all’UE per aumentare la profondità del divieto di pesca a strascico a 150 m durante tutto l’anno per invertire l’allarmante situazione di un mare sovrasfruttato.Il consiglio dell’UE inizia a dibattere oggi una nova proposta per un piano di gestione pluriennale degli stock ittici nel mar Mediterraneo occidentale. La nuova proposta della … Read more
The European Commission published yesterday a new proposal for a multi-annual management plan for fish stocks in the Western Mediterranean Sea. The Commission’s proposal to ensure the recovery of crucial species, such as hake, mullet and shrimps, is a direct follow-up to the #MedFish4Ever ministerial Declaration from 2017. However, in its current state, the proposal … Read more
Fisheries Restricted Areas (FRAs) are spatial management measures adopted under the General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean and Black Sea (GFCM) to regulate or restrict demersal fisheries in the high seas. Since 2006, a total of six FRAs have been established in the GFCM area, each under different management objectives. Three were established to protect … Read more
According to FAO, a marine ecosystem should be classified as vulnerable based on the following characteristics: uniqueness or rarity, functional significance, fragility, life-history traits of species that make its recovery difficult and structural complexity. However, a VME is also described by its vulnerability, which is dependent upon the nature of the fishery and hence region … Read more
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We have already protected nearly 4 million square miles of ocean and innumerable sea life - but there is still more to be done.
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