As part of a “survival strategy”, Denmark’s fisheries will move toward Marine Stewardship Council(MSC) eco-label assessments, the Danish Fishermen’s Association told the Fishing News International newsletter, adding that the industrial sandeel fishery will be the next in line for pre-assessment. The association’s Jesper Larsen told the newsletter that the industry was “going down this route … Continued
”I can bear witness to what may happen – because I saw it happen”, Canada’s former Minister of Fisheries Brian Tobin said recently at a Stockholm seminar on the future of the threatened Baltic Cod stocks. Tobin, who served on that post in 1993-96, took over in the aftermath of the total collapse of the … Continued
The Swedish and Danish Societies for Nature Conservation have written a joint letter to their respective ministers for fisheries, demanding zones with total fishing bans in the Kattegat part of the North Sea. The cod stocks there are seen as severely threatened, maybe more so than anywhere else in the world, and several local stocks … Continued
A recent World Bank report concludes that marine capture fisheries are an underperforming global asset and that better management could raise net benefits with up to $50 billion per year. The cumulative economic loss to the global economy over the last three decades is estimated to be in the order of two trillion dollars, according … Continued
A new Greenpeace blacklist database of ”irresponsible fishing operators” has encouraged the organization’s Stockholm office to offer an award of up to EUR 1,000 for anyone whose tip-off leads to a guilty verdict or the scrapping of the ship. “Hopefully people working in ports or out at sea will check out suspicious ships in our … Continued
At an informal EU Fisheries Council Meeting in Brussels on September 29, Commissioner Joe Borg and member state ministers agreed to “kick-start” immediate preparations for the proposed reform of the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP), due for completion in 2012, the Commission announced. The meeting preceded the formal assembly for the agriculture and fisheries ministers concluded … Continued
Lessons to be learned and inspiration to be gained for states around the Baltic from successful management work at the Australian Great Barrier Reef – that was the object of a WWF-sponsored workshop/seminar in Stockholm on September 22. Present were three key figures in the establishment of the 2004 new zoning plan – Australia’s then … Continued
The international growth of aquaculture activities, and its effect on sustainability, was discussed at the International Aquaculture Conference 10-11 September in Brussels. The key objective of the conference was to examine ways that aquaculture can be compatible with other policies such as development and trade, while keeping to the objectives of sustainability. The conference was … Continued
Sixteen fishermen are on trial for illegally landing 109 tonnes of cod in 2005, to a total value of almost €186,110, and passing it off as pollack in order to circumvent EU quotas limiting cod fishing. So far, only three fishermen have admitted unlawful activity in one of Sweden’s largest ever fish poaching cases. The … Continued
Yesterday the European Commission tabled its proposal on 2009 fishing opportunities in the Baltic Sea. The proposal states that most stocks in the Baltic Sea should be subject to reduced catches in 2009. This is especially true for the Western cod stock, which requires serious attention to prevent further decline. The Commission’s proposal reflects the … Continued