Last night the European Parliament, Council of Ministers and Commission reached a disappointing political agreement on the multiannual management plan covering the stocks of cod, herring and sprat in the Baltic Sea. The plan in its current form allows for the continued overfishing of the most important Baltic stocks essentially making the CFP’s commitment to … Read more
Three years of work by 88 leading experts were effectively scrapped during the 37th Annual Meeting of the Helsinki Commission (HELCOM) last Friday, when countries approved a heavily weakened version of a plan to protect and rebuild the most threatened Baltic Sea and Kattegat species. Oceana denounces Denmark as the sole culprit that has effectively … Read more
What was initially conceived as a unifying initiative to protect threatened species in the Baltic Sea and Kattegat has quickly evolved into one country’s crusade to prevent marine protection in the region. It all began in 2007 when contracting parties to HELCOM, the governing body of the Convention on the Protection of the Marine Environment … Read more
What is the best month to go on an expedition? Well, that depends on where you want to go and what you want to see. If you check Oceana in Europe’s website or our recently launched story map, you’ll discover the answer is actually any month – apart from December. Since 2005, we have organised … Read more
Today, the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) has suspended its certificates for all Eastern Baltic cod fisheries. Oceana, having previously warned about the bad condition of Baltic cod stocks, supports the decision and urges EU member states to react appropriately and adopt a sustainable long-term management plan consistent with the objectives of the Common Fisheries Policy. … Read more
Several scientific studies provide proof of the successes of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) in enhancing biodiversity and benefiting sea life and habitats (e.g. FAO 2012 and references therein). MPAs provide species and habitats a place to rebuild and flourish; and they are also needed to maintain and restore (when possible) the damaged ecosystems. The areas … Read more
A multitude of human activities have put the Baltic Sea ecosystems under severe pressure and turned this brackish, semi-enclosed sea into one of the most polluted in the world. Destructive fishing practices like dredging and bottom trawling pose heavy threats to these sensitive ecosystems. Oceana’s report on fisheries outlines the biggest problems related to fisheries … Read more
Oceana condemns the decision by the EU Fisheries Council on Baltic catch limits for 2016 Today, the Agriculture and Fisheries Council of the EU reached an agreement on the 2016 total allowable catches (TAC) for the Baltic Sea fish stocks. Regretfully, just like the last year, European ministers have yet again decided to ignore scientific advice … Read more
On 22nd of October, the Agriculture and Fisheries Council of the EU will gather in Luxembourg to begin their annual negotiations on catch limits for the Baltic Sea in 2016. Oceana releases today science-based recommendations for setting Total Allowable Catches (TACs) and quotas in the region to rebuild overexploited fisheries. The organization has called the Council … Read more
Under a new EU regulation, Denmark, Germany and Sweden will cease all fishing activities over highly sensitive ‘bubbling’ reefs and end fishing with damaging bottom gear (such as bottom trawls) over reefs in protected Danish waters of the Baltic Sea and Kattegat. Oceana welcomes the new measures, which are the first of their kind in … 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.
