According to the World Bank and the FAO (The Sunken Billions revisited, 2017), global marine fishing loses account for US$83billion each year, but this figure could be reversed if correct management measures were applied. Along the same lines, the recent study Exploitation and status of European stocks conducted by Dr. Rainer Froese on behalf of … 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
Total Allowable Catch (TAC) is the tool used to establish maximum fishing limits during a certain timeframe and for each one of the species controlled by management plans. Scientific recommendations for each marine area specified by the FAO (ICES fishing areas) are used to establish catch possibilities. Currently, the TAC system is not working correctly … 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
Oceana acknowledges the generous support of EU LIFE Programme.
These seamounts also harbor a variety of habitats that should be protected given their high productivity and/or degree of threat, such as coralline beds, bamboo coral beds, rhodolith beds and deep-sea sponge fields, among others. In addition, species of commercial interest like crabs and fish depend on habitats located in this area and some of … Read more
Seamounts are biodiversity hotspots. Oceana’s work in Seco de Olivos confirmed that the area is home to vulnerable species like red coral, various species of black coral and the angular roughshark—which is in danger of extinction in the Mediterranean. It’s waters are also a migratory area for numerous types of cetaceans and it is a … Read more
The proposal includes a wide variety of sites, such as seamounts, banks, canyons, slopes, trenches, ridges, mud volcanoes, gas seeps, carbonate mounts, etc. Although these habitats are less well-known than seagrass beds or coral reefs, they are equally important. The CBD considers that the proposed sites are important enough from a biological and … Read more
Within the coastal region, the people inhabiting the area have had centuries of interactions with the marine environment. Persistent fisheries targeting bluefin tuna during their spawning migrations into the Mediterranean have been established since antiquity. As a result of intense fishing and large coastal populations, pollution is of particular concern in the region. Recent 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.
