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Press Releases
June 17, 2026
The organisation urges governments to collect and make public beneficial ownership information for all fishing vessels Shell companies, opaque financial tools and flags of convenience are some of the strategies used to conceal the identity of fishing vessel…
June 10, 2026
Oceana welcomes proposal to ban seafood imports caught by Russian vessels
Yesterday, the European Commission proposed its 21st sanctions package against Russia, which will finally address one of the last major unsanctioned sectors: fisheries. The European Commission proposes a complete ban on cod and substantial restrictions on imports of certain fish products from Russia. Oceana has been calling…
May 11, 2026
Oceana calls on Cypriot government to disclose hidden ownership of high‑risk fishing vessels
The organisation found links between Cypriot-owned vessels and jurisdictions associated with lax regulations Holding the EU Council Presidency, Cyprus has an opportunity to turn political commitments into practical measures and strengthen the…
March 17, 2026
ClientEarth and Oceana have appealed before Spain’s Supreme Court after authorities declined to investigate Spanish vessels suspected of illegal fishing in West African waters. The case, now being appealed from…
February 10, 2026
NGOs urge the European Commission to end the use of ‘flags of convenience’ in fisheries
New European Commission study reveals how secret vessel ownership undermines the fight against illegal fishing Each fishing vessel must be registered in a country, and ‘flies its flag’. A new study by the…
January 20, 2026
The organisation urges the EU to track European owners of fishing vessels flagged to high-risk countries Spanish, Portuguese, and Lithuanian operators account for the highest numbers of EU owners operating under high-risk flags Oceana warns in its new analysis that at least…
December 8, 2025
The organisation’s newly released DNA study reveals a 77% fish mislabelling rate in Brussels restaurants, including EU institutions canteens A decade after Oceana first exposed widespread seafood mislabelling in Brussels restaurants, a new investigation shows that the problem persists. Using…
December 4, 2025
Oceana reports 50 Spanish fishing vessels for disabling their geolocation systems
The organisation calls on Spain to strengthen monitoring and penalize this practice, which undermines transparency in the fishing sector Operating a fishing vessel without an Automatic Identification System (AIS) is…
November 27, 2025
DNA testing in Brussels and Milan reveals that most squid comes from distant waters, raising concerns over potential links to illegal fishing and human rights abuses Oceana demands the strengthening…
November 3, 2025
Ahead of its meeting this week, the Med Sea Alliance, alongside its members Oceana, and The Nature Conservancy calls on the General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean (GFCM) to: Require…
