Oceana urges the EU to adopt sustainable Atlantic fishing limits for 2017

Brussels — The European Commission released today its annual proposal on catch limits (TACs) for the North East Atlantic waters in 2017. Oceana considers the Commission’s proposal a step in the right direction but stresses more effort and political will is needed to eradicate overfishing. The proposal covers over 70 fish stocks, including commercially important … Read more

Deep-Sea Trawling Ban Protects 4.9 million km2 in Atlantic Ocean

Oceana in Europe campaigned with our colleagues in the Deep Sea Conservation Coalition for the prohibition of deep sea bottom trawling in the North East Atlantic waters. This victory provides increased protection for vulnerable marine ecosystems and deep-sea sharks. The European Parliament, Council and Commission reached an agreement that bans all trawling below 800m depth … Read more

Tiny, But Vital, Builders of Muddy Bottom Habitats Are Vanishing

Stately kelp forests and rainbow-colored coral reefs are known for the amazing amount of life that calls these habitats home. But don’t count out the muddy seafloor, especially if it harbors a tiny crustacean called a haploops. These animals, related to the sandhoppers often found on beaches, build small mud tunnel homes that litter the … Read more

Who takes care of Atlantic sharks?

Despite its name, the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) is in in charge of ensuring the sustainable management of many fish species including sharks. Over the last few decades, catches of commercially fished sharks have continually increased, however no proper management measures have been put in place and catches continue to … Read more

Oceana welcomes the European Commission’s proposal for 2016 Atlantic fishing limits

Today, the European Commission released its annual proposal of total allowable catches (TACs) for the main commercial fish species in North East Atlantic waters for 2016. Oceana has welcomed the proposal that sets a key milestone towards ending overfishing by 2020, but is disappointed that the Commission has failed to fully meet catch reductions advised by scientists … Read more

The unknown status of Atlantic blue sharks

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 … Read more

Unexpected records of ‘deep-sea’ carnivorous sponges Asbestopluma hypogea in the shallow NE Atlantic shed light on new conservation issues

Marine cave communities have been a continued source of ecological surprises, among other things because of their close ecological and evolutionary ties with the deep sea. The discovery of cladorhizid sponges, the deepest occurring poriferan family, in shallow Mediterranean caves in the 1990s was one such surprise, leading to the generally accepted hypothesis that the … Read more