Welcome
The Fisheries Secretariat is a non-profit organisation dedicated to work towards more sustainable fisheries at an international level, with a focus on the European Union.
What's On
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May28Trilogue meetingBrussels, Belgium
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May2915th Baltic Development Forum SummitRiga, Latvia
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May29Fisheries Committee (PECH) meeting
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May31ICES advice on Baltic fish stocks for 2014 published
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Jun10EU Parliament Plenary Session
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Jun17Fisheries Committee (PECH) meeting
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Jun24Agriculture and Fisheries Council meeting
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Jul01Lithuanian Presidency begins
Latest News
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2013-05-22 Boulders sunk in Polish waters to combat illegal and unregulated fishing
Today, Greenpeace organised the deposit of five large stone boulders on the sea floor close to Kolobrzeg in order to disrupt illegal trawling activities. In 2009 they performed a similar action in the Kattegat between Sweden and Denmark. Read more » -
2013-05-17 Analysis from the May Council on the CFP reform
The message from Council is clear: this is their final offer under the Irish Presidency. However, on the key issues Member States have made such minor compromises that rapporteur Ulrike Rodust (S&D, DE), who said “Ministers have made certain concessions but I would have liked to see a more courageous decision”, finds herself in a dilemma ahead of the final trilogue meeting on 28 and 29 May. Read more » -
2013-05-14 Council prepares for a long evening – will Ministers get lost at sea or chart the course for fish stock recovery?
This evening, the Council is expected to conclude their discussions on the basic Regulation of the CFP reform and provide the Irish Presidency with a revised negotiating mandate for the upcoming trilogue meetings. Unless Member States compromise amongst themselves to move away from the General Approach, negotiations with the European Parliament will break down causing further delays to the already much drawn out CFP reform. Read more » -
2013-05-13 Council in make-or-break talks to conclude the CFP reform
On 13 and 14 May, the crucial Council meeting to decide on their final negotiating position on the basic Regulation takes place. In order to bridge the divide between the European institutions, rapporteur from the Parliament, Ulrike Rodust (S&D, DE), wrote to Ministers last week informing them she was willing to make sacrifices “in order to achieve a compromise”. Read more » -
2013-05-07 All aboard for sustainable fishing
Invite your Minister to get on board the good ship sustainable fishing. This website encourages EU citizens to call on their representatives to pass laws which let fish stocks recover, supports sustainable fishing and ends harmful subsidies. Read more » -
2013-04-26 CFP reform timeline gets squeezed as trilogue makes slow progress
As the much-delayed reform of the EU Common Fisheries Policy draws toward its conclusion, a last-minute deal between the European Parliament and Council may have to be brokered due to the lack of progress thus far on key issues. Read more » -
2013-04-17 First EU discard ban approved by European Parliament
The proposed discard ban in the Skagerrak, a body of water between the North and Baltic seas, will lead to vessels being obliged to land all fish caught and count these against quotas. These measures will apply to 35 species , will be controlled by a mandatory automated CCTV system, and will apply to vessels of any national flag operating in these waters. The ban will the phased in from 2014-2016. Read more » -
2013-04-09 Join the Race for the Baltic!
FISH, Coalition Clean Baltic, Oceana and other stakeholders in the region have come together in a call for action to improve practices and protection in the Baltic Sea. The targets are there; now we have to meet them! Read more »
Policy Briefings
Since October 2009, a comprehensive background briefing has been sent out prior to most EU Agriculture and Fisheries Council meetings with fisheries issues on the agenda.
Reaching more than 400 recipients, the briefings are primarily aimed at the Fisheries ministers and their advisors, but also reach out to fisheries attachés, European Parliamentarians, a wide range of government officials, as well as other NGO representatives, the media and various stakeholders.
In addition to an introductory cover letter, every briefing contains one or several annexes with detailed background information and our preferred standpoints on the pertinent issues.