Strasbourg – Today, in an important step for the protection of the ocean and the climate, Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) adopted amendments which call on the European Union to prohibit extractive industrial activities – which include fishing practices like bottom trawling [1] – in all marine protected areas. The plenary vote on the Own-Initiative Report of … Read more
Just after the UK’s announcement to protect two areas of English waters by banning damaging fishing activities such as bottom trawling, it will be the European Parliament’s turn to show how ambitious it truly is in protecting EU waters. During the first week of May in Strasbourg, members of the European Parliament (MEPs) will have … Read more
Following the EU AGRIFISH Council press conference today, NGOs expressed disappointment that Member State fisheries ministers again haggled all night to raise Baltic fishing limits for 2022 above the European Commission’s proposal and against the clear scientific advice aimed at saving Baltic fish populations. However, NGOs also acknowledge that some progress was made towards considering … Read more
NGO signatories of this document wish to present our recommendations on the setting of fishing opportunities for 2022. Our intent is to assist the European Commission, the Council of the EU and the Member States in making decisions on fishing opportunities that finally end overfishing, significantly contribute to restoring and/or maintaining all fish stocks above … Read more
The Fisheries Bill returns to the House of Lords on 22 June, and the UK government is still refusing to amend it to require sustainable fishing. The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) namely refuses to include a legal duty in the bill to exploit fish populations in line with the best internationally … Read more
Oceana urges the EU and UK to commit to retain sustainable science-based management, high environmental standards and control of fishing activities in the negotiations for a bilateral fisheries agreement starting tomorrow. Fisheries is foreseen as one of the most controversial topics in the complex future relationship. While most of the awareness is focused on access … Read more
On 16-17 December, the Agriculture and Fisheries Council of the EU (“Agrifish”) will decide on fishing limits in EU Atlantic waters and the North Sea for 2020. For the first time, measures will be approved for Western Mediterranean waters as well. Oceana urges ministers to meet this final extension of the legal deadline to stop … Read more
The European Commission unveiled the European Green Deal today, the flagship agenda driving Europe’s ecological transition to become the world’s first climate-neutral continent by 2050. Oceana welcomes that the ocean is part of the document, as marine habitats mitigate climate crisis by storing CO2, while ocean restoration and protection are fundamental for building resilience to … Read more
We call on decision-makers to support the Commission’s proposal to: · Introduce Remote Electronic Monitoring (REM) requirements to enable fully documented fisheries (Article 1(23) of the proposal); · Allow for a better implementation of the enforcement provisions of the Control Regulation (Article 1 (69), Annexes III and IV); · Mandate the use of tracking devices … Read more
The protection of juvenile fish is a prerequisite to secure productive fisheries. Yet the catch of small and immature individuals (both targeted and bycatch) is a persistent problem in Mediterranean fisheries that results in the majority of fisheries resources being captured before they realize their reproductive potential. According to the SoMFi 2018 report, a significant … 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.
