Do you plan to attend the 2015 Seafood Expo in Brussels?

On Tuesday 21st of April, Commissioner Karmenu Vella will hold a debate on whether the European Union’s rules and methods in the fight against Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) fishing can contribute towards better fisheries governance globally.

It will be a unique opportunity to listen to some of the most relevant experts in the matter, including:

Since yesterday, New Zealand has been celebrating a great victory for its oceans and the coastal communities living on the eastern shores of Pacific island. The Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) refused marine consent to mine phosphorite nodules on the Chatham Rise, an area of ocean floor to the east of New Zealand, forming part of the Zealandia continent. It is also New Zealand’s most productive and important commercial fishing zone.

Recent research on the Baltic Sea salmon demonstrates perfectly why we need to consider entire ecosystems when we develop fisheries management plans, like the coming multiannual plan for Baltic cod, sprat and herring. This study shows how the survival of salmon might be affected by the poor status of the cod stock in the Baltic Sea. Salmon is an important predatory species in the Baltic, and it is also a valuable fish for both commercial and recreational fisheries.

Lately, I have been involved in discussions on the Commission’s proposal for a multi-annual management plan for cod, sprat and herring, and the fisheries exploiting those stocks in the Baltic Sea. This is the first plan of its kind developed under the renewed Common Fisheries Policy. Eagerly awaited by stakeholders and managers, the plan is expected to be groundbreaking in the sense of taking a multi-species approach to fisheries management and therefore, the plan is often referred to as “multi-species plan”.

Earlier this week, Oceana in Europe launched their second expedition to the Canary Islands. This expedition focuses on the waters around the island of El Hierro, which is expected to become the first marine national park in Spain. This one-month campaign aims to map seamounts north of Lanzarote, the easternmost Canary Island, and around Sahara, the southernmost point of the Spanish Exclusive Economic Zone.