Remember Vidal?

Remember Vidal? Despite their well-known illegal activities since the nineties and the blacklisting of several IUU fishing vessels, linked to Vidal Armadores, Vidal companies have received millions of Euros of fishing subsidies from the local government of Galicia, the Spanish fisheries ministry and the European Union, since 2002. Oceana has been tracking his activities for … Read more

Closing September with a bang!

Last week was a good week for us at Oceana as we closed the month of September with a bang! It’s been a month of victories and good for our work here in Europe, and there is nothing more rewarding than realizing that our efforts are actually making a difference. We therefore thought we’d highlight … Read more

Court Rules in Favor of Oceana on Bycatch

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia ruled in favor of Oceana in a suit that will require commercial fisheries from North Carolina to the Canadian border to monitor and report the amount of bycatch, or untargeted marine life, they discard. The decision is a triumph against one of the biggest problems … Read more

Court Rules in Favor of Oceana on Bycatch

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia ruled in favor of Oceana in a suit that will require commercial fisheries from North Carolina to the Canadian border to monitor and report the amount of bycatch, or untargeted marine life, they discard. The decision is a triumph against one of the biggest problems … Read more

Oceana blasts member states lack of political will to tackle problem of EU fishing fleet overcapacity

True CFP reform will fail if economic interests continue to be placed ahead of sustainability Oceana is deeply concerned by Member States’ lack of political will and true commitment to achieve a sustainable balance between fleet capacity and fishing resources. This is evidenced by a European Commission report published last week, which reveals that overcapacity … Read more

Fish for Thought

Imagine if Spaniards only ate fish from their own waters. Yesterday, Spain ran out of its own fish stocks, and now will have to depend on imports from other countries – for the rest of the year. May 8th marked Fish Dependence Day in Spain, about two months ahead of Fish Dependence Day for the … Read more

Mediterranean fisheries management meeting concludes without adopting any management measures

Inaction of decision makers and open access fisheries, called to question by Oceana. The General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean (GFCM) closed its 35th Session in Rome on Saturday. According to recent scientific advice, 22 of 23 Mediterranean stocks are overexploited, including highly valuable commercial species like red shrimp (Aristeus antennatus), hake (Merluccius merluccius) and … Read more

By-Catch and Discard Management: The Key to Achieving Responsible and Sustainable Fisheries in Europe

The Importance of Addressing By-Catch and Discard Management. In Europe around 1,3 million tonnes of marine fish are discarded every year, representing 13% of total catches. Because in most cases discards do not survive, the negative ramifications of this enormous waste of marine resources are severe. The unnecessary death of juvenile and mature individuals of … Read more

1.3 Million tons of wasted fish a year: What’s being done about it?

1.3 Million Tons – That’s how many marine fish (and other organisms) are discarded and dumped overboard (dead most often than not) by EU fishermen every year. The amount of waste, which represents 13% of the total catch, is difficult to fathom, and even more so at a time when we are fighting so hard … Read more

Oceana calls for a ban on discards based on a by-catch quotas system

Oceana welcomes the informal proposal of a gradual ban discard presented this afternoon by the European Commissioner for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, Maria Damanaki, to the Member States. Though the purpose of this meeting was not to make a final management proposal of discards, Oceana applauds this new attempt to discuss this issue and urges … Read more