The European Commission has initiated infringement proceeding against seven EU members states for non-respect of bluefin tuna rules

The announcement follows last week’s Commission decision to close this fishery to conserve stocks. The Commission made public this morning that it has opened infringement proceedings against 7 EU countries for failing in their legal obligation to properly send bluefin tuna catch data. Cyprus, France, Greece, Italy, Malta, Portugal and Spain could eventually face severe … Read more

Carrefour is in favour of responsible fishing

Following meetings with Oceana, the Carrefour chain of hypermarkets has announced that they stopped selling bluefin tuna captured in the Mediterranean Sea from 1 August, in order to avoid the collapse of this fishery in the Mediterranean. The Carrefour Group is the first food distribution group in Spain to adopt precautionary measures geared towards promoting … Read more

Oceana believes the closed season for anchovy is too short

The poor state of the anchovy stock in the Cantabrian fishing grounds has once again obliged the European Commission to close them down for the second consecutive year. The aim is to try to alleviate the serious mistakes made by the French and Spanish governments which, despite opposition from scientists, allowed anchovy fishing to continue … Read more

Spain could be severely fined for selling immature fish

Fines levied against France for selling hake smaller than what is authorised add up to more than 100 million Euros The European Commission has pressed charges against the Spanish government before the European Union Courts of Justice, after seven years of continuously reporting on Spain´s non-compliance of European regulations concerning the catch, landing and sale … Read more

Hundreds of tons of swordfish caught illegally by Morocco are sold in Spain

Despite the fact that driftnets have been banned in the Mediterranean for many years, a fleet of Moroccan fishing vessels continues to use this destructive fishing gear in the Alboran Sea and the Straits of Gibraltar, setting nets up to 12 kilometres long. Oceana, the marine conservation organisation, estimates that this fleet is made up … Read more

Oceana states that 2007 quotas disregard once again scientific advice

Oceana, the international marine research and conservation organisation, believes that the high total allowable catches (TACs) and quotas for 2007 agreed at the Fisheries Council are disastrous, disregarding scientific advice and with scant regard for the long term conservation of fish stocks. Every year, EU Fisheries Ministers tend to agree quotas higher than those proposed … Read more