The annual meeting of the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) which ended last night, brought agreement to examine the status of Atlantic sharks, but no measures to protect these vulnerable species from overfishing. The lack of action by ICCAT leaves conservationists looking to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species … Read more
The detention by Norwegian patrols of two vessels flying Spanish flags, apprehended while catching Greenland halibut, has once again highlighted the wide-ranging practice of rogue fishing by companies that have received subsidies from Galician and Spanish authorities. One of the detained vessels, the Monte Meixueiro, belongs to the Vigo-based company Valiela, S.A., which has received … Read more
The Galician businessman, Antonio Vidal, has been indicted by the US Administration for attempting to fraudulently enter into that country’s market some 25,000 kilos of fish protected by international conventions, in this case Patagonian toothfish (Dissostichus eleginoides) and Antarctic toothfish (Dissostichus mawsoni). (http://www.oceana.org/fileadmin/oceana/uploads/europe/reports/cp_usdep_antonio_vidal.pdf) Both Antonio Vidal and one of his companies, Fadilur S.A., have been … Read more
The EU Council of Fisheries Ministers is to debate next week the management of Mediterranean fisheries. Oceana condemns the fact that the EU has spent tens of millions of Euros in its attempt to eliminate driftnets, yet there are still some 200 European fishing boats that continue to use them. “European citizens are being swindled … Read more
Along the last three weeks, the Oceana Ranger catamaran has sailed a thousand miles in the Thyrrenian sea, close to the south Italian and Sicilian coasts. The Ranger crew has been able to report the activity of dozens of fishing boats using driftnets which were banned by the European Union four years ago. These boats … Read more
Last Friday, the research catamaran Oceana Ranger intercepted two boats using driftnets, which were fishing making use of that gear, which is prohibited by the European Union, and which even violates the contradictory Italian legislation. The Oceana boat was anchored in the port of Ponza in the late afternoon of last Thursday when it observed … Read more
Miguel Bose participated for a week in the actitivities of Oceana, the international conservation organisation. The singer joined the catamaran, Oceana Ranger, during its stay in the Corsican harbour of Bastia, to work with its crew of biologists, divers and campaigners. He joined the Ranger directly from Peru where, for the previous weeks, he had … Read more
At midnight Oceana’s research catamaran left the harbour of Portoferraio in Elba and headed to the fishing grounds of the Western Mediterranean, where a fleet of dozens of Italian fishing boats continue to use driftnets, in defiance of the European Union ban. Driftnets were banned from 2002 because of their total lack of selectivity and … Read more
The conservationist organisation, Oceana, has announced that the Spanish shipowner, Antonio Vidal Pego, who has turned himself in to U.S. authorities in Miami, is being also sought by other international authorities, including INTERPORL, in three continents for pirate fishing. “We are pleased that Mr. Vidal is finally in the hands of the judicial system. The … Read more
Oceana has voiced its satisfaction at the exemplary decision taken by the European Commission to fine the French government 57 million euros for having allowed the capture and commercialisation of hake of a smaller size than legally permitted. In many European markets, the commercialisation of undersized hake has become standard practice, despite the fact that … 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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