The International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) finally agreed on a recovery plan for the severely depleted Mediterranean swordfish, which has shrunk by two thirds from the 1980s due to overfishing. The plan includes a modest reduction of catches and the adoption of a quota system, enforced by monitoring and control measures … Read more
Overfishing in the Mediterranean Sea is most commonly believed to have begun around the ‘70s (Quetglas et al., 2013; Tsikliras et al., 2013), when fishing efforts increased considerably due to technological developments that allowed fleets to displace themselves at a greater distance from the coast, fish at greater depths, explore new fishing grounds and thus … Read more
The European Union is now facing an ultimatum on a key fishery in the Mediterranean. Oceana has called on EU countries to stop all swordfish fishing in the Mediterranean unless an immediate recovery plan to rebuild stocks is put in place. Mediterranean swordfish has been reduced to one third of its size in just thirty … Read more
The Agriculture and Fisheries Council reached an agreement today on fishing limits for Baltic stocks for 2017 including 5597 tonnes for Western Baltic cod, a 56% reduction of the current quota. Although for the European Commission this figure is in line with the Baltic Multiannual Plan (BMAP) for fisheries management, it exceeds scientific recommendations provided … Read more
Mediterranean swordfish drops by 70% in 30 years from overfishing Oceana is fully behind a call for an urgent and immediate action plan to rebuild rock-bottom numbers of swordfish in the Mediterranean Sea and to safeguard its future in the region. The only other alternative to this is to completely close down swordfish fishing in … Read more
On Monday 10th October, European Union fisheries ministers will convene in Luxembourg at the Agriculture and Fisheries Council to decide on fishing limits, or total allowable catches (TACs), for commercial fish stocks of the Baltic Sea. Due to the extreme state of western Baltic cod following decades of overfishing and mismanagement, Oceana calls for a … Read more
Offshore waters are the most neglected Yesterday, the European Commission ordered 12 EU countries to improve marine protection as they are not meeting their legal targets to complete the Natura 2000 network. The countries came under fire at a meeting which gathered EU officials, national government representatives, scientific experts and NGOs in Malta to discuss … Read more
In advance of the Fisheries Council decision in October on fishing opportunities in the Baltic Sea, Oceana releases its recommendations for setting total allowable catches (TACs) for 2017, in line with the most recently available scientific advice and aimed at ensuring Baltic fisheries recover from overfishing before 2020. The end of overfishing is necessary not … Read more
This week, the Maltese town of St-Julian’s is transforming into a ‘hotspot’ of scientific discussion on how to improve the incomplete network of Natura 2000 marine protected areas (MPAs). The European Commission, together with scientific experts and NGOs, will critically assess the efforts made by each Member State to protect Europe’s most valuable yet threatened … Read more
98% of offshore waters remain unprotected under Natura 2000, Europe’s key conservation network. St. Julian’s, Malta. Environmental NGOs Oceana, Seas At Risk, and WWF urge the European Commission to be rigorous in its assessment of EU Member States’ performance on protecting their oceans, and on Member States to fulfil their obligations to protect those areas … 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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