News
January 21, 2021
UK signs agreement with ICES
Before Christmas the UK government signed a MoU with ICES that will ensure continued scientific collaboration also after the departure from the EU. ICES will continue to provide scientific advice to the government on fishing opportunities, including information on the state of marine ecosystems and the impact of human activities. The International Council of the … Continued
December 21, 2020
Roll-over of three month fishing closures for eel
At the Fisheries Council last week, many big issues competed for attention and not much was heard about the Critically Endangered European eel. The Council did, however, agree on a roll-over of the current provisions for a three-month closure of all eel fisheries. Since December 2017, there has been a provision within the annual TAC … Continued
December 21, 2020
Fisheries ministers continue overfishing in breach of EU law
EU Common Fisheries Policy obligates member states to achieve maximum sustainable yield “by 2020 at the latest”. Still, December 17, EU fisheries ministers decided to set around one third of the Atlantic fishing quotas for 2021 managed exclusively by the EU above the sustainable limits advised by scientists. And the Mediterranean will remain the most … Continued
December 16, 2020
EU commission Brexit contingency plan on fisheries approved by Council
All EU fishing vessels have equal access to Union waters as long as they follow the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP). From 1 January 2021 the CFP will no longer apply to the United Kingdom and UK waters, territorial sea and adjacent exclusive economic zone, will no longer be part of the Union waters. The European … Continued
December 16, 2020
WTO fails to agree an end to harmful fisheries subsidies
World Trade Organization (WTO) members failed to meet the United Nations’ 2020 deadline for reaching an agreement to end harmful fisheries subsidies, when they met in Geneva 14 December. Still countries made significant progress during the negotiations – paving the way for a deal in 2021. After more than two decades of negotiations, the WTO … Continued
December 11, 2020
Deep sea biodiversity under threat from mining lobby
A handful of mining corporations exert a heavy influence over the international negotiations determining the future of the seabed, lobbying governments to urgently finalise rules that would allow for full-scale mining of the deep ocean to begin, according to a new report from Greenpeace. Scientists warn that deep seabed mining will cause biodiversity loss. Both … Continued
November 28, 2020
Respecting ecological limits increases monetary output and biodiversity
On 21-22 November Östersjöfiske 2020, a two-day conference on industrial fisheries in the Baltic Sea, took place in Simrishamn county in the south of Sweden. This was the 6th annual Östersjöfiske gathering. Although starting from a national outlook the conference explored several angles of fisheries of importance for the whole Baltic sea area. A recurring … Continued
November 13, 2020
EU seas long way from Good Environmental Status
On Wednesday, the Commission discussed its report on the implementation of the Marine Strategy Framework Directive with its expert group on Strategic Coordination. The report showed that while the EU’s framework for marine environmental protection is one of the most ambitious in the world, persistent challenges remain, such as excess nutrients, underwater noise, plastic litter … Continued
November 12, 2020
Proposal for Mediterranean eel measures revised
In its proposal for fishing opportunities for 2021 in the Mediterranean and Black seas, the Commission had included preliminary catch limits for European eel, as well as provision for the three-month fishing closure. This proposal has now been revised.
October 30, 2020
ICES advice: all eel mortality should be kept close to zero
ICES has published its advice on European eel for 2021. It is essentially the same as it has been since 2003: keep all anthropogenic impacts as close to zero as possible. Despite this advice, most EU countries still allow eel fishing to take place. ICES advice for European eel (Anguilla anguilla) is based on the … Continued