The Spanish Ministry of Fisheries denies Oceana access to the list of boats with licenses to remove fins from sharks

In contrast, the Portuguese government has provided Oceana with all of the information requested regarding its fleet. Oceana, the international marine conservation organization, has expressed its disappointment with the Spanish General Secretary of Marine Fisheries’ (GSMF) denial to supply the list of Spanish fishing boats to which the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Food has … Read more

Sharks at risk – EU policies threaten species globally

Launching a report about the dangerous decline in shark populations caused by European fishing policy, the newly formed Shark Alliance today expressed dismay at the European Parliament Fisheries Committee’s push for weaker restrictions on shark finning. The report, entitled “Shark Alert: Revealing Europe’s Impact on Shark Populations,” details the depletion of European shark populations and … Read more

Oceana warns the European Commission and member states that lack of action to conserve the depleted porbeagle shark could lead to its collapse

The international marine research and conservation organization, Oceana, is dissatisfied by the lack of any catch limit or management plan for the porbeagle shark (Lamna nasus) in Council Regulation (EC) Nº 41/2006, which fixes the 2007 fishing opportunities for certain fish stocks. Despite scientific advice to end directed fisheries for porbeagle, no EU catch limitations … Read more

Shark trade limits endorsed by European Union

Brussels: The Shark Alliance is applauding today’s decision by European Union Member States to support Germany’s proposals to provide protection for spiny dogfish sharks (Squalus acanthias) and porbeagle sharks (Lamna nasus) under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES). Following debate at the European Commission’s CITES Committee, the proposals received the qualified majority … Read more

Oceana requests explanations from the Spanish Socialist and Popular parties regarding their efforts to increase shark captures

In a letter addressed to the ruling Partido Socialista Obrero Español (Spanish Socialist Party, or PSOE) and to the main opposition force, the Partido Popular (People’s Party, or PP), Oceana, the international marine conservation organisation, requests answers for the recent proposals by their Members of the European Parliament (MEP) to increase shark fin removal, and … Read more

New ICES report on dangerous decline in sharks

Responding to the new report from the International Council for the Exploration of the Seas (ICES) issued today, the Shark Alliance, a coalition of NGOs dedicated to science-based conservation of sharks said: “It’s there in black and white.  The serial depletion of sharks must stop and stop now”. The Report details the dangerous depletion of … Read more