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
Today, the European Court of Auditors (ECA) published a damning report on fisheries compliance by EU Member States. Auditors visited Spain, France, Italy and the UK (Scotland), which represent more than half of the EU fishing fleet and almost half of the total fish catches in the Union. The results reveal a lack of control … Read more
Today, ministers and high-level representatives from Mediterranean countries have signed a historic declaration to address the fisheries crisis in the region. The ministerial declaration, Malta MedFish4Ever, will be the blueprint for cooperation and sustainable development of fisheries for all coastal states in the Mediterranean over the next 10 years. The agreement comes just months before … Read more
State representatives gather for the first time in 14 years just days after scientific study reveals Mediterranean has lost one-third of its fish due to overfishing Oceana calls for catch limits, tougher controls and protection of areas where fish breed and grow Valletta, Malta – Ministers from Mediterranean countries and representatives from the European Union … Read more
Marine scientists have discovered a population of a species of starfish with 10 and 11 arms living more than 200 m below the surface in waters off Malta (central Mediterranean). These starfish were spotted using an underwater robot during an at-sea survey as part the Life Ba?AR for N2K project, which aims to identify new … Read more
So far only 7% of the Mediterranean has been protected and deep-sea ecosystems have almost no protection. Tangier, Morocco – An area the size of the Republic of Ireland (71,840 km2) still needs to be protected in the Mediterranean, Oceana warns, if countries are to fulfil their international obligation to protect 10% of coastal and … Read more
Oceana welcomes long-overdue measures to rebuild the depleted and overfished stock, but the plan falls behind expectations Vilamoura, Portugal.-The International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) has today finalised its one-week long negotiations between 51 countries. ICCAT has finally agreed on a recovery plan for the severely depleted Mediterranean swordfish, which has been … Read more
As the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) today enters its fifth day of fisheries negotiations, all 51 countries have the future and fate of Mediterranean swordfish at the top of their agenda. The negotiations are taking place as new data, commissioned by Oceana, reveals a lack of traceability and transparency in … Read more
The European Union is now facing an ultimatum on a key fishery in the Mediterranean. Oceana has called on EU countries to stop all swordfish fishing in the Mediterranean unless an immediate recovery plan to rebuild stocks is put in place. Mediterranean swordfish has been reduced to one third of its size in just thirty … Read more
Mediterranean swordfish drops by 70% in 30 years from overfishing Oceana is fully behind a call for an urgent and immediate action plan to rebuild rock-bottom numbers of swordfish in the Mediterranean Sea and to safeguard its future in the region. The only other alternative to this is to completely close down swordfish fishing in … 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.
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