News
March 11, 2010
Sushi gone bad
In a sting operation under the auspices of the maker of Oscar-winning “The Cove”, a sushi chef in California has been charged with serving illegal whale meat. In October, two activists posing as customers went to The Hump, a restaurant in Santa Monica, and ordered “omakase,” which means they let the chef choose the choicest … Continued
March 9, 2010
More TAC to the good guys, new report suggests
Fishermen with more selective gear and a history of compliance with EU rules are among those highlighted in a new report on who should be given priority access to limited fishing resources in the future. The report, commissioned by the OCEAN2012 alliance and written by the Meridian Prime consulting firm founder Chris Grieve, was based … Continued
March 4, 2010
USA endorses tuna trade ban
The US Government has announced that it will support a trade ban on bluefin tuna at the CITES meeting in Doha, Qatar. In Doha on 13-25 March, 175 nations will meet to consider including the bluefin tuna and other threatened species in the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) Annex 1, which would … Continued
March 3, 2010
No eel at all
For the third straight year, a Swedish research vessel trawling the Skagerrak and the Kattegat has found no glass eel at all. The glass eel phase is the second stage of the severely threatened species’ evolution, after the larvae has come drifting to coastal waters on its long journey from the Sargasso Sea. This annual test trawling … Continued
March 2, 2010
Top UK Science Councellor carries many hats
According to The Times, the British Government’s top science advisor and his wife owns a consulting firm which manages fisheries that zoologists say is catching tens of thousands threatened fish in the Indian Ocean. Professor John Beddington and his wife are sole shareholders in, and last year made some 550,000 euros from, the Marine Resources … Continued
March 2, 2010
No peak for pike
Swedish anglers in the Baltic are facing sharp restrictions in their favourite catch from April 1, the Board of Fisheries has decided. A three-units-a-day limit for pike anglers with hand gear is taking effect then, and only those fish between 40-75 centimetres may be kept. These permanent restrictions apply to the whole Swedish Baltic coast, … Continued
March 2, 2010
US takes on alien fish
Following a White House summit meeting, the US Government has decided to hit the threat of an alien carp species “with all of the tools in the toolbox”. The plan however failed to impress both environmentalists and some Governors from concerned states. The Asian imports, the bighead and silver carps, were brought to America for … Continued
February 25, 2010
EP comes up short on CFP, environmentalists say
Regionalisation instead of ”top-down approach”, subsidarity and widened stakeholder involvement were key notions as the European Parliament has its saying on the upcoming CFP reform. The non-binding resolution, part of the consultation process leading up to a 2012 decision on a new Common Fisheries Policy, was adopted 456-50, with all Green MEPs abstaining. The resolution’s … Continued
February 25, 2010
EU-Iceland talks may start in dire straits
Fisheries may be one of the biggest stumbling blocks, as the EU Commission has now given green light for membership talks with Iceland. “We will be applying the same criteria as are applied to any other country. There is no short cut,” said enlargement commissioner Stefan Füle while announcing the commission’s recommendation to move ahead … Continued
February 24, 2010
PECH ponders pros and cons of farming fish
Aquaculture can be green, a Spanish industry representative claimed to somewhat sceptical MEPs at a hearing in the European Parliament’s Fisheries Committee (PECH). Otero Lourido, director of the Galician Turbot Producers Association, referred to one of his own establishments in Galicia, where one of the world’s largest aquaculture sites is located right next to the … Continued