Time for the EU to step up and protect endangered sharks

Today is a big day for sharks in the Mediterranean. It marks the beginning of the 17th Barcelona Convention Meeting, a three day event during which time the fate of many threatened sharks and rays is at stake. The Mediterranean is the region of greatest risk to sharks and rays, with 41% of species considered … Read more

European Union failing threatened mediterranean sharks

Oceana, the international marine conservation organisation, denounces the European Commission for blocking efforts to protect threatened and endangered sharks and rays in the Mediterranean Sea, under the Barcelona Convention. The protection of ten species of sharks and rays is one of the key issues for discussion at the biennial meeting of the Convention, which begins … Read more

Oceana: reform of EU fleet management strongly needed to effectively tackle overcapacity and rebuild fish stocks

Today, the European Court of Auditors (ECA) released their long-awaited analysis of the effectiveness of EU fleet management, which shows the systematic failure of fleet capacity reduction policies. Oceana is deeply concerned that even though the problematic nature of overcapacity has been recognized for over 20 years, the EU has been unable to properly address … Read more

Oceana recommendations to European Council decision concerning fishing opportunities for 2012

State of resources As concluded in the Communication from the Commission concerning Fishing Opportunities, fish stocks in European waters are improving. This is confirmed by the downward trend in the number of overfished and collapsed stocks. But the progress achieved in European fisheries management in relation to the fishing opportunities is clearly insufficient and Oceana … Read more

Curiosity, cod, and the Commission

As December quickly approaches, every morning when I head into the Baltic office, I pass a new Christmas tree on display in a shop window or welcoming guests just outside the door of a local bar. After passing a particularly tall pine this morning, I thought about how interesting it is that a tree’s age … Read more

Oceana: European Commission proposes to rectify ineffective shark finning law

Oceana, the international marine conservation organisation, commends the European Commission on its proposal, released today, to amend the EU ban on shark finning by requiring all sharks to be landed with their fins still attached. Although shark finning is technically banned in European waters and by EU vessels, there is a recognised need to strengthen … Read more

A Happy day for sharks

Three cheers for sharks! We’ve got some good news for shark lovers out there: First of all, today the European Commission presented their proposal for amending the EU shark finning ban to require that all sharks to be landed with their fins still attached. Shark finning is technically banned in European waters and by EU … Read more

Investigative journalists take on subsidies, illegal fishing and seafood fraud in Spain

Last week, the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists   (ICIJ) released 4 in depth articles, as part of their “Looting the Seas” project that we think are worth sharing with you. They are well researched good reads that delve deep into several real and worrying issues plaguing the European fishing sector, such as subsidies, Illegal fishing … Read more

Closing September with a bang!

Last week was a good week for us at Oceana as we closed the month of September with a bang! It’s been a month of victories and good for our work here in Europe, and there is nothing more rewarding than realizing that our efforts are actually making a difference. We therefore thought we’d highlight … Read more

Commission proposal on fishing opportunities moves towards precautionary approach

Catch increases proposed for cod, anglerfish, haddock and Norway lobster are unjustified . Yesterday the European Commission published its proposal for 2012 Fishing Opportunities for exclusive EU stocks in the Northeast Atlantic, which are not subject to international agreements. Oceana considers that the proposed catch limits pave the way to stock recovery, although for most … Read more