News

May 29, 2019

ICES advice for Baltic Sea quotas in 2020 – zero catch of eastern cod and western herring

The International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) have today announced their recommendation for the EU to stop all fishing on Eastern Baltic cod and Western spring spawning herring.


May 21, 2019

New members of European parliament urged to take lead on saving our oceans

The environmental organisations BirdLife, ClientEarth, The Fisheries Secretariat, Oceana, Seas At Risk, and WWF is calling on the newly elected members of the European parliament to take “committed and ambitious leadership to save our ocean”.


May 14, 2019

Ombudsman investigates EU Council’s lack of transparency around fishing quotas

European Ombudsman Emily O'Reilly today presented a new inquiry into the lack of transparency about the basis for national ministers’ annual decisions on fishing quotas. “The famous all night meetings of ministers in Brussels are completely behind closed doors and yet make important decisions for the sustainability of fishing stocks and of jobs in fishing communities around Europe,” said Ms O’Reilly, in a press release.


April 26, 2019

Danish Fishers open lobby office in Brussels

The Danish Fishermen Producer Organisation (DFPO) has “strengthened its presence on the international scene and runs now an office in the heart of Brussels”.


April 17, 2019

Code of conduct to address conflicts of interest in ICES

Science and scientists are given an increasing role in the development and implementation of European fisheries and environmental policy. As such, the International Council on the Exploration of the Seas (ICES) has an agreement with the European Commission to provide scientific advice.


April 16, 2019

TV Documentary: The cod – hope of the Baltic Sea

A new Swedish TV-documentary airing on Tuesday 16 April paints a depressing picture of the Eastern Baltic Cod stock. However, ‘The cod – hope of the Sea’, Torsken – havets hopp, also provides a glimmer of hope for the iconic species and the Baltic Sea ecosystem.


April 12, 2019

EU report: Europe risks missing legal deadline to end overfishing

“Many stocks remain overfished and/or outside safe biological limits, and … progress achieved until 2017 seems too slow to ensure that all stocks will be rebuilt and managed according to FMSY by 2020.”, which is the legal deadline set by the EU Common Fisheries Policy, CFP.


April 11, 2019

Eastern Baltic cod: Fisheries Ministers urged to implement emergency measures

Baltic NGOs have today written to all Baltic EU Members states urging them to introduce emergency measures to protect the eastern Baltic cod stock in accordance with Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) rules.


April 10, 2019

Adapt or die: Research indicates that management must change or Western Baltic cod fishery will collapse due to climate change

In the recent paper “Ecological-economic sustainability of the Baltic cod fisheries under ocean warming and acidification”, lead author Rudi Voss highlights the need to implement adaptive management and reduce fishing pressure in order to mitigate the impact of climate change and allow for a commercial fishery in the decades to come.


March 29, 2019

Norway announces spawning closure for Skagerrak cod

In order to help the coastal fishery in southern Norway, Norwegian Fisheries Minister, Harald T.Nesvik, has announced a package of measures. All fishing for cod will be prohibited close to shore and from 1 January until 30 April in 14 areas where the cod spawn. Measures also include that any bycatch of cod must be released and an increased seal quota.