For the first time in its 60-year history, the FAO’s General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean took action for shark protection. The Commission adopted measures for the management and conservation of sharks and rays in the Mediterranean, the region of highest risk in the world for these fishes. Twenty-three Mediterranean countries endorsed a proposal from … Read more
While shark finning has technically been banned in the EU since 2003, a number of loopholes remain. Some countries grant special permits that allow fishing vessels to remove shark fins on board, on the basis that they keep both fins and meat and that landed fins do not exceed 5% of the live weight of … Read more
Oceana deplores the failure of the European Union to take a decision on the protection of threatened sharks and rays in the Mediterranean, at the biennial meeting of the Barcelona Convention, in Paris. The strict protection of ten species of sharks and rays, for which non-EU nations had already indicated their support, hinged on the … Read more
Oceana, the international marine conservation organisation, denounces the European Commission for blocking efforts to protect threatened and endangered sharks and rays in the Mediterranean Sea, under the Barcelona Convention. The protection of ten species of sharks and rays is one of the key issues for discussion at the biennial meeting of the Convention, which begins … Read more
Oceana, the international marine conservation organisation, commends the European Commission on its proposal, released today, to amend the EU ban on shark finning by requiring all sharks to be landed with their fins still attached. Although shark finning is technically banned in European waters and by EU vessels, there is a recognised need to strengthen … Read more
ISTANBUL – Oceana, the largest international advocacy group working solely to protect the world’s oceans, applauded the 22nd Regular Meeting of the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) today for establishing new protections for silky sharks, the shark species most vulnerable to overfishing by Atlantic longline fisheries. The new measure requires that … Read more
Three cheers for sharks! We’ve got some good news for shark lovers out there: First of all, today the European Commission presented their proposal for amending the EU shark finning ban to require that all sharks to be landed with their fins still attached. Shark finning is technically banned in European waters and by EU … Read more
Many shark species migrate great distances across our oceans, crossing various jurisdictional boundaries along the way. These sharks, like tunas and swordfish, call large swaths of the oceans home and their populations cannot be claimed or effectively managed by any one country. The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), the primary … Read more
Oceana, the largest international advocacy group working solely to protect the world’s oceans, is seeking protections for sharks and swordfish at the 22nd Regular Meeting of the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT), which begins today in Istanbul, Turkey. Without immediate action, Oceana believes that international demand and illegal fishing threaten the existence … Read more
Today, the European Union has officially extended measures to protect threatened porbeagle sharks (Lamna nasus) from fishing. Noting the depleted conservation status of the species, the EU has recognised that previous levels of protection for this species were insufficient, because they did not apply to all European waters. Under the amended Regulation, fishing for porbeagles … 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.
