Oceana calls on EU Fisheries Ministers to match the efforts made by the European Commission and the European Parliament to address the critical situation of the North-East Atlantic deep-sea. The plenary of the Parliament will vote on a new regulation for deep-sea fisheries on December 10, prior to reaching an agreement with the Council of … Read more
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 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: Exploiting the most vulnerable species from Oceana on Vimeo. Stand up for the Deep from Oceana on Vimeo.
The EU began to manage deep-sea stocks in 2002, but Regulation (EC) 2347/2002 (the ‘deep-sea access regime’) has failed to ensure their sustainable management. Few species are managed with catch limits (total allowable catches or TACs), and these TACs have frequently been set higher than scientifically advised. Even so, in about 50% of cases, actual … Read more
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
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
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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.
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