On the occasion of the EU Agriculture and Fisheries Council meeting on 23 and 24 April, Oceana calls attention to the complete absence of regulations in EU waters to reduce the problem of bycatch and discards, which amount to over 3,000 tonnes every day. Discard is defined by the FAO as “the portion of … Read more
Oceana denounces the severe deterioration of Europe’s oceans and seas and calls for immediate measures to halt the collapse of fish resources, the destruction of marine habitats and the pollution affecting its waters. On World Environment Day (5 June) and World Oceans Day (8 June), Oceana points out that European seas are among the most … Read more
In December 2005, the Council of European Union Fisheries Ministers agreed on a measure to close the deepwater gillnet fishery in the North-East Atlantic (NEAT)1. The temporary closure, which took effect on 1 February 2006, encompasses waters deeper than 200 meters to the north and west of Great Britain and Ireland (ICES Divisions VI a … Read more
With a letter today addressed to Commissioners Dimas and Borg, Oceana, the international marine conservation organization, has called for an end to the illegal use of an Italian driftnet called ferrettara. The letter, which follows a recent formal complaint submitted by Oceana to the European Commission, provides evidence of the illegal catch of vulnerable … Read more
Driftnetting has been condemned by the international community, banned in EC waters and on the high seas by EU flagged vessels by the European Union in 2002, and by the General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean (GFCM)in waters of the Mediterranean Sea since 2005. Years after the prohibition became effective, however, there are still various … Read more
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
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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.
