(This piece was first published on Parliament Magazine’s website) Multiannual budgets, tobacco regulations and the financial crisis have been on the mind of many Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) lately; and rightly so, as decisions made on these issues have far-reaching effects on the daily life of Europeans. However, on 23 October, MEPs will … Read more
Discards constitute 8% of total weight of world captures or more than 7.3 million tonnes of fish thrown away at sea. More than 20% of fish is discarded in European waters. On the occasion of a seminar organised by the European Commission on 27 and 28 May, in which experts will discuss their work to … Read more
In 2007, Oceana identified more than 100 vessels using illegal driftnets. Oceana presented two reports in Brussels today: “Italian driftnets: the illegal fishing activities continue” and “Thonaille: the use of driftnets by the French fleet in the Mediterranean”. Both reports condemn the continued use of this illegal fishing gear by the French and Italian fleets … Read more
Driftnets, a fishing gear that can reach dozens of kilometres in length, were prohibited in the European Union in 2002 because they constitute a threat to the conservation of cetaceans, sea turtles and sharks. Oceana has reported that Italy and France continue using this illegal fishing gear to capture bluefin tuna and swordfish, years after … Read more
The Australian authorities have confirmed that last December one of the most infamous pirate fishing vessels, the Viarsa 1, associated with the Galician ship owning company Vidal Armadores S.A. was scrapped at a shipyard in Mumbai, India. This puts an end to the long legal action against this vessel initiated in 2003 in connection with … Read more
Oceana, the international organization dedicated to conserving and protecting the world’s oceans, emphasizes the inefficiency of the current fish stocks management, which does not reflect real catches. In addition to the amounts of landings decided by the Council, tonnes of fish are also cut out from biological stocks by indirect impacts of fisheries, above all … Read more
Last year, on the initiative of Fisheries Commissioner Joe Borg, the European Commission presented a proposal to introduce a full definition of a driftnet. A number of driftnet fleets, including the French thonaillers have exploited the lack of a definition to flout the EU driftnet ban and continue using their illegal gear. This new definition … Read more
Based on the preliminary results, Oceana is asking for the repeal of the Italian decree authorising the use of the driftnets known as ferrettara. Driftnets, banned by the European Union since 2002, continue to pose a threat to the conservation of marine mammals and fish stocks in the waters of the Tyrrhenian Sea. The international … Read more
Today the Council of EU Fisheries Ministers put off agreement on legislation defining a driftnet, which would have closed a loophole in the EU law banning their use, enabling many vessels to flout the ban. Oceana calls on Ministers to agree this legislation by the end of June and also to take other urgent measures … Read more
Tons of endangered bluefin tuna are captured every year using fishing practices banned by the European Union and the United Nations. Despite the harassment, threats and attacks inflicted on the Oceana Ranger vessel by the French driftnetting fleet, known as thonaillers, Oceana has managed to circulate images showing that this fleet of dozens of French … Read more
Sign up today to get weekly updates and action alerts from Oceana.
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.
