Following campaigning by Oceana, three Fisheries Restricted Areas were created by the General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean (GFCM) in the Strait of Sicily, protecting 1,493 square km between Italy, Malta and Tunisia from bottom trawling and preserving nursery areas. By preserving these areas, essential fish habitats for commercial fisheries stocks, a key step has … Read more
Brussels – Oceana calls on EU Commission and Member States to take responsibility and end overfishing in the Mediterranean once and for all. The obligation to sustainably manage stocks was set by the Common Fisheries Policy in 2002 and since then the number of overexploited stocks has kept increasing, with 93% of Mediterranean stocks currently … 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
Last month, scientists from all parts of the Mediterranean Sea gathered at the 18th session of the Scientific Advisory Committee of the General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean (GFCM), the regional body responsible for fisheries management in the Mediterranean Sea. The event once again centred on the bleak situation of Mediterranean fishing resources, in which … Read more
At 750 the number of recorded multicellular non indigenous species (NIS) in the Mediterranean Sea is far higher than in other European Seas: nearly triple the number of records known from the western European coastline from Norway to Portugal, and between 1970 and 2015, the number has grown by 215%. Of these, 450 were introduced … Read more
Oceana is disappointed by the passive attitude shown by EU States that continues to postpone the EU’s duty to end overfishing by 2020. A high-level seminar on the state of fish stocks in the Mediterranean organized by the European Commission (DG MARE) and the Mediterranean Advisory Council (MEDAC) closed today in Catania, Sicily, with no … 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
Overfishing in the Mediterranean Sea began around the ‘70s, when fishing effort increased considerably thanks to technological developments that allowed fleets to fish farther, deeper and find catches more easily. Latest assessments of the situation in the Mediterranean, revealed that 96% of stocks fished exclusively by EU countries are overexploited above what is considered sustainable … Read more
Oceana warns at high-level seminar that if overfishing is not stopped by 2020, closing fisheries or losing them will be the only options left Oceana urges the EU to announce this week in Catania concrete proposals to overcome the severe overfishing that is threatening the short-term future of Mediterranean fisheries. 96% of assessed stocks exploited … Read more
One of the interesting facts that we came across when we pinned our expeditions on this story map was at what time of the day we usually dive. We found out that at least one sixth of the immersions took place between 9 p.m. and 10 a.m., both with divers or with an underwater robot … 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.
