News

September 24, 2015

Parliamentary hearing on multispecies management plans

Yesterday the Fisheries Committee in Parliament heard diverse views on the implementation of multispecies management plans. Focus was largely on the proposed Baltic multiannual plan for cod, sprat and herring and ongoing issues regarding the landing obligation and technical measures along with discussion on preparations and lessons learned for the North Sea multiannual plan and other plans in development. .


September 4, 2015

Newsletter editorial September 2015

Baltic TAC proposal released and trilogue on the Baltic multiannual plan resumes in September


September 4, 2015

BSAC and BALTFISH meetings: Technical measures, Baltic quotas & more

The Baltic Sea Advisory Committee (BSAC) working group and BALTFISH held back-to-back meetings in Warsaw earlier this week. Technical measures were the main agenda point for the BSAC working group. While the stalled Baltic Multiannual Plan, and an update on the newly implemented discard ban were on the agenda during the BALTFISH Forum.


September 2, 2015

Commission releases proposal for Baltic TACs

The Commission proposal for Baltic TACs in 2016 is balanced and largely in line with both ICES scientific advice and the reformed Common Fisheries Policy. However, we are concerned about the Commission’s proposal for both Baltic cod stocks.


August 13, 2015

Could fast growing species be more vulnerable to population collapse?

New publications out: i) Waiting for a flourishing Baltic cod (Gadus morhua) fishery that never comes: old truths and new perspectives and ii) Are fast growing species more vulnerable to population collapse?


July 8, 2015

Have we lost our window of opportunity to save the oceans?

A scientific paper published in Science last week warns that our “window of opportunity to save the oceans from major changes is in danger of slamming shut, bringing with it the risk that we will encounter planetary-scale tipping points in the behavior of the climate.”


July 1, 2015

Fisheries priorities under Luxembourg Presidency

Few political decisions beside the usual TAC and quota haggling are foreseen in the work programme of the Luxemburg EU Presidency for the second half of 2015.


June 30, 2015

Research news: Baltic Sea focus

New research shows that, despite an agreement two decades ago, the ecosystem approach has not yet been applied in practice in the Baltic Sea. Environmental problems are still essentially handled in isolation, despite how these affect each other and the risk that climate change could make it more difficult to reverse negative trends has not been considered.


June 26, 2015

State of Europe’s seas neither healthy nor clean

Our seas are neither healthy not clean, but can be considered productive according to the first State of Europe’s Sea report published earlier this week. This productive may however be compromised in the future if the decoration of Europe’s marine ecosystem continues. The report shows that our current way of managing our marine resources is far from sustainable.


June 25, 2015

Council blocks Baltic multiannual plan, Baltic trilogue suspended

Yesterday afternoon, after meeting an impasse concerning the proposed Baltic multiannual plan, the delegation from Parliament, led by Rapporteur Mr. Jarosław Wałęsa walked out of trilogue negotiations with Council and the Commission. Council has thus far failed to meet the objectives of the reformed Common Fisheries Policy, in particular those which prevent overfishing.