News

April 7, 2009

More Power to the RACs, Parliament says

Actual management of the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) should be progressively devolved to the Regional Advisory Councils (RACs), the European Parliament Fisheries Committee says in a new report. The report on governance within the CFP, adopted 15-0 by the committee, recognises that the Commission’s evaluation of the RACs last year was a positive one, but … Continued


April 7, 2009

Increased fish migration on the Internet

A Dutch ecologist/water consult, Herman Wanningen, has started an Internet group on the fish migration theme, with the intention “to bring people and knowledge together” The group consists of scientists, water- and river managers, consultants, engineers and ecologists, and more than 80 experts have joined the group so far, he says. The site will hopefully … Continued


April 2, 2009

Swedish DNA research pinpoints European eel

Determining whether even processed eel is from European or other, less threatened, stock will be possible after scientists at the Swedish Museum of Natural History have found the unique mitochondrial DNA of the Anguilla anguilla (European eel). The trade with European eel, listed and protected by the UN threatened species convention, is restricted, and a … Continued


April 2, 2009

Unique Polish Anglers protest

On 19 March, marking the national Polish Anglers Day, some 200 anglers joined forces in Nowy Targ to protest the plans to build electricity generating dams on the Dunajec River. The protest was not only attended by chapters of the biggest polish angling conglomerate, the Polish Angling Association, but also representatives from sister associations from … Continued


April 1, 2009

White Paper on climate change includes threats to fisheries

Impacts of climate change will be even swifter and more severe than indicated by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change in their 2007 report, the European Commission said in its White Paper on the subject published on April 1. Repercussions will affect many different areas of life, including marine life as a whole, and fisheries … Continued


April 1, 2009

High profits for all parties as Irish salmon fishermen hang up their nets

The Irish government has paid 20 fishermen more than €2.6m to hang up their nets in a bid to avoid the extinction of wild salmon in Irish rivers, the British news site Timesonline reported These commercial fishermen, who averaged pay-outs of €132,000 each, were the highest earners among 1,044 applicants sharing almost €25m over the … Continued


April 1, 2009

EU MPs set aim at recreational fisheries

The EU Parliament Fisheries Committee wishes to see a revision of the much-debated recreational fisheries article of the Commission’s proposed Control Regulation. In a consultative report, adopted on March 31, the EP committee included amendments rewriting the recreational fishing article to say that such fishing from a vessel in community marine waters, on a stock subject to a multiannual … Continued


April 1, 2009

Hobby fisheries mean a lot to society, too, new report shows

Recreational fishing adds great benefits to society as a whole, beside the individual rewards, a report by the Swedish Board of Fisheries says. The report, a compilation of five studies carried out between 2002-2007, shows that the hobby, in addition to the actual catches, contributes to strengthened environmental consciousness and increased knowledge about nature and … Continued


March 30, 2009

ITQs seen as way to deal with EU overcapacity

At a seminar in Brussel on Monday, it became clear that the Commission considers rights-based management in the form of Individual Tradable Quotas (ITQs) as a possible way to achieve fleet capacity reduction in the EU. On Monday 23 March, a number of NGOs met in Brusselsto discuss rights-based management (RBM) and possible options for … Continued


March 30, 2009

NGOs looking at ways to improve the regional aspect of the CFP

With increased regionalisation a possible element of the reformed Common Fisheries Policy in 2012, NGOs involved in the Regional Advisory Councils last week agreed that the US provides an interesting example of how EU regional structures can be developed further Last week, a number of NGOs active in the different Regional Advisory Councils (RACs) met … Continued