EU Fisheries Ministers’ 2011 TAC decision dismisses scientific advice; hampers progress towards rebuilding of overexploited stocks

Total stated catch reduction of around 5% is highly insufficient to rectify current levels of overexploiting – according to scientists only 11 stocks are not overfished. Yesterday night the EU Council of Fisheries Ministers reached an agreement on the 2011 Total Allowable Catches (TAC) and quotas for the main fishing stocks exploited by the community … Read more

Oceana urges European fishing Ministers to guarantee the sustainable exploitation of fishery resources

The population status of many commercial species, including Atlantic cod and herring, is already alarming. Oceana, the international marine conservation organization, strongly urges the Council of Ministers not to water down the European Commission’s proposal on fishing opportunities for 2011 during negotiations on December 13th and 14th. Because the current proposal is already insufficient to … Read more

EU approves unsustainable catch limits for deep-sea species

Oceana expresses dismay at the commercial exploitation of 22 other species without any management measures and using destructive fishing gear. Oceana believes that the Total Allowable Catches (TACs) approved by the Council of Fisheries Ministers of the European Union are insufficient to ensure the sustainable exploitation of deep-water species. The regulation on fishing opportunities, reached … Read more

Oceana declares European Commission proposal to reduce catch insufficient

Oceana calls on the Council of Ministers to correct these deficiencies and guarantee the sustainable exploitation of fishery resources. Oceana applauds the Total Allowable Catch (TAC) reduction the European Commission presented yesterday in Brussels to regulate fishing of the EU’s most important species in 2011. However, the international marine conservation organisation believes that, in some … Read more

TACs: What Oceana Does

Political commitment to correctly apply this system is fundamental and, as such, one of Oceana’s main objectives is to pressure and influence the decisions made concerning TACs. Oceana believes it is necessary to maintain the TAC system and has expressed this in its recommendations for the new Common Fisheries Policy (CFP), as long as the … Read more

Deep sea species: The European Union must decide between science and the private interest of the fishing industry

The European Commission proposal with regard to the setting and distribution of quotas for deep-sea marine species (Com (2004) 746) represents a significant step forward in complying with the European Union’s commitments and the new Common Fisheries Policy. The proposal follows a number of scientific recommendations, many of which have been repeatedly ignored for years, … Read more

New Oceana report shows depletion of prey fish may be starving the oceans

Oceana released a new report today finding widespread malnutrition in commercial and recreational fish, marine mammals and seabirds because of the global depletion of the small fish they need to survive.  These “prey fish” underpin marine food webs and are being steadily exhausted by heavy fishing, increasing demand for aquaculture feed, and climate change.   … Read more

Overfishing, pollution and habitat destruction are threatening European Seas

Oceana denounces the severe deterioration of Europe’s oceans and seas and calls for immediate measures to halt the collapse of fish resources, the destruction of marine habitats and the pollution affecting its waters. On World Environment Day (5 June) and World Oceans Day (8 June), Oceana points out that European seas are among the most … Read more