Last week, Oceana attended an international meeting on blue sharks that was held in Tenerife, Spain, by ICCAT (the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas).  The meeting was the first of two for this year’s assessment of blue sharks in the Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea – the first ICCAT assessment that has been done for this species since 2008.

Important fisheries

Earlier this week, the Spanish Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Affairs hosted an important screening: the wrap-up documentary of the LIFE+ INDEMARES project. LIFE+ INDEMARES is a turning point in marine conservation in Spain, since it has allowed the country to propose ten new Sites of Community Importance (SCI), increasing the marine protected surface from 1% to 6%.

It’s not often that a young man with a decent job and salary decides to pack it all up and leave, in order to raise awareness for the oceans and highlight the need for sustainable living. Yet, that’s exactly what 29 year old Sergi Basoli decided to do.

The ongoing discussions in the circle of EU bodies will soon determine the future of red coral in EU waters. In the current situation, it would be appropriate to ask the question: “will a future for red coral in Europe be guaranteed?”

Good news for deep-sea sharks in the North-East Atlantic - the Council of Fisheries Ministers of the EU decided yesterday to keep the fishery for many vulnerable species closed for the next two years!