Action not words for future of Mediterranean swordfish

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: Recover it or lose it

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

Oceana celebrates deep-sea trawling ban covering 4.9 million km2

This afternoon, after 4 years of on-and-off negotiations, the European Commission, European Parliament and Council of the EU have announced a final agreement on new regulation for deep-sea fisheries in the North-East Atlantic. In a preliminary reaction, and pending final details of the agreement, Oceana warmly welcomes this clear step forward in the management of … Read more

Oceana launches a new interactive display for El Hierro seabeds

Oceana has collected hundreds of photos, videos and maps of its expedition in El Hierro waters to promote the creation of Spain’s first-ever marine National Park. Oceana has launched a new viewer with information and images from the depths of the island of El Hierro. All the material comes from the expedition carried out in … Read more

EU admits slowdown in sustainable fishing

Today, the European Commission has released its figures on the status of fish stocks in the European Union (EU). Following the Commission’s annual report on fishing opportunities, Oceana calls on the EU and its Member States to immediately redouble EU-wide efforts to curb this year’s slowdown in the number of fish stocks that are caught … Read more

Oceana Wins Protection for Essential Fish Habitats in the Strait of Sicily

Following campaigning by Oceana, three Fisheries Restricted Areas were created by the General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean (GFCM) in the Strait of Sicily, protecting 1,493 square km between Italy, Malta and Tunisia from bottom trawling and preserving nursery areas. By preserving these areas, essential fish habitats for commercial fisheries stocks, a key step has … Read more