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
The seamounts are responsible for the maintenance of a complex food chain, due to the different depths that can be found within the same area, and the changes that they generate in the marine currents. In the Channel of Mallorca, a great wealth and abundance of species has been documented, along with dozens of habitats … Read more
Located in the Rías Baixas, the National Park of the Atlantic Islands in Galicia is made up of the archipelagos of Cortegada, Sálvora, Ons and Cíes. Declared a national park in 2002, it covers a total of 8,480 ha, of which 7,285 ha are marine. It is one of the few Spanish national parks to … Read more
A short distance offshore, the seabed drops by 3,000 metres, and this wide bathymetric range gives rise to a great variety of habitats and species in a relatively small space. Many of these creatures are extremely fragile or difficult to find elsewhere. In the waters of El Hierro we find animals such as the loggerhead … Read more
UPDATE 17/11-2020 – Victory: Spanish Supreme Court ruled in favour of Oceana regarding the appeal from fishermen against Cabrera National Park enlargement. The expansion by 10 times of the National Marine Park of Cabrera, in the Balearic Islands (Spain) was approved in February 2019 by the Council of Ministers. It was however immediately appealed by a fishermen’s … 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
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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.
