Fisheries Parliament Committee Shines in CFP vote

We knew it was going to be a big week for fisheries in Brussels. The vote out of the EU Parliament’s Fisheries Committee was beyond what even we had hoped for. We are so very proud that the majority of the MEPs fought for a sustainable future for European fisheries. Thank you, for representing the … Read more

EU citizens’ representatives stand up for a sustainable future for EU fisheries

Today, after eighteen months of negotiations, the Fisheries Committee of the European Parliament finally voted on the reform of the basic regulation of the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP). This was an historical vote, because it was the first time the EU Parliament – the voice of European citizens – is acting as a co-legislator in … Read more

What a week ahead!

There is nothing like ending the year with a bang, and this week, a couple of major votes and decisions are coming up that will affect EU fisheries. Tomorrow, the PECH Committee of the European Parliament is voting on the reform of the CFP – this is the last and most important vote in the … Read more

Oceana celebrates Finnish Sea trout fishing ban

Oceana welcomes last Friday’s decision by the authorities of Uusimaa and the Southeast Finland Centre for Economic Development, Transport and the Environment to ban wild sea trout fisheries in the Gulf of Finland. The ban applies to all types of fisheries (including recreational) in the territorial waters beyond the coastal waters. Following the release of … Read more

E.U. Parliament Votes to Curb Overfishing

After 18 months of negotiations, the Fisheries Committee of the EU parliament voted to put in place new measures that would effectively end overfishing and greatly improve the way the EU manages its fisheries, which have been historically poor managed and overfished. In recent years, the majority of its scientifically-assessed fisheries have been found to be … Read more

Wild Sea Trout Fishing Banned in the Gulf of Finland

The authorities of Uusimaa and the Southeast Finland Centre for Economic Development, Transport and the Environment banned wild sea trout fisheries in the Gulf of Finland to give the stock a chance to rebuild. In the summer of 2012, alarming surveys from the Baltic Sea found that wild sea trout had become critically endangered in … Read more

EU Fisheries ministers increase quotas for vulnerable species

Yesterday, the European Council agreed on the 2013 and 2014 TACs and quotas for deep-sea species. Oceana is deeply disappointed in the Fisheries Council agreement to increase TACs for many deep-sea stocks above levels proposed by the European Commission, which already were not ambitious enough to guarantee the responsible exploitation of these vulnerable species. On … Read more

EU Parliament Environment Committee votes for positive reform of fisheries subsidies

Today, the Environment, Public Health and Food Security Committee of the European Parliament voted on their opinion on the future financing mechanism for the fisheries sector, the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF). Oceana applauds the Members of this Committee for rejecting amendments that waste taxpayer’s money and undermine the entire reform process, putting at … Read more

Baltic salmon finally gets a management plan

Today, the European Parliament adopted a multiannual plan for salmon in the Baltic Sea, which applies stricter control and enforcement measures. Baltic salmon has suffered years of mismanagement through sporadic measures, such as closed seasons and annual total allowable catches (TAC) set in total disregard of scientific advice, and is now listed as declining and/or … Read more