Sustainable Fishing Archives

Joint NGO feedback to the European Commission on the Common Fisheries Policy’s state of play and orientations for 2023

The current Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) Basic Regulation entered into force on 1 January 2014. It contains ambitious objectives and concrete timelines to put the European Union at the forefront of global fisheries management and make European fisheries economically, socially, and environmentally sustainable. However, although some progress has been made, in particular in Northeast Atlantic … Read more

Joint NGO recommendations on Baltic Sea fishing opportunities for 2023

In October 2022, EU fisheries ministers will agree on fishing opportunities in the Baltic Sea for 2023. As the deadline to end overfishing by 2020 at the latest as legally prescribed by Article 2(2) of the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP)1 has passed, all fishing limits must be in line with sustainable exploitation rates. Last year, … Read more

BRIEFING: Fisheries and the Climate Crisis

The greatest threat to the planet is also impacting the ocean The climate crisis is affecting the ocean in many ways, including warming waters and ocean acidification, and its impacts are expected to intensify in the coming years and decades. These changes to the marine environment weaken the ability of the ocean to perform critical … Read more

No improvement for collapsed stocks – time for a reboot in the Baltic Sea

Responding to yesterday’s publication of annual scientific advice for 2023 fishing limits in the Baltic Sea by the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES), a group of non-governmental organisations said that the Baltic Sea remains in a dire condition, despite tightening of fishing limits in recent years, and that governments in the … Read more

Oceana highlights more work needed to end overfishing in European waters and to take into account ecosystem considerations

Good progress in Atlantic, but slower in Mediterranean Oceana recommends measures for most depleted stocks and forage fish Brussels – Reacting to today’s European Commission (EC) communication on the sustainability of EU fisheries and implementation of the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP), Oceana welcomes the progress the EC and Member States have made to decrease the … Read more

European Parliament calls for action on bottom fishing and true protection for EU’s marine protected areas

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

Paper Parks in Spain – Bottom trawling inside marine protected areas

Summary Spain has an extensive network of marine protected areas covering more than 13% of its marine surface area. These areas have been designated to protect very rich and varied biodiversity, but their management is inadequate. In most of these areas, which form part of the Natura 2000 network, the status of the habitats and … Read more

AGRIFISH: Some Baltic fish still in crisis as the EU starts to consider ecosystem impacts

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

Recommendations to the EU on the setting of fishing opportunities for 2022

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

Oceana urges UK and EU to end overfishing of critically low fish stocks in new agreement

Oceana is calling for an end to the overfishing of severely overexploited fish stocks in European waters as negotiations between the EU and UK start today under the Specialised Fisheries Committee. This new committee provides a forum for discussion and agreement on fisheries management, to prepare the annual consultations through which fishing opportunities for 2022 … Read more