News
July 21, 2009
Trade union says more could be taken from recovering cod stock
A Canadian fisheries workers trade union is protesting that their government is not answering to hopeful signs of recovery for the earlier collapsed cod stock off Labrador and Newfoundland. The cod stocks off Eastern Canada and Northeastern USA, formerly some of the world’s biggest, collapsed in the early 1990’s and showed few signs of recovery … Continued
July 21, 2009
Returning Spanish Chair
Carmen Fraga Estévez of Spain returned as chairperson of the Fisheries Committee in the European Parliament for the next two-and-a-half years. Ms. Fraga Estévez, a MP for the Partido Popular since 1994, held the chair between 1997-99, and was Secretary-General for Maritime Fisheries 2002-2004. The elected vice chairs were Struan Stevenson of the United Kingdom, … Continued
July 16, 2009
Still too little done about EU overcapacity, study shows
EU member states are not fulfilling their obligations to report on the reduction of fleet overcapacity in fisheries, and the Commission is not doing enough to enforce those obligations, a recent study shows. The evaluation by the independent Institute for European Environmental Policy (IEEP), for the Pew Environment group, is based on the 2007 member … Continued
July 14, 2009
Better control will not mean expensive imported fish
A study commissioned by the EU Commission shows that the financial impact on exports from developing nations to the Union from stricter IUU control will be very light indeed – a 0.26 percent price increase. The study, conducted by consultants Megapesca Lda from Portugal and Oceanic Développement from France, analyses in depth the impacts in … Continued
July 4, 2009
WWF, Fishermen and Minister in joint appeal for change
In an unusual move, the Swedish WWF Secretary-General, the president of the Swedish Fishermen’s Federation and the country’s Minister of Fisheries have published a joint letter calling for “regionalisation” of EU decision-making. Referring to Sweden’s four-day old role as EU President, Lasse Gustavson of the WWF, Henrik Svenberg of the SFR, and Agriculture and Fisheries … Continued
July 4, 2009
Bottom trawling condemned in new report
A new report from the Swedish Society for Nature Conservation (SNF) compares bottom trawling to “cutting down the forest in order to hunt for deer”. The report, a compilation of earlier scientific studies, described the negative environmental effects of the practice, both for marine eco-systems and for the environment as a whole: trawling is one … Continued
July 4, 2009
End of the line for politicians and bureaucrats
Although not yet premiered in movie houses, Greenpeace arranged a private pre-screening at this years’ Almedalen Week for an audience of political and government decision-makers. Almedalen is on the island of Gotland, suitably right in the middle of the recently threatened but now hopefully recovering East Baltic cod stock. “The End of the Line – … Continued
July 3, 2009
UK stakeholders meet to discuss CFP reform
During a conference in the UK on 30 June, a lot of support emerged for a substantial change in the way decisions are made under the Common Fisheries Policy. About 60 people met during a conference in London to discuss the reform of the Common Fisheries Policy. A range of speakers had been asked to … Continued
July 2, 2009
Cod on stage puts Man on trial
The Baltic cod and eel has had enough, they’re mad as hell, and they’re not going to take it anymore in a “science theatre” piece premiered among thousands of politicians, lobbyists and media pundits at the 2009 Almedalen week on the island of Gotland. Taken hostage through deep sea trawling, the audience is brought down … Continued
July 1, 2009
Cash flows the Spanish way
After two years’ hard work, two NGOs have been able to obtain figures that show that almost half of all EU subsidies to fisheries have gone to one nation – Spain – and that tens of millions of Euros by en large have been spent subsidising vessels and practices worsening illegal fishing, increasing EU fleet … Continued