News
December 2, 2010
US Agency strengthens groundfish defence
Setting an example for managers of most EU waters, the US government has closed a loophole for herring fishermen challenging the protection of groundfish spawning. A bottom-line rule in the Magnuson-Stevens Fisheries Conservation and Management Act of 1976, the cornerstone in US fisheries management, is that all commercial fishing operations are to be monitored to … Continued
December 2, 2010
Tough deal for Danish poacher
The first in a line of Danish trawl fishermen reported for fishing in a protected, closed-for-fishing area of the Kattegat has been slapped with heavy fines and had his license revoked for a month. From 1 January 2009 Sweden and Denmark jointly closed a part of the Kattegat for all fisheries, and enforced restrictions in … Continued
November 30, 2010
Good news for sharks, but others still deep in the dark
Setting up a light at the end of the tunnel for threatened sharks, but doing little to reduce catches of other deep-sea species, EU fisheries ministers concluded a long day of quota haggling at the November Council meeting. The Council decision on the sharks implies a by-catch ban by 2012, heralded by Commissioner Maria Damanaki … Continued
November 27, 2010
“Almost laughable” ICCAT bid on bluefin tuna
The final ICCAT decision on next year’s bluefin tuna quotas went along levels suggested by the EU Council – forced on Commissioner Maria Damanaki – drawing protests from outraged environmentalist describing it as “a massive failure” and a product of “greed and mismanagement”. The International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) held its … Continued
November 24, 2010
November Council to decide dire future of black scabbards, red seabream, roundnose grenadier, many sharks
The 2011-2012 catch quotas for a long line of vulnerable deep-sea species will be in focus for the Fisheries ministers’ next Council meeting in Brussels on 29 November. In their customary letter to the ministers concerned prior to the meeting, FISH and Brussels-based Seas At Risk pointed to the biological characteristics that make these species … Continued
November 24, 2010
Low impact fisheries at FISH seminar
A wide range of issues from new technologies in passive fishing gears to solutions of unwanted bird/seal bycatch were presented at a FISH seminar on “Low Impact Fisheries” in Berlin on November 18. After an extensive review of examples of low impact fisheries in the Baltic Sea region, the day was concluded with discussions on … Continued
November 23, 2010
Baltfish steering out of the fog
A clear however mostly informal meeting structure is now evolving for Baltfish, a cooperation project between the eight EU member states around the Baltic Sea, spearheading the current regionalisation trend. The platform, built around the national Fisheries directors, is budding from the EU Baltic Sea Strategy, launched as a pet project by Sweden for its … Continued
November 18, 2010
EU reaches “pitiful” compromise on tuna position
The tug-of-war between Fisheries Commissioner Maria Damanaki, with last-stand support from three member states, and some dominating fishing powers in the Council, including France and Spain, over the EU position on the threatened bluefin tuna ended in a forced compromise that outraged environmentalists described as to “board a plane with only a 60-77 percent chance … Continued
November 17, 2010
Damanaki opens door to shark-finning ban
Environmental groups are welcoming a joint effort by the European Parliament and Fisheries Commissioner Maria Damanaki to close loopholes in an EU shark-finning ban that they see as among the weakest in the world. The cruel practice of slicing off a shark’s fins and discarding the carcass at sea – the fish sometimes staying alive … Continued
November 11, 2010
COM message on 2011 TACs: Strict loyalty to scientific advice
Stressing that ”we cannot negotiate with nature”, Commissioner Maria Damanaki has presented a proposal based strictly on scientific advice for 2011 catch quotas in the Atlantic, the North Sea, and international waters. In their scientific advice for 2011, based ICES assessments, experts of the Scientific, Technical and Economic Committee for Fisheries (STECF), once more underlined … Continued