On Monday 10th October, European Union fisheries ministers will convene in Luxembourg at the Agriculture and Fisheries Council to decide on fishing limits, or total allowable catches (TACs), for commercial fish stocks of the Baltic Sea. Due to the extreme state of western Baltic cod following decades of overfishing and mismanagement, Oceana calls for a … Read more
The revision of the EU’s external fishing fleet regulation is a critical opportunity to ensure that all of the EU’s vessels, whether operating within or outside EU waters, are subject to common standards and requirements in line with the Common Fisheries Policy and the EU’s global policies. A proposal for a new regulation governing the … Read more
If you had power, knew that an important renewable natural resource was at great risk and the only way to save it was to temporarily halt its exploitation, what would you do? The answer seems obvious: a temporary sacrifice can save us from a far more drastic future. A state of denial only postpones and … Read more
In advance of the Fisheries Council decision in October on fishing opportunities in the Baltic Sea, Oceana releases its recommendations for setting total allowable catches (TACs) for 2017, in line with the most recently available scientific advice and aimed at ensuring Baltic fisheries recover from overfishing before 2020. The end of overfishing is necessary not … Read more
The entry into force of the new European Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) in 2014 was an historic benchmark as it defines the path towards European Union (EU) stocks recovery mainly through Multiannual Management Plans (MAP). These should be aimed at rebuilding stocks to Maximum Sustainable Yield (MSY) levels and implementing an ecosystem-based approach to fishing … Read more
Oceana welcomes the creation of fishing protected areas in the Menorca Channel, and the modest expansion of another area to the east of Cabrera Archipelago National Park. These areas will allow the conservation of coralligenous formations and rhodolith beds, habitats formed by calcareous red algae in which many species feed and reproduce, and which are … Read more
The results from the two-month, at-sea study will be used to strengthen marine protection in the region. Oceana has today completed its first-ever expedition in the North Sea, during which marine scientists have surveyed waters of the Netherlands, United Kingdom, Norway and Denmark, on-board the MV Neptune. Since the expedition launch two months ago, Oceana … Read more
Oceana states that EU Commission fishing limits proposal only follows scientific advice when economically convenient whilst ignoring environmental sustainability priorities when it implies short-term sacrifices. Today, the European Commission (EC) has published its annual proposal for fishing limits (“total allowable catches” or TACs) for the Baltic Sea in 2017. The proposal should be based on … Read more
Mediterranean swordfish plummet to 30% after three decades of overfishing. Oceana urges EU Member States sharing Mediterranean waters to take the reins and set out a robust action plan. On the occasion of the Mediterranean Swordfish Stock Assessment Session Meeting, scientists from the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) met in Casablanca, … Read more
Mediterranean swordfish has been assessed as overfished for the last three decades. The stock has declined steeply since the 1980s, falling to levels that are currently 88% lower than what is considered sustainable. The minimum landing size (90cm) is set much smaller than the age of sexual maturity for the stock (130cm for males, 149cm … Read more
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