Oceana praises new political pact for small-scale fisheries in the Mediterranean

Fisheries ministers from Mediterranean countries signed today a historical declaration on a Regional Plan of Action for small-scale fisheries. The Ministerial Conference, organised by the GFCM and FAO’s Fisheries and Aquaculture Department, lays down a new framework for fisheries governance in the region and builds on the 2017 MedFish4Ever initiative. The declaration marks a political … Read more

NGO Recommendations for Deep-Sea Fishing Limits 2019–2020

In November 2018 EU fisheries ministers will decide on fishing limits for 2019 and 2020 for certain deepsea fish stocks. This will be the final November Council meeting where fisheries ministers have the opportunity to end overfishing of deep-sea species by 2020, as is legally required by the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP)1 . The vulnerable … Read more

Western Mediterranean: Overfishing crisis: act now, or lose it forever

The Mediterranean Sea is one of the world’s most important seas. However, it is currently the world’s most overfished sea, with more than 90% of stocks fished above what is considered sustainable (i.e. above Maximum Sustainable Yield, or MSY). In the Western Mediterranean alone, overfishing affects 80% of demersal fish stocks, which live and feed … Read more

NGO Oceana opens office in London to protect UK seas and marine life

London becomes ocean organisation’s latest expansion TV host Patrick Aryee and ocean advocate Alexandra Cousteau attend UK opening Oceana – the largest international ocean advocacy organisation – held a welcome event last Friday at The Hospital Club to celebrate the opening of the organisation’s office in London and strengthen Oceana’s policy and research work to … Read more

Oceana launches interactive platform to calculate benefits of sustainable fishing

A new interactive tool launched today by Oceana explores the potential socio-economic benefits of European Union (EU) countries moving away from current fishing practices. The launch comes ahead of a fisheries seminar organised by the European Commission on 14th September, which marks the start of discussions on fishing limits in 2019 for the Baltic, Deep-sea … Read more

Overfishing and pollution have trashed the Mediterranean

The Mediterranean is the top tourism destination worldwide. Sunbathers and swimmers flock to the sea during summer holidays. Idyllic though it may seem, all is not well. The Mediterranean is the world’s most overfished sea, with the highest percentage of unsustainably harvested fish populations, according to a recent report from the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization. Increasing human activity … Read more

Oceana uncovers dozens of cases of illegal fishing in protected areas in the Mediterranean

Version française | Versione italiana Oceana launched today a report uncovering 41 potential cases of illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing in the Mediterranean Sea using data from Global Fishing Watch. The findings were submitted and discussed at two governmental meetings of the General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean (GFCM)1, during which countries failed to provide clarification … Read more

Building a GFCM framework to combat IUU fishing

Monitor, control and surveillance are crucial to ensure proper fisheries management and to rebuild stocks, in particular in the Mediterranean Sea, where 80% of the stocks are considered to be outside biologically safe limits. The General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean (GFCM) has taken significant steps in the last years towards reversing this situation, including … Read more