The use of driftnets has been prohibited in European union waters and on the high seas by EU flagged vessels since 2002 and since 2005 in the Mediterranean Sea by the General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean (GFCM). This fishing activity, however, persists in community waters and by EU flagged vessels on the high seas, … Read more
Driftnets have been condemned by the international community and banned by various countries and different international organisations. This fishery, however, still continues in various countries around the world, causing the accidental capture and death of a large number of cetaceans, sea turtles, elasmobranchs and birds. One of the epicentres of this activity is located in … Read more
Today, the international marine conservation organization Oceana informed the Spanish government, the European Commission and the Northeast Atlantic Fisheries Commission (NEAFC) that the Eros II (ex Furabolos), a fishing vessel blacklisted for Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) fishing, is getting provisions in the harbour of Santa Eugenia de Ribeira, in Galicia, Spain. According to European … Read more
The use of driftnets to capture large pelagic species is illegal because they are a threat to the conservation of various species of cetaceans, sea turtles and sharks. The first measures against the use of this fishing gear were adopted by the United Nations more than 15 years ago. These nets, however, known as “walls … Read more
In 1989, the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) agreed a resolution to establish an international moratorium from 1992 on the use of driftnets on the high seas. It was the first worldwide measure adopted against a specific fishing technique. As a result of this decision, several governments established laws to comply with the UNGA mandate. … Read more
Oceana and MarViva welcome today’s judgment by the EU Court of Justice which has found Italy in breach of EU law for continuing to use driftnets, a fishing gear banned since 2002. Driftnets are a serious threat to the conservation of endangered species in the Mediterranean. This case was finally taken to the Court in … Read more
The international conservation organization Oceana welcomes yesterday’s publication of EU regulation 1010/2009 that lays out rules for the implementation of a community system to prevent, deter and eliminate illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing. The EU regulation against IUU fishing foresees that fish imports to the European Union must be accompanied by catch certificates, validated … Read more
In October 2009, the European Commission presented its proposal for total admissible catch (TAC) and fishing effort for 2010 for the main fish species targeted by the Community fleet in the North East Atlantic. The EU Council of Fisheries Ministers will decide the fishing opportunities based on this proposal between December 14 and 16. TACs … Read more
In 2008, Oceana and MarViva collaborated in a campaign to definitively eliminate the use of driftnets in the Mediterranean. Banned by the United Nations more than 15 years ago, this gear is still being used and constitutes a serious threat for cetaceans, turtles and sharks. This fishery mainly targets the already overexploited swordfish stock which … Read more
Today the international marine conservation organization Oceana is publishing a case study with two letters, revealing that the European Commission any direct responsibility for subsidies, to spend under the European Fisheries Fund for a company, closely linked to IUU fishing (Illegal, Unregulated and Unreported) and the Xunta de Galicia find no legal reason for not … 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.
