Today, the European Environment Agency (EEA) published its Marine Protected Areas in Europe’s Seas report. Oceana welcomes the release of this research, the first ever assessment of the entire EU network of marine protected areas (MPAs), which shows that the Baltic Sea is only one of three European regions (along with the Greater North Sea … Read more
Thanks to a new regulation by the European Union, Denmark, Germany and Sweden will cease all fishing activity on 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. The new measures are the first of their kind in the Baltic Sea, and … Read more
Today, the European Commission has presented its annual proposal of catch limits (TACs) for the Baltic Sea. The proposal is based largely on scientific advice, issued by the International Council on the Exploration of the Seas (ICES), and for the majority of stocks EC has been able to propose limits at sustainable levels in line … Read more
New sea, new species and new habitats, but threats are common and easily recognizable. My week joining the Life Bahar Malta Expedition onboard the Oceana Ranger is almost done. It has been very exciting being sailing and conducting surveys on this beautiful catamaran. The biodiversity in the Mediterranean is far different from the Baltic´s, the … Read more
Marine litter is a global issue for the world’s oceans. Plastic litter, especially, is a problem, as it degrades into smaller pieces, called microplastics, which can get eaten by marine organisms, and thereby gradually build up in the marine and coastal environment. It can even end up on your plate! Last year, Oceana was invited … Read more
Baltic Sea states failed to agree on a key recommendation on the conservation of species that are threatened with extinction, at a HELCOM Heads of Delegation meeting that closed yesterday in Tallinn, Estonia. Oceana is deeply disappointed that Denmark is blocking a recommendation that is supported by all of the other HELCOM Contracting Parties, by … Read more
Today, a plenary session of the European Parliament in Strasbourg voted on the multiannual management plan (MAP) for fisheries in the Baltic Sea – the first MAP under the reformed Common Fisheries Policy (CFP). The plan concerns the long-term managing of major commercial stocks of cod, sprat and herring, as well as providing measures for species of … Read more
Today, the Fisheries Committee of the European Parliament voted in Brussels on a multiannual management plan (MAP) for fisheries in the Baltic Sea, the first MAP under the reformed Common Fisheries Policy (CFP). The plan addresses the long-term management of the major commercial stocks of cod, sprat and herring, and also provides measures for some … Read more
On the 31st of March, the Fisheries Committee of the European Parliament will vote on a multiannual management plan for the fisheries in the Baltic Sea, critical for the future of over 94% of the catches in the region. This is the first multiannual plan (MAP) in the EU to be agreed under the new … Read more
Threats to the marine environment are multiple and growing and the Baltic Sea is no stranger to them. Numerous human activities have put its ecosystems under severe pressure and it has become one of the most polluted seas in the world. In order to safeguard species and habitats, and to recover the healthy status of the sea, one of the most widely recognized and effective … 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.
