Deep-Sea Trawling Ban Protects 4.9 million km2 in Atlantic Ocean

Oceana in Europe campaigned with our colleagues in the Deep Sea Conservation Coalition for the prohibition of deep sea bottom trawling in the North East Atlantic waters. This victory provides increased protection for vulnerable marine ecosystems and deep-sea sharks. The European Parliament, Council and Commission reached an agreement that bans all trawling below 800m depth … 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

22,000 EU vessels fishing outside EU waters highlights need for greater transparency

As WhoFishesFar.org discloses vessels authorised to fish in non-EU waters since 2008, a lack of official data on those operating in Africa under private agreements raises alarm bells. The recently-updated WhoFishesFar.org website has today revealed that 22,085 EU vessels have operated in non-EU waters since 2008. The list, however, falls short on European vessels operating … Read more

Mercury

People exposed to high levels of mercury in fish can experience health effects such as delayed neurological development in children. Both the Food and Drug Administration and the Environmental Protection Agency have advised women of childbearing age and children not to eat certain types of fish due to high levels of mercury. Elevated mercury levels … Read more

Deep-sea fisheries in the North-East Atlantic

Species living at these depths have adapted to a cold, dark environment, with few nutrients. As a consequence, they are characterised by slow growth rates, late sexual maturity, few offspring and long lifespans. This makes them highly vulnerable to overfishing, because their capacity to recover from depletion is very limited. Deep-sea rays and sharks are … Read more