For effective fisheries management to be able to act, realistic fisheries removal data are needed, so as to assess exploitation levels and the impact of fisheries on the ecosystem. Unfortunately, official statistics underestimate catches in most countries and regions. In the Balearic Islands (Western Mediterranean), where artisanal fishing and industrial bottom trawling are the most … Read more
Management of fisheries in the Mediterranean basin has often been described as a unique and complex challenge, due to their multi-specificity, the diversity of gear-types, and the number of nations involved. This perspective has gone hand-in-hand for decades with a lack of strong political will from decision-makers, who have been unwilling to put Mediterranean fisheries … Read more
What is an Essential Fish Habitat? An Essential Fish Habitat (EFH) is a habitat identifi ed as crucial to the ecological and biological requirements for the critical life cycle of exploited fi sh species, and which may require special protection to improve stock status and long-term sustainability. In particular, EFH refers to the waters and … Read more
According to the Law on National Parks, a total of 13 natural marine systems should be represented in the network to ensure an adequate legacy for future generations. However, although 2016 was the one hundredth anniversary of the establishment of the network, some of these systems are still under-represented, while others are totally absent from the … Read more
The European Union is failing to responsibly manage its fish resources. Despite several international commitments and EU framework regulations on sustainable fisheries, the status of fish stocks is still far from being considered as healthy. Overfishing in the EU continues to affect a large proportion of fish stocks. In the North Western Waters (NWW) the … Read more
EU fisheries ministers continue to disregard science and to overfish stocks on the basis of short-sighted socio-economic arguments. It is undeniable that the Union’s Member States must act immediately to stop overfishing and to recover all stock above healthy levels by 2020, at the latest. To achieve this objective, an effective protection of Essential Fish … Read more
The waters of the Sound – the shared strait that lies between Denmark and Sweden – host a high level of biodiversity, and a unique mosaic of marine communities and habitats, including stone reefs, seagrass beds, horse mussel beds, and kelp forests. This diversity is due to the specific characteristics of the area, the combined … Read more
Oceana considers that the Atlantic basin’s characteristics differ enough from other marine regions to require a specific policy. Nevertheless, this policy will be even more useful if it incorporates more sectors where fishing, protection of marine habitats or energy are some of the main aspects. The commission’s introduction of a framework of integrated marine governability … Read more
The North Sea has provided us with treasures for centuries. It’s about time we gave some back. Together we can #StopOverfishing! Into the North – #StopOverfishing from Oceana on Vimeo. Oceana acknowledges the generous support of EU LIFE Programme. The backbone of the #StopOverfishing campaign is Oceana’s 2016 study on European fisheries. It was commissioned … Read more
According to the information reflected in the European Commission communication and an independent scientific study commissioned by Oceana, fishing mortality rates in the NE Atlantic are still clearly above the committed levels required to meet sustainable objectives. This in turn is threatening the status of the stocks and leading to the under-exploitation of fish resources. … 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.
