News

May 27, 2016

Transparency International propose improvements to secretive quota setting

In response to the lack of publically available information and scientific advice to support Council decisions relating to EU fishing quotas, Transparency International (TI) has made a series of proposals to help end overfishing.


May 27, 2016

Ray Hilborn wins the International Fisheries Science prize at World Fisheries Congress

At the 7th World Fisheries Congress, hosted in Busan, South Korea, Ray Hilborn, a professor at the University of Washington focused on fisheries management was awarded the International Fisheries Science prize.


May 17, 2016

2017 Baltic quota process moves forward

The Fisheries Secretariat attended the ICES Baltic Sea Advice Drafting Group last week, at their headquarters in Copenhagen. This is a key step in the process by which scientific recommendations are made for fishing opportunities next year. This advice will be published and the Commission will subsequently produce their own proposals to Council who then decide the quotas in October.


April 21, 2016

Introducing typhoon wire and fly-shooting: Technology creep and the Danish seine

On a recent spring morning along the Danish coast in Thorup Strand, Thomas Højrup, chairman of the Thorup Strand Fishermen’s Guild, gathered his guests on the beach to describe an unsettling fishing practice called Fly-Shooting.


April 21, 2016

Slow Fish, Northern Seas

A roar of the tractor’s engine, puff of smoke, and tightening of the cable, and the wooden boat slides cleanly from the sea to the shore at Thorup Strand on a spectacular Saturday afternoon. The daily catch of Baltic plaice, maybe two dozen fish pans today, will go to markets in northern Denmark.


April 20, 2016

BALTFISH Forum review

At the last BALTFISH Forum of the Polish Presidency, held on 18 April, measures to improve the situation of the cod stocks were discussed. In addition, the implementation of the landing obligation, technical measures in the Baltic, European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF) implementation and transparency of BALTFISH activities were on the agenda.


April 19, 2016

Emotions run high at the BALTFISH Forum

Heated debate filled the morning session of the BALTFISH Forum yesterday, April 18. Bristling sharply in sports jackets and ties, Polish fishermen filled a corner of the meeting room at the Ministry of Agriculture in Warsaw, Poland.


April 14, 2016

Council talks technical measures, but are Member States ready?

Member States offered their first reactions on the Technical Measures Framework (TMF) at the Council meeting on 11 April, a month after the Commission had published their long-awaited proposal.


April 12, 2016

Key Member States fear EU directive will give Regional Sea Conventions some teeth

The Marine Strategy Coordination Group (MSCG) met in Brussels on April 7th to further the implementation of the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD).


April 1, 2016

EU institutions are failing fisheries management

In a recent paper by Ramirez-Monsalve et al, the conflicting governance and management structures within the EU are identified as key impediments to the implementation of the ecosystem-based approach to fisheries management (EAFM).