Deep-sea fisheries in the North-East Atlantic Archives

Oceana: EU Parliament votes for deep-sea fisheries management reform but falls short of prohibiting destructive fishing

Oceana applauds the adoption of a broad set of measures to strengthen deep-sea fisheries management in the North-East Atlantic Ocean, today by the European Parliament Fisheries Committee. Among the adopted amendments are those within a package of political compromises that were carefully negotiated by MEP Kriton Arsenis, which would introduce: a stronger scientific basis for … Read more

Oceana calls on European Parliament to reform deep-sea fisheries management

Oceana urges the European Parliament Fisheries Committee to vote today in favour of strong management measures for North-East Atlantic deep-sea fisheries, to end overfishing and protect vulnerable marine ecosystems. EU deep-sea fisheries in this region are currently managed under weak legislation from 2002, which has left many stocks overfished and ecosystems such as deep-sea corals … Read more

Deep-sea fisheries in the North-East Atlantic: Fisheries impacts

Data on deep-sea fisheries catches, discards, landings and fishing effort are scarce. However, scientific evidence suggests that most EU deep-sea stocks have been exploited beyond levels that are sustainable. Many stocks are depleted below levels that are considered to be biologically risky, with 21 species now prohibited for retention or landing, due to concerns about … Read more

Deep-sea fisheries in the North-East Atlantic: Overview

The deep-sea starts at 200 m below the surface, where sunlight does not penetrate – but where fisheries still operate, reaching down to more than 1500 m. Most deep-sea fisheries in the North-East Atlantic sprang up in the second half of the 20th century, after the decline of traditional continental shelf stocks, and with the … Read more

The European Commission has proposed to reopen the wasterful deep-sea gillnet fishery of the Northeast Atlantic

The European Commission has proposed to reopen the Northeast Atlantic (NEAT) deep-sea gillnet fishery, which takes place in depths between 200 and 1200 meters in waters north and west of Great Britain and Ireland. This fishery was temporarily closed by the European Union Fisheries Ministers in December 2005 due to its incredible waste and the … Read more

Spain, Portugal, France and Poland turn their backs on fisheries management and support depleting deep-sea fish stocks

According to the international organisation for marine research and conservation, Oceana, once again a group of European countries, led by Spain, France, Portugal and Poland are attempting to destroy any initiative taken to stop the deterioration of fish species and marine ecosystems. These governments have continually ignored the warnings given by the scientific community regarding … Read more

Oceana calls for the closure of the “dirtiest” fisheries in the EU

A fleet of barely 20 fishing vessels manages to discard each year between 2,000 and 15,000 tonnes of anglerfish, generate more than 1,000 kilos of waste and “ghost nets” and overexploit stocks of anglerfish, deep-sea red crab and deep-sea sharks. Every day, more than 6,000 kilometres of fixed gillnets (known as rasco) are deployed in … Read more

Deep-sea fisheries in Europe: High environmental costs, minimal economic dependence

The scale of economic dependence on deep-sea fisheries in Europe is low, according to new information presented today by the European Commission during a Fisheries Committee debate in the European Parliament in Brussels. Oceana values the contribution from the Commission, which further justifies measures that have been proposed for improving the sustainability of deep-sea fisheries … Read more

Consumers unaware of endangered shark liver oil in cosmetics

If asked, “would you spread liver oil from threatened deep-sea sharks on your face?” most people would probably answer “no” – yet many European consumers may do so unwittingly, because they have no way of knowing whether a common cosmetic ingredient is sourced from sharks or from plant alternatives. Oceana is calling on cosmetic manufacturers … Read more

Unilever ends the use of shark products in its cosmetics

Oceana, the international marine conservation organisation, is engaged in a campaign to end of the use of shark liver oil, known as squalene, in cosmetics products. Europe is a major force in the production and trade of squalene, and the campaign has included investigative visits to fishing ports and cosmetics shops, and discussions with cosmetic … Read more