When you hear about sharks, most people automatically think about the tropics and crystal clear blue waters. But the truth is that there are sharks all around the world, even in the cold waters of the Baltic Sea. In fact, 31 species of sharks, rays and chimaeras (class of Cartilaginous fish-Chondrichthyes), have been recorded in … Read more
Holidays are here and many people in Europe go out and buy some eel for their Christmas dinners, as they do every year. But what many might not know is that the European eel (Anguilla anguilla) is critically endangered and threatened with extinction. To provide some perspective, this threat level is higher than that given … Read more
Oceana claims that although approximately five million euros are transferred each year from the Spanish Ministry of Agriculture, Food, and the Environment to the Balearic authorities for the conservation of Cabrera National Park, this funding is ultimately used for other purposes. This fact is made manifest by the dramatic drop in park economic resources and … Read more
Oceana welcomes last Friday’s decision by the authorities of Uusimaa and the Southeast Finland Centre for Economic Development, Transport and the Environment to ban wild sea trout fisheries in the Gulf of Finland. The ban applies to all types of fisheries (including recreational) in the territorial waters beyond the coastal waters. Following the release of … Read more
Yesterday, the European Council agreed on the 2013 and 2014 TACs and quotas for deep-sea species. Oceana is deeply disappointed in the Fisheries Council agreement to increase TACs for many deep-sea stocks above levels proposed by the European Commission, which already were not ambitious enough to guarantee the responsible exploitation of these vulnerable species. On … Read more
According to recent electrofishing surveys by the Finnish Game and Fisheries Research Institute, the status of sea trout is critically endangered and very few juveniles were found in the Gulf of Bothnia in autumn 2012. Oceana is alarmed that despite this precarious situation, sea trout remains almost completely unmanaged, apart from some fishing bans in … Read more
It’s always good news when new marine protected areas are put in place; and good news is always a cause for a celebration. This week, the European Commission adopted an updated list of Natura 2000 sites which includes new additions submitted by several Member States (Denmark, Estonia, Latvia, Malta, Sweden and the UK). These areas … Read more
Oceana applauds the European Parliament for voting today in favour of a strict ban on shark finning, which will require all sharks caught in EU waters, and by EU vessels fishing worldwide, to be landed with their fins still naturally attached. The measure closes long-standing enforcement loopholes in EU policy on shark finning, will improve … Read more
On November 22nd, the European Parliament will vote to adopt a multiannual plan for salmon in the Baltic Sea. This species has suffered years of mismanagement through sporadic measures such as closed seasons and annual total allowable catches (TAC) set in total disregard of scientific advice, and is now listed as declining and/or threatened in … Read more
Agadir (Morocco) – As the annual ICCAT Meeting closes its doors today, Oceana, an official observer at the meeting, welcomes the steps taken for Eastern bluefin tuna management in 2013, but has grave concerns about the lack of new measures for threatened highly migratory species of sharks, and overall weak compliance with existing measures. Contracting … 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.
Oceana in Europe gratefully acknowledges EU funding support.
