News
November 11, 2010
No EU line on bluefin yet
Time is quickly closing on the November ICCAT meeting in Paris that many see as a final stand in the struggle for the survival of the bluefin tuna, and it still remains for the EU to find a common position. The annual meeting of the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT), expected … Continued
November 11, 2010
Something fishy going on in Ostende
A street performance by the acclaimed Polish Klub Gaja theatre group, a standout member of the OCEAN2012 coalition, marked the start of a Belgian Presidency symposium in Ostende on present and future fisheries management methods. To mark the start of the symposium on 9-10 November, “Improved Fisheries and Science Partnerships as Policy Drivers”, Klub Gaja … Continued
November 3, 2010
Fish’n Chips goes MSC
With the Scottish North Sea haddock getting MSC certification, the British favourite dish of fish’n chips is facing a sustainable future, indeed. On another front, the mackerel conflict, vital to Scottish fisheries, hit another snag. Haddock and cod are the most common fish used for the dish, and with the increasing scarcity of the latter, … Continued
November 2, 2010
EU COM clamps down on eel exports
Just in time for the glass eel fishing season to begin on 1 November, the EU Commission issued a ”clarification” that in effect implied a ban on all eel export to countries outside the Union. Recruitment in the eel population in EU waters has dropped by more than 95 percent in just a few decades, … Continued
October 28, 2010
Pacific fisheries facing collapse, study shows
Fisheries is one of the Pacific Island region’s most vital economic resources, and a new study shows that overfishing, overcrowding and climate change is threatening it with collapse by 2035. The report, published by Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC), a regional intergovernmental organisation, said the €1.5 billion a year industry was poorly managed, with … Continued
October 28, 2010
Icelandic biggie going for MSC green-stamp
Apparently not waiting for its government’s announced plans to create its own eco-label, Iceland’s largest seafood company has entered all its cod and haddock fisheries into Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) assessment. According to the MSC, the Icelandic Group uses five different types of fishing gear to catch 160,000 tonnes of cod and 82,000 tonnes of … Continued
October 27, 2010
2011 TACs for the Baltic proposed – Sprat and tuna in crosshairs for tough discussions in Council
Falling short of reaching agreement on Commissioner Maria Damanaki’s mandate for the upcoming bluefin tuna negotiations, and setting a TAC for the huge sprat stock – the biggest stock of the Baltic – that made the Commissioner “unhappy and very disappointed”, the EU fisheries ministers picked the October Council meeting for showing some muscle in … Continued
October 27, 2010
Record sockeye salmon run brings optimism to Canada
After dire warnings that the future of the Fraser River sockeye salmon was under threat, 34 million returned to spawn this year, making this the biggest run for over a century, according to the BBC “Newsnight” TV program. The previous year saw a paltry 1 million sockeye make the journey upstream, a collapse from an … Continued
October 27, 2010
Baltic survey reveals residents’ worries for their sea
According to residents in nine Baltic countries, overfishing is one of the main problems and a significant majority saw it as necessary for professional fishermen to take action to improve the Baltic Sea environment. The BalticSurvey, conducted by international research network BalticSTERN, interviewed 9,000 people from the nine countries bordering the sea. In the survey, … Continued
October 21, 2010
October Council: expect heated discussions
Next year’s catch quotas in the Baltic Sea and tuna management, to be dealt with at the October Council meeting on 26 October, will be the first real test of the Member States’ commitment to prioritising long-term sustainability for fish stocks in this period of preparation for the reform of the Common Fisheries Policy. The … Continued