Category: Article

Time to stop fishing and start restoring habitats – zero catches and zero anthropogenic mortality advised for European eel

The International Council for the Exploration of the Sea, ICES, published its scientific advice for European eel for 2023 earlier today. It reinforces last year’s advice, of zero catches in all habitats and for all life stages, by also highlighting conservation aspects and advising zero mortality for all non-fisheries related human impacts. The European eel … Continued

Commission tables new measures for eel recovery

Commissioner Sinkevičius has been clear that status quo is not an option for the critically endangered European eel. The new proposals reinforces existing measures rather than going for a full closure in line with scientific advice. To have any significant effect, Member States must reciprocate for eel fisheries in inland waters, as well as step … Continued

Registration now open for Swedish webinar on Baltic cod

On the 9th of December at 13.00-15.45 CET The Fisheries Secretariat will be arranging the webinar “Östersjötorsken – status och framtid” (held in Swedish) in collaboration with Länsstyrelsen Skåne and Marint centrum Simrishamn.  The aim of the webinar is to disseminate current scientific knowledge about the status of cod in the Baltic Sea and of … Continued

Photobook handover during October council in Luxembourg

  On the 17th of October, experts from the organisations in the Return of the Cod campaign travelled to Luxembourg where fisheries ministers from Baltic countries and the European Commission met to decide fishing limits in the Baltic Sea for 2023. Our experts were there to remind policy makers that this year is a vital year for … Continued

Public art action to end overfishing in the Baltic

Next week, on the 17-18 of October, the EU Fisheries Council meeting will take place in Luxembourg, where the fishing quotas for 2023 will be negotiated.There will be a public art action outside the European Convention Centrewhere the council meeting will take place.   Photos will be available here on October 17th at 12:00 pm Video footage will be … Continued

The Nord Stream gas leak add insult to injury for Baltic cod

The heavy release of natural gas from the sabotaged pipelines Nord Stream 1 and 2 into the Baltic Sea could be truly fatal in an already very vulnerable ecosystem. This is the opinion of researcher Thomas Dahlgren, who has studied the effects of various emissions on marine life. Yesterday, Tuesday 27 September, there were alarm … Continued

Member States share concern for eel population in dire straits

Speaking to the Fisheries Council yesterday, Commissioner Sinkevičius was clear that “status quo is not an option” for the management of European eel, considering the critical state of the eel population and the zero catch advice. While the Member States shared his concern for the stock, suggestions on the way forward varied, with Mediterranean countries … Continued

Ecosystem Approach: EU fisheries management still dominated by single-species advice

On September 15 the EU Commission released the report ‘The implementation of ecosystem-based approaches applied to fisheries management under the Common Fisheires Policy’. The study provides a state-of-play of the implementation of EAFM in the North and Baltic Seas, Western Atlantic and Outermost Regions. The report concludes that EU fisheries management still is dominated by … Continued