Some Member States are considering increasing annual quota flexibility from current 10% to 25% as a COVID-19 crisis response. In this short paper, we explain why this approach is risky from legal, environmental and economic point of view and call on the Member States and the European Commission to oppose any such attempts. Alternative measures … Read more
The future of fish looks bleak in Europe. Nearly nine months since the official Brexit and after multiple rounds of fisheries negotiations, the United Kingdom (UK) and the European Union (EU) are racing against the clock to conclude a fisheries agreement. The problem? The UK is gambling with the long-term health and abundance of the … Read more
Oceana regrets that the Fisheries Bill, which has today received Royal Assent making it the Fisheries Act, fails to include a legal duty to fish sustainably, below Maximum Sustainable Yield (MSY), for all stocks. The Fisheries Bill originally offered hope of a new gold standard for fisheries management in the UK, which could have served … Read more
The Fisheries Bill concluded in Parliament today (Thursday 12th November) as hopes flounder for the UK to lead the way in sustainable fishing. The Fisheries Bill includes scant legal commitment to fish sustainably, despite having been much lauded by Ministers as the UK’s chance to showcase “gold standard” fisheries management as an independent coastal state … Read more
Today the European Commission published its proposal on 2021 fishing opportunities for over 23 stocks in the Atlantic and the North Sea. The proposal covers catch limits for stocks present exclusively in EU waters. While all the proposed catch limits for the fully assessed stocks are in line with the best available scientific advice, around … Read more
This factsheet is also available in French and Spanish.
Responding to the European Commission’s proposal for deep sea fishing limits for 2021-2022, published today [1], NGOs welcome the positive steps towards following scientific advice. However, the proposal does not go far enough to ensure protection and allow the recovery of these very sensitive and unique species, some of which are the most vulnerable known … Read more
Environmental NGOs this morning welcomed the decision of EU Fisheries Ministers to set Baltic fishing limits for 2021 in accordance with scientific advice for eight of ten fish populations in the Baltic, but reflect that this result is largely due to the strong position of the European Commission, and warn that today’s result is still … Read more
Today is a final opportunity for MPs to prove that the UK can truly set a ‘gold standard’ for sustainable fisheries – protecting the UK’s valuable fish stocks for generations to come, according to the world’s largest ocean conservation organisation, Oceana. Ending overfishing is critical to securing the future livelihoods of those working in the … Read more
Blue Manifesto: A rescue plan that works In January 2020, over 100 organisations, led by six NGOs —BirdLife Europe, ClientEarth, Oceana, Seas At Risk, Surfrider Foundation Europe, and WWF— launched the Blue Manifesto, a rescue plan outlining specific actions to protect our oceans and coastlines by 2030. The Blue Manifesto is a comprehensive document detailing … 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.
