A new report shows a clear link between overfishing and EU subsidies. The study, released by Poseidon Aquatic Resource Management, a consulting firm, and the Pew Environment Group, shows how between 2000-2006 ten member states were handed 93 percent of €4.9billion in fisheries subsidies. “Of the funding analysed, 29 percent went to measures that would … Continued
EU’s fisheries ministers turned down Italy’s request to their March Council meeting for more time to implement technical measures prescribed by a regulation from 2006. The Italian move had been supported by Cyprus and Spain, but Fisheries Commissioner Maria Damanaki reminded the ministers that the member states have had three years to implement the rules … Continued
After the rejection of a proposal to ban international trade in the Atlantic bluefin tuna, some experts now say that its southern cousin is even closer to extinction. The Atlantic bluefin stock, for which all protective measures were voted down at the CITES meeting in Doha, Qatar, in March, has decreased by about three quarters … Continued
American scientists have developed a model that may be used to forecast the impact of climate change on different fish stocks: good for some, bad for others. The study, performed by scientists from NOAA, the federal body that administers fisheries, and published by the Ecological Society of America, was made on the Atlantic croaker (Micropogonias … Continued
Observers drew parallels to the failed UN Climate meeting in Copenhagen and environmentalists declared the outcome a “tragedy of the oceans” as the CITES meeting in Doha ended with not one marine species proposed for protection being granted it. An Associated Press report wrapping up the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) meeting … Continued
It appears a heated discussion between the European Parliament and the European Commission on co-decision procedures may result in the Commission withdrawing the proposed management plans for horse mackerel and anchovy. In recent discussions between the European Commission and the European Parliament, the proposed long-term management plans for anchovy and horse mackerel seems to have … Continued
At a meeting in the European Parliament, Fisheries Commissioner Maria Damanaki emphasized the need for a radical reform of the CFP, continued efforts to reduce discards and the importance of the small-scale fisheries sector and “blue growth”. She also spoke of the importance of integration of different maritime sector policies, regionalisation and marine spatial planning. … Continued
The recent recovery of the Eastern Baltic cod stock was held forth as a success story, while fleet overcapacity was mentioned as a fundamental problem, as the Swedish Government handed over a major report on the windfalls of fisheries policy to the Riksdag (Parliament). The report, “An Account of Efforts in Fisheries Policy”, prepared by … Continued
The Alaska Board of Fisheries has come out in support of a state-wide ban on felt-soled wading boots, seen as a potential threat to the environment. Felt-soled boots are worn by fishermen in creeks and streams to improve footing on wet rocks. The felt stays wet longer and carries more river sediment than rubber boots, … Continued
Only one out of eight purportedly endangered shark species won protection at the ongoing UN CITES meeting in Doha, Qatar. The porbeagle sharks were included in Annex II of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES). Annex II comprehends some 32,500 species that are not necessarily threatened with extinction, but may become so … Continued