The unrelenting overfishing and degradation of Mediterranean marine ecosystems over the last 15 years offer grounds for questioning the implementation of European Union (EU) policy responses. Not only it is the most overfished sea in the world, with 80% of its fish stocks overexploited, but the region’s unique marine biodiversity facesincreasing threats, including from climate … Read more
Commission to stop the overfishing crisis of hake, mullet, shrimp and Norway lobster Oceana warns that the European Commission’s proposal on fishing opportunities for the Mediterranean and Black Sea falls short in tackling the overfishing crisis of these seas. The acknowledged extent of fraud in vessels’ engine power requires a higher reduction of fishing … Read more
Oceana praises the progress made by Mediterranean countries during a fisheries compliance meeting of the General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean (GFCM), held last week in Tirana, Albania. At the conclusion of the regional gathering between 24 contracting parties, delegates agreed to adopt a stricter sanctioning process for non-compliant Mediterranean countries, and to improve transparency … Read more
The study looked into the fishing activity across marine Nature 2000 sites having a focus on variety of protected features protected by the Habitats Directive. Significant incompatible fishing activity was observed inside Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) across all of the European Union (EU), particularly within reef and sandbank habitats types (codes 1170 and 1110).This poster summarizes … Read more
Oceana has unveiled potential cases of illegal, unreported and poorly regulated fishing in the waters of the Mediterranean – the world’s most overfished sea (80% of fish stocks). The findings from this analysis will be submitted to the meeting of the General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean (GFCM) this week in Tirana, Albania. The analysis is based … Read more
On eve of political summit, Oceana releases online viewer displaying information on crucial lifecycle areas for fish populations, and current sites closed to fishing Ahead of a political meeting to address the overfishing crisis in the Mediterranean, Oceana is calling upon the region’s countries to protect essential fish habitats (EFHs) as an urgent measure to … Read more
Following a workshop organized by the International Council for the Exploration of the Seas (ICES) in Lisbon to evaluate the recovery and management plan for Iberian sardine (Sardina pilchardus), 15 non-governmental organizations (NGOs) from Portugal and Spain[1] are concerned about a plan submitted to the European Commission by the Portuguese and Spanish governments. This plan … Read more
The European Parliament approved today in a plenary vote the first multiannual plan for demersal stocks (fish that live and feed near the sea bottom) for the Western Mediterranean Sea. With 461 votes in favor and 62 against, the legal obligation of reaching sustainable fishing by 2020 at the latest, as agreed under the Common Fisheries … 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.
