News
September 29, 2010
Iceland strikes back: ”Completely justified”
Referring to legalities and taking no note of scientists’ fear for the stock, Iceland defends its unilaterally raising the mackerel TAC as “completely justified”. Johann Gudmundsson, a spokesman for the Icelandic Agriculture and Fisheries ministry, pointed out to the AFP news agency that his nation “has never been subject to a quota, and as a … Continued
September 28, 2010
“Good work”, say Ministers to COM on mackerel conflict
The September Council meeting of the EU fisheries ministers expressed strong support for Commissioner Maria Damanaki in her efforts to counter Iceland’s and the Faroe Islands’ unilaterally raised “damaging” catch quotas for mackerel. Lacking a current agreement between the EU and the coastal states of Norway, Iceland and the Faroe Islands, the two latter states … Continued
September 23, 2010
Mackerel will emerge at Council meeting, too
Originally not planning to deal with fisheries issues, the EU Agriculture and Fisheries ministers have added the conflict with the Faroe Islands and Iceland over mackerel catches to the agenda of their 27 September Council meeting. In August, after Iceland and the Faeroe Islands have increased their mackerel TACs in the wake of stocks moving … Continued
September 23, 2010
Ag-Fish Minister carried the Election
Sweden’s Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries Eskil Erlandsson emerged as a surprising hair-breadth second in voter popularity in the national elections on 19 September, narrowly beaten only by Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt. Sweden has had a system in the last four elections where voters may check a candidate of choice on the party ballots, giving … Continued
September 22, 2010
COM proposes new controversial deal with Morocco
Despite earlier claims from European Parliament legal experts that the present contract is in conflict with international law, the Commission has adopted a draft for a new agri-food and fisheries agreement with Morocco with no mention of the controversial issue of occupied Western Sahara. Western Sahara, originally a Spanish colony, has been occupied by Morocco … Continued
September 22, 2010
SciFi salmon may invade US homes
A genetically engineered salmon, termed “Frankenfish” by critics of the project, has passed the first step on the way to becoming the first GE animal approved for American dinner tables. The AquAdvantage salmon is developed in a way that transcends the fantasies of any SciFi writer: genetic material from Chinook (the largest Pacific salmon) and … Continued
September 15, 2010
“Good news” – and bad, as COM presents 2011 Baltic TAC proposal
Publishing its proposal for next year’s Baltic TACs, the EU Commission followed ICES go-ahead to raise quotas for both cod stocks, while it even went under ICES recommendations for both the Central and the Bothnian Sea/Bothnian Bay herring. The Commission proposal, however, suggested higher catch quotas than the International Council for the Exploration of the … Continued
September 15, 2010
Petition handed over to Commissioner Damanaki
On Monday 13 September, members of OCEAN2012 handed over a petition signed by 28,500 people to Commissioner Damanaki, asking her to “put environment first for people’s sake” in the upcoming CFP reform. Over 60 representatives of OCEAN2012 from 15 Member States met the Commissioner outside the Commission building in Brussels to hand over the signatures. … Continued
September 14, 2010
Anglers ring bell on Fenno-Norwegian river salmon
Worrying about the ”alarmingly weakened” salmon stock in the Tana River, a border between Finland and Norway, the European Anglers Alliance (EAA) calls for both shortened fishing season and a catch limit. In a resolution adopted at the EEA General Assembly meeting in Helsinki in late August, the organisation claims that the current regulations in … Continued
September 9, 2010
UK, Holland, Germany go TAC for TAC
Following a wide-ranging set of quota swaps with other nations, the British sole fishery in the North Sea has reopened after an almost two-month close-down. The buy and sell procedure, overseen by the Marine Management Organisation (MMO), a UK cross-department government agency, included: With Holland: UK acquired 60 tonnes of North Sea sole in exchange … Continued