Legacy: Driftnets
The use of driftnets: a scandal for Europe, a mockery of the United Nations
At a meeting in June 1998, the European Union’s Council of Fisheries’ Ministers passed a Regulation aimed at prohibiting the use of driftnets for part of the European fleet; a regulation that was to come into force on 1 January 2002. At that time, some 670 Italian, 70 French and about 30 British and Irish … Read more
Oceana satisfied with the arrest of three owners of illegal drifnetters in Southern Italy
Oceana is satisfied with the arrest of three captains and shipowners in the Italian port of Bagnara Calabra for their use of illegal driftnets. The accused are under house arrest thanks to the proceedings begun by the Prosecutor’s Office of Calabria as a result of a documentary aired by Italian TV channel RAI 3 on … Read more
Overfishing, pollution and habitat destruction are threatening European Seas
Oceana denounces the severe deterioration of Europe’s oceans and seas and calls for immediate measures to halt the collapse of fish resources, the destruction of marine habitats and the pollution affecting its waters. On World Environment Day (5 June) and World Oceans Day (8 June), Oceana points out that European seas are among the most … Read more
Driftnets: Overview
Driftnets are a type of fishing gear used to catch various pelagic species. During the 80s and the beginning of the 90s, this type of gear became popular due to its effectiveness and easy use. Because this gear is passive, it does not require any type of specialisation. However, driftnets bycatch thousands and thousands of … Read more
Italian government keeps challenging EU driftnet ban
With a letter today addressed to Commissioners Dimas and Borg, Oceana, the international marine conservation organization, has called for an end to the illegal use of an Italian driftnet called ferrettara. The letter, which follows a recent formal complaint submitted by Oceana to the European Commission, provides evidence of the illegal catch of vulnerable … Read more
Italian driftnetters 2006: The Oceana report
Driftnetting has been condemned by the international community, banned in EC waters and on the high seas by EU flagged vessels by the European Union in 2002, and by the General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean (GFCM)in waters of the Mediterranean Sea since 2005. Years after the prohibition became effective, however, there are still various … Read more
“Thonaille”: the use of driftnets by the French fleet in the Mediterranean
The use of driftnets has been prohibited in European union waters and on the high seas by EU flagged vessels since 2002 and since 2005 in the Mediterranean Sea by the General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean (GFCM). This fishing activity, however, persists in community waters and by EU flagged vessels on the high seas, … Read more
The use of driftnets by the Moroccan fleet
Driftnets have been condemned by the international community and banned by various countries and different international organisations. This fishery, however, still continues in various countries around the world, causing the accidental capture and death of a large number of cetaceans, sea turtles, elasmobranchs and birds. One of the epicentres of this activity is located in … Read more
