When you hear about sharks, most people automatically think about the tropics and crystal clear blue waters. But the truth is that there are sharks all around the world, even in the cold waters of the Baltic Sea. In fact, 31 species of sharks, rays and chimaeras (class of Cartilaginous fish-Chondrichthyes), have been recorded in … Read more
Holidays are here and many people in Europe go out and buy some eel for their Christmas dinners, as they do every year. But what many might not know is that the European eel (Anguilla anguilla) is critically endangered and threatened with extinction. To provide some perspective, this threat level is higher than that given … Read more
Oceana welcomes last Friday’s decision by the authorities of Uusimaa and the Southeast Finland Centre for Economic Development, Transport and the Environment to ban wild sea trout fisheries in the Gulf of Finland. The ban applies to all types of fisheries (including recreational) in the territorial waters beyond the coastal waters. Following the release of … Read more
According to recent electrofishing surveys by the Finnish Game and Fisheries Research Institute, the status of sea trout is critically endangered and very few juveniles were found in the Gulf of Bothnia in autumn 2012. Oceana is alarmed that despite this precarious situation, sea trout remains almost completely unmanaged, apart from some fishing bans in … Read more
On November 22nd, the European Parliament will vote to adopt a multiannual plan for salmon in the Baltic Sea. This species has suffered years of mismanagement through sporadic measures such as closed seasons and annual total allowable catches (TAC) set in total disregard of scientific advice, and is now listed as declining and/or threatened in … Read more
The organizations are pushing to appoint three new large and coherent marine protected areas that have stricter protection than the current marine Natura 2000 sites. The report, co-authored by Oceana, describes the marine environment in Denmark as not doing well, noting a general decline in species diversity. The decline is mainly caused by several anthropogenic … Read more
Yesterday, the Agriculture and Fisheries Ministers discussed the 2013 fishing opportunities for the Baltic Sea in Luxembourg. Oceana is pleased with the Council decisions on cod, plaice, herring and sprat but disappointed in the decision to set the TAC for Baltic Salmon more than twice as high as the number given by scientific advice. “The … Read more
Oceana is deeply disappointed in the Danish Government’s recent approval of blue mussel fisheries inside two Natura 2000 sites in the Limfjord, Denmark. This decision puts both areas, which have been protected to conserve ecologically important reef habitats, in jeopardy. Oceana recommends that Denmark and other EU countries prohibit destructive fishing methods, such as dredging … Read more
Oceana acknowledges the generous support of the Velux Foundations, which have awarded a twelve month grant to support Oceana’s Baltic Sea recovery programme. The funds will support the international marine conservation organization efforts to expand the network of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) in this sea and improve the status of its fisheries resources via long-term … Read more
Oceana welcomes the new Chairwoman of the Baltic Marine Environment Protection Commission (known as HELCOM), Helle Pilsgaard, in her new position, and looks forward to the two-year Danish Chairmanship of HELCOM. In a letter addressed to Ms. Pilsgaard, Oceana marked its appreciation for plans to tackle the human causes of eutrophication by setting country-wide nutrient … Read more
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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.
