News
September 8, 2009
Polish campaigners took to the streets
In July, when fish consumption soars on the Polish coast, Klub Gaja organized a series of consumer targeted, awareness raising street performances titled “The history of the Golden Fish”. Also dubbed as ‘happenings’ by Klub Gaja, the theatrical street performances in three coastal towns – Miedzyzdroje, Kolobrzeg and Hel – targeted fish consumers and aimed … Continued
September 3, 2009
Next Year’s Baltic Cod TACs: Like ICES, like Commission
Walking fully in step with this spring’s scientific advice, the EU Commission proposes a 15 percent raise in the 2010 TACs for the Eastern Baltic cod and a 9 percent raise for the smaller Western stock. That recommendation was the first time in years that International Council for the Sea (ICES) experts had suggested increases … Continued
September 3, 2009
“B” for Germany, “D” for Russia in Baltic Sea Conservation Class
Germany emerged as best in class, while Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Russia were named and shamed as classroom dunces as the WWF published this year’s “Baltic Sea Scorecard”. Still graded “B” – no A’s were handed out – Germany was primarily lauded for being a leader – “by far” – in practical planning of both … Continued
August 30, 2009
US foresees climate change, bans Arctic fishing
In an unprecedented move, US Secretary of Commerce Gary Locke has approved a plan to ban fishing in more than a half million square kilometres of American waters in the Arctic – not because of overfishing, bur anticipating changing climate. The plan, the first of its kind, has been worked out in previously scarcely seen … Continued
August 26, 2009
STECF advices reduced effort for Baltic cod
The EU Commission’s main scientific advisory body has generally agreed with earlier scientific advice on next year’s Baltic catch quotas, but adds that fishing effort should be reduced for the dominant eastern cod stock. In its review of advice published in May by the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES), the Scientific, … Continued
August 26, 2009
CFP debate still same old song, study shows
The debate still centres around the same ”crisis in EU fisheries” as it did ten years ago, an important European research organisation says in a “health check” on the current Common Fisheries Policy (CFP), which also includes prescriptions for a better and more sound future. “Of all the European policies that govern the exploitation of … Continued
August 20, 2009
HELCOM wins big prize
The Helsinki Commission (HELCOM) has been awarded the prestigious 2009 Swedish Baltic Sea Water Award. The award-giving body, The Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI), cited HELCOM for having taken “marine environmental protection to a new level”. HELCOM , the governing body of the 1974 and 1992 Helsinki Conventions, works to protect the marine environment of … Continued
August 19, 2009
West Coast fishermen rush to sink their boats
Forty-five vessels, equalling one third of the total Swedish capacity for fishing cod in the western waters, have applied for subsidies to scrap the boats. Three quarters of the money for the program, aimed at a 50-percent reduction in Sweden’s capacity to catch cod in the Kattegat, the Skagerrak and the North Sea by 2015, … Continued
August 18, 2009
No more cod for Drogba, Lampard, Deco
Chelsea Football Club is one of 6,500 customers to face removed Atlantic cod and swordfish from their lunchroom menus, as the world’s largest contract caterer decides to follow conservationists’ recommendations. The Compass Group, which caters to schools, workplaces and restaurants all over the UK and Ireland, along with the Bristol Zoo, had already banned bluefish … Continued
August 18, 2009
ITQs no success story, Canadian study claims
A study released by a Canadian NGO implies that the unregulated ITQ market in British Columbia favours “armchair” fishermen and investors, rather than actual, sea-faring entrepreneurs. The majority of fisheries in British Columbia on the Canadian Pacific Coast have been managed under a system of Individually Transferable Quotas (ITQs) since the early 1990s. The federal … Continued