Major fishing nations commit to ending fleet overcapacity

Thessaloniki, Greece – Today, a joint statement committing to adopt measures to tackle global fleet overcapacity was signed by the EU and major fishing nations including the United States, Colombia, Japan, Philippines and Indonesia. This initiative revives and strengthens the international commitment to address this problem, which was signed in 1999 but has since been … Read more

Bloomberg Philanthropies launches the vibrant oceans initiative, a $53 million commitment to reverse declining fish supply

Five-Year Commitment is the First Program to Simultaneously Reform Small-Scale and Industrial Fishing Practices, and Places Bloomberg Philanthropies Among Top 5 Global Oceans Funders B-roll Video – Password: bloomberg Infographic January 29, 2014 (New York, NY) – Bloomberg Philanthropies today announced the launch of the Vibrant Oceans initiative, a commitment of $53 million over five … Read more

EU moves away, but fails to make clean break from harmful subsidies

Today the European Parliament and the Fisheries Council reached a political agreement on the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund, the financial mechanism that will allow the implementation of the reformed Common Fisheries Policy over the next seven years. Previous fisheries subsidies schemes have given priority to short-term economic interests at the expense of sustainability, using … Read more

Oceana: EU Ministers fail first test of new fisheries policy targets

Yesterday in the evening EU Fisheries Ministers reached a political agreement on 2014 fishing opportunities for the main commercial fish stocks for EU vessels in the North East Atlantic. Only one year is left before the deadline, established in the newly reformed Common Fisheries Policy (CFP), to have sustainably exploited fish stocks. While acknowledging some … Read more

Oceana report unveils hidden shark catches

A new report by Oceana, based on Hong Kong shark fin trade data and other sources, has revealed that up to 24 countries may be catching sharks in the Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea but failing to report these catches, as is legally required by the Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT). The … Read more

Oceana: EU Parliament votes for deep-sea fisheries management reform but falls short of prohibiting destructive fishing

Oceana applauds the adoption of a broad set of measures to strengthen deep-sea fisheries management in the North-East Atlantic Ocean, today by the European Parliament Fisheries Committee. Among the adopted amendments are those within a package of political compromises that were carefully negotiated by MEP Kriton Arsenis, which would introduce: a stronger scientific basis for … Read more

Oceana calls on European Parliament to reform deep-sea fisheries management

Oceana urges the European Parliament Fisheries Committee to vote today in favour of strong management measures for North-East Atlantic deep-sea fisheries, to end overfishing and protect vulnerable marine ecosystems. EU deep-sea fisheries in this region are currently managed under weak legislation from 2002, which has left many stocks overfished and ecosystems such as deep-sea corals … Read more

It’s time to stop fishing for short term fixes

(This piece was first published on Parliament Magazine’s website) Multiannual budgets, tobacco regulations and the financial crisis have been on the mind of many Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) lately; and rightly so, as decisions made on these issues have far-reaching effects on the daily life of Europeans. However, on 23 October, MEPs will … Read more

Oceana rejects Sarkozy’s dangerous comments on quotas and european fisheries

The European Commission, scientists, environmentalists and many responsible heads of state are united in their concern for the fate of European fisheries and are trying to work together for their recovery in order to ensure the future long term sustainability of the sector. President Sarkozy’s comments are irresponsible and dangerous for the future of our seas and the survival … Read more