Biodiversity

Today, delegates from over 190 nations are converging at the UN Convention on Biological Diversity meeting in Nagoya, Japan. For 2 weeks, they will be discussing ways to curb the erosion of biodiversity on the planet. Ryo Matsumoto, Japan’s Environment Minister said “we are now close to a ‘tipping point’ – that is, we are … Read more

Oceana urges zero tolerance for driftnets in the Mediterranean in 2011

Oceana estimates that over 500 vessels have operated illegally in the Mediterranean, some with nets up to 20 kilometres long. Oceana, the international marine conservation organisation, calls for a Mediterranean free of drift nets for 2011, and urges all Member States to take a zero tolerance position on this type of destructive fishing gear. For … Read more

The race for threatened sharks

Sharks are extremely vulnerable species which have been fished by European Union vessels at home and around the world without any management for decades. Globally, 21% of shark, ray and chimaera populations are threatened with extinction according to the IUCN Red List. In the Northeast Atlantic the figure is even higher with 26% threatened and … Read more

Bluefin Tuna Season Cut Short Again

After continuous campaign work by Oceana, in early June the European Commission closed the bluefin tuna purse seine fishery early for a third year in a row, further confirming the overcapacity of the fishing fleet. The assigned quota was reached one week earlier than expected, and the Commission’s decision came despite the fleet reduction plans … Read more