Small-scale fishermen are the watchmen of the sea, the first to perceive any changes and the first to be affected by these changes. This is what the new Oceana video “Feluche: artisanal fishermen as watchmen for the Mediterranean swordfish” shows. In the video, the international marine conservation organization gathers witnesses from among traditional harpoon fishermen, … Read more
Feluche. Artisanal fishermen as watchmen for the Mediterranean swordfish from Oceana on Vimeo. After many years Mediterranean swordfish stock is still experiencing an overfishing situation while the management measures put in place so far reveal to be not yet adequate to achieve the Convention objectives of managing the stock at/above MSY. The Mediterranean swordfish stock … Read more
Oceana observers, together with a cameraman from Reportime (Corriere della Sera), have gathered evidence of fishing boats using illegal driftnets in southern Italy’s port of Bagnara Calabra, as published today on Corriere della Sera by Report journalist Sabrina Giannini. This destructive fishing gear has been banned in the EU since 2002, due to high by-catch … Read more
Morocco officially phased out driftnets in 2010 with funding from the EU and US Oceana today revealed that the illegal use of driftnets to capture swordfish has returned to Tangiers, Morocco. Evidence gathered by the international marine conservation organization over the past three days, shows small-scale vessels acting in coordination with larger ones with absolute … Read more
Despite the fact that driftnets have been banned in the Mediterranean for many years, a fleet of Moroccan fishing vessels continues to use this destructive fishing gear in the Alboran Sea and the Straits of Gibraltar, setting nets up to 12 kilometres long. Oceana, the marine conservation organisation, estimates that this fleet is made up … Read more
Management of Mediterranean swordfish has repeatedly been neglected to the detriment of the species. The ICCAT Standing Committee for Research and Statistics has assessed this stock as overexploited, with spawning biomass below sustainable levels and with 50-70% of catches comprised of juvenile fish. The complete absence of real management measures makes the Mediterranean swordfish fishery … Read more
Oceana presents an opening statement with a list of measures in order to restore the stocks of bluefin tuna, sharks and Mediterranean swordfish. The international marine conservation organization Oceana urges the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) to restore bluefin tuna and shark populations in the opening statement submitted today for its … Read more
Oceana estimates that over 500 vessels have operated illegally in the Mediterranean, some with nets up to 20 kilometres long. Oceana, the international marine conservation organisation, calls for a Mediterranean free of drift nets for 2011, and urges all Member States to take a zero tolerance position on this type of destructive fishing gear. For … Read more
The Italian Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry Policy published an ambiguous decree yesterday which eliminates the limits on distances from the coast for the use of driftnets known as ferrettaras. These nets, which in theory are used to catch small pelagic fish (sardines, anchovies, etc.), have been authorised with a mesh size of 18 cm … Read more
With a letter today addressed to Commissioners Dimas and Borg, Oceana, the international marine conservation organization, has called for an end to the illegal use of an Italian driftnet called ferrettara. The letter, which follows a recent formal complaint submitted by Oceana to the European Commission, provides evidence of the illegal catch of vulnerable … Read more
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