Oceana: Parlamentarians support strict ban on shark finning

Oceana commends the Fisheries Committee of the European Parliament, for supporting a strict ban on shark finning in EU waters, and on EU vessels worldwide. Their report, which was voted on this morning in Brussels, recommends closing several loopholes in the current European policy on finning, by removing an exemption that allowed some vessels to … Read more

Oceana: European Parliament to decide future of shark finning

Oceana urges the European Parliament Fisheries Committee to vote tomorrow in favour of a strict European ban on shark finning, which would require all sharks to be landed with their fins still attached. Although shark finning has theoretically been prohibited in the EU since 2003, loopholes in the current legislation make the ban practically impossible … Read more

Exotic species: invaders of the seas

They are often beautiful, but also dangerous. Invasive species are increasingly common on land and at sea, and in many cases their presence in inappropriate places has to do with human activities. Some arrive in ballast water from visiting vessels, others escape from aquariums or travel through artificial channels, and their stocks are expanding and … Read more

10 days to failure in the Med

It’s not looking good for habitat and species protection in the Mediterranean, a big deadline is coming up and EU Member States from the region are failing to meet their obligations, despite the looming threat of financial penalties. But let me rewind a bit, to give you a bit of background. The Habitats Directive is … Read more

Give sharks a break

In the past few weeks, shark attacks in Reunion and more recently in Australia have prompted calls on authorities to kill sharks to protect surfers and swimmers. Since it’s such a touchy subject, we asked our shark expert, Allison Perry, her thoughts, which we wanted to share with you: “It’s important to keep in mind … Read more

Oil Exploration and Marine Protected Areas in the Canaries: Hardly Compatible

The Habitats Directive is the most important EU environmental legislation, requiring EU Member States to protect specific habitat types by incorporating them into a network of protected areas (both on land and at sea) called Natura 2000. But it’s not looking like every country is going to meet their requirements. In the Canary Islands for … Read more

The VELUX Foundations to support Oceana Baltic Sea campaign

Oceana acknowledges the generous support of the Velux Foundations, which have awarded a twelve month grant to support Oceana’s Baltic Sea recovery programme. The funds will support the international marine conservation organization efforts to expand the network of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) in this sea and improve the status of its fisheries resources via long-term … Read more