Thank you for your support! #BANBOTTOMTRAWLING PETITION DELIVERED TO EUROPEAN COMMISSION What is bottom trawling? Bottom trawling is one of the most destructive methods to catch fish. Its extensive use for commercial fishing causes a high impact on marine ecosystems, often resulting in irreversible damage to sensitive habitats (such as maërl beds, coralligenous reefs, deep-sea … Read more
Illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing is a problem that affects the ocean worldwide and costs the global economy tens of billions of euros every year. It destroys marine habitats, adds pressure to fish populations that are already at risk of over-exploitation and undermines efforts to responsibly manage and protect the ocean. IUU fishing exploits … Read more
Species living at these depths have adapted to a cold, dark environment, with few nutrients. As a consequence, they are characterised by slow growth rates, late sexual maturity, few offspring and long lifespans. This makes them highly vulnerable to overfishing, because their capacity to recover from depletion is very limited. Deep-sea rays and sharks are … Read more
Managing fish stocks and ensuring they are maintained within sustainable levels is a binding obligation under EU Regulations and International agreements. And yet, 686 species (82% of total) are still exploited and commercialised by the EU fleet without sound management measures, and for most of them the stock status is unknown. In terms of volume, … Read more
In fact, bycatch is usually discarded. This happens when: the species caught are not commercially valuable (most invertebrate species, fish including sharks, birds, marine mammals, turtles, corals , etc.); catching these species is prohibited because they are protected species; the species are commercially valuable but are smaller than the legally authorized size or the assigned fishing quota … Read more
The previous CFP was adopted in 2002. It was at the time of a major step towards a better management of marine resources, as it established conservation as one of its objectives, but it failed to put a stop to the overexploitation of European fishing grounds. For years, Oceana in Europe worked towards reforming the … Read more
Despite being the oldest RFMO operating worldwide, GFCM assessments continuously depict an alarming picture of Mediterranean stocks which suggests a lack of effective and enforced fisheries management. Oceana calls upon the 18th session of the SAC to apply the best available scientific advice to halt overfishing and the continuing deterioration of fishing resources and the … Read more
Mediterranean Sea fish stocks are in a dramatic situation with 96% of European assessed stocks in the region reported as overexploited. The reformed Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) requires the EU to end overfishing by 2015 or at the latest by 2020 in order to ensure the recovery of fish stocks. To achieve this objective EU … Read more
European vessels have been fi shing in the world’s oceans ever since the fi rst pioneering English, French, Spanish and Portuguese fi shermen crossed the Atlantic to fi nd cod off the Canadian coast in the early sixteenth century. It is estimated that 28% of the fi sh caught by EU vessels for human consumption … 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.
