According to conventional wisdom, small, fast-growing fish are impossible to overfish because their populations are so large and grow so quickly. Yet we are now seeing disquieting signs that conventional wisdom is wrong. Most significantly, scientists are reporting ocean predators emaciated from lack of food, vulnerable to disease and without enough energy to reproduce. Scrawny … Read more
Baiona, Spain –.The environmental organizations, Ecologistas en Acción, Greenpeace, Oceana, Seas At Risk and WWF present in Baiona (Spain) at the Ministerial gathering of 47 countries from the five continents[i] emphasize the ministers’ recognition that “a new scenario for the seas and the oceans” is urgently needed and that the chronic overcapacity of fishing fleets … Read more
Madrid, Spain –. NGOs committed to the sustainable use and conservation of fisheries resources are concerned with the lack of transparency and communication of the Spanish Minister of the Environment, Rural and Marine Affairs, Elena Espinosa concerning preparations for the 5th World Conference of Fisheries Ministers (1) in Bayona, Spain, next week. The Spanish Government … Read more
In a letter addressed to Joe Borg, the EU commissioner responsible for fisheries and maritime affairs, Xavier Pastor, the executive director of Oceana in Europe, asked Spain to support the proposal to include bluefin tuna in the CITES convention on endangered species. In the last month, various Member States, including those with interests in bluefin … Read more
Oceana and Marviva are disappointed at the irresponsible behaviour of EU member states in today rejecting support for the Monaco proposal to add bluefin tuna to CITES Appendix I. The proposal, which was intended to ban international trade in order to preserve the species, was strongly opposed by Mediterranean countries. Xavier Pastor, Executive Director for … Read more
In a press conference today in Brussels, the European Commission presented its proposal for the 2010 fishing opportunities for Europe’s main commercial fish stocks. Oceana, the international marine conservation organization, considers that if more quota reductions are not decided in accordance with scientific advice, it will be impossible to recover the most overfished stocks. In … Read more
Last night, United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) decided to support Monaco’s proposal for listing Atlantic bluefin tuna on Appendix 1 of the Convention on International Trade of Endangered Species (CITES). Oceana and MarViva welcome this important effort towards bluefin tuna conservation. Monaco proposal, if agreed in the upcoming Conference of the Parties … Read more
In 2008, Oceana and MarViva collaborated in a campaign to definitively eliminate the use of driftnets in the Mediterranean. Banned by the United Nations more than 15 years ago, this gear is still being used and constitutes a serious threat for cetaceans, turtles and sharks. This fishery mainly targets the already overexploited swordfish stock which … Read more
Recife (Brazil).- Today, the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas agreed to weak management measures for bluefin tuna, ignoring the only acceptable measure that would have recovered this depleted stock: the total closure of the fishery. Xavier Pastor, Executive Director of Oceana in Europe remarked: “ICCAT’s credibility was in the hands of … Read more
In October 2009, the European Commission presented its proposal for total admissible catch (TAC) and fishing effort for 2010 for the main fish species targeted by the Community fleet in the North East Atlantic. The EU Council of Fisheries Ministers will decide the fishing opportunities based on this proposal between December 14 and 16. TACs … Read more
Sign up today to get weekly updates and action alerts from Oceana.
We have already protected nearly 4 million square miles of ocean and innumerable sea life - but there is still more to be done.
Oceana in Europe gratefully acknowledges EU funding support.
