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
The entry into force of the new European Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) in 2014 was an historic benchmark as it defines the path towards European Union (EU) stocks recovery mainly through Multiannual Management Plans (MAP). These should be aimed at rebuilding stocks to Maximum Sustainable Yield (MSY) levels and implementing an ecosystem-based approach to fishing … Read more
Oceana welcomes the creation of fishing protected areas in the Menorca Channel, and the modest expansion of another area to the east of Cabrera Archipelago National Park. These areas will allow the conservation of coralligenous formations and rhodolith beds, habitats formed by calcareous red algae in which many species feed and reproduce, and which are … Read more
After four years of Oceana’s campaigning for increased protections, Spain announced a ban on bottom trawling and other destructive fishing methods in a 1,400 square kilometer region between Mallorca and Menorca. The Spanish government also expanded the protected area in Fort d’en Moreu, a vibrant reef to the east of Cabrera that has been threatened … Read more
The results from the two-month, at-sea study will be used to strengthen marine protection in the region. Oceana has today completed its first-ever expedition in the North Sea, during which marine scientists have surveyed waters of the Netherlands, United Kingdom, Norway and Denmark, on-board the MV Neptune. Since the expedition launch two months ago, Oceana … 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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