Oceana is urging EU Fisheries Council Ministers to put aside short term interests in tomorrow’s meeting to establish 2012 catch limits for the main species targeted by Europe’s Atlantic fleet. Science-based Total Allowable Catches (TACs) are indispensable to stopping the overexploitation of our seas. Yet year after year, despite their commitment to manage stocks at … Read more
It’s no secret that Finding Nemo is one of my absolute favorite movies, and apparently, I’m not alone in this. Finding Nemo was the second highest grossing movie in 2003, right behind The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King (another favorite of mine…but I digress). So it was quite upsetting when I woke … Read more
Today, the European Court of Auditors (ECA) released their long-awaited analysis of the effectiveness of EU fleet management, which shows the systematic failure of fleet capacity reduction policies. Oceana is deeply concerned that even though the problematic nature of overcapacity has been recognized for over 20 years, the EU has been unable to properly address … Read more
Today, the European Commission presented its proposal for the new subsidies regulation of the European fisheries sector, the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF), which will cover subsidies from 2014 to 2020. Oceana recognizes the positive steps that the Commission has taken by removing the worst fleet capacity enhancing subsidies, such as those used for vessel modernization, … Read more
State of resources As concluded in the Communication from the Commission concerning Fishing Opportunities, fish stocks in European waters are improving. This is confirmed by the downward trend in the number of overfished and collapsed stocks. But the progress achieved in European fisheries management in relation to the fishing opportunities is clearly insufficient and Oceana … Read more
The Balearic Islands have a long history of artisanal fishing. Apart from being a way to make a livelihood, this activity also represents a rich cultural tradition that distinguishes these islands from elsewhere. Unfortunately, overfishing among other factors, has led to a sharp decline in artisanal fishing in this archipelago. Pressure from industrial bottom trawlers, … Read more
As December quickly approaches, every morning when I head into the Baltic office, I pass a new Christmas tree on display in a shop window or welcoming guests just outside the door of a local bar. After passing a particularly tall pine this morning, I thought about how interesting it is that a tree’s age … Read more
Today , the Swedish, Danish and Norwegian fisheries ministers met with EU fisheries Commissioner Maria Damanaki at a seminar about the reform of the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) in Stockholm. During this meeting they signed a declaration, announcing their intention to adopt a ban on discards. The prohibition for discards shall apply from 1 January … Read more
ISTANBUL – Oceana, the largest international advocacy group working solely to protect the world’s oceans, applauded the 22nd Regular Meeting of the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) today for establishing new protections for silky sharks, the shark species most vulnerable to overfishing by Atlantic longline fisheries. The new measure requires that … Read more
Management of Mediterranean swordfish has repeatedly been neglected to the detriment of the species. The ICCAT Standing Committee for Research and Statistics has assessed this stock as overexploited, with spawning biomass below sustainable levels and with 50-70% of catches comprised of juvenile fish. The complete absence of real management measures makes the Mediterranean swordfish fishery … Read more
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We have already protected nearly 4 million square miles of ocean and innumerable sea life - but there is still more to be done.
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