The European eel needs a break. It used to be so common that it made up more than 50% of all freshwater biomass in many countries. That is almost impossible to imagine today. A joint response by 22 NGOs to DG MARE consultation providing recommendations on what we believe needs to be done to implement the … Continued
Stockholm, March 24 2022; The Eastern Baltic cod population used to be one of the largest cod populations in the Atlantic. Today, decades of overexploitation paired with eutrophication and habitat degradation have led to a dramatic decline in the two main populations (Eastern and Western) of Baltic cod. But it is not too late for … Continued
Brussels 16 March 2022: Ahead of the European Parliament’s public hearing on the implementation and future perspectives of the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) tomorrow, NGOs are calling on EU institutions and Member States to better follow and enforce the rules of the policy, rather than considering any reform at this stage. Vera Coelho, Senior Director … Continued
As part of our Return of the Cod project Fish Sec scientist and experts from the University of Gothenburg conducted an extensive study into all available information on Baltic cod. This detailed review of both academic studies and other literature, provides an overview of the situation of cod in the Baltic Sea today and the … Continued
Sotenäs, a municipality on the Swedish West coast, has been running a ghost fishing project since 2017 where they find and retrieve lost fishing gear. Lost fishing gear such as lobster tins in the sea leads to fish and shellfish finding their way into them and eventually dying, so-called ghost fishing. Last Friday, February 18, … Continued
Yesterday, the Fisheries Council came to an agreement on fishing opportunities in 2022 for the North Sea, Atlantic, Mediterranean and Black seas. More than a third of stock will continue to be overfished in 2022. No agreement has been reached with the UK, so provisional quotas have been put in place for the first quarter of 2022. The European Commission still hopes that an agreement can be reach by 20 December at the latest.
After stark and clear scientific advice calling for zero catches of the critically endangered European eel in all habitats, the Fisheries Council agreed on a roll-over of the – so far poorly implemented – three-month eel fishing closures.
Instead of following the scientific advice, the Commission wants to strengthen the implementation of the three-month eel fishing closures and conduct a wide-ranging stakeholder consultation. Even this is likely to meet with resistance from Member States.
Stockholm university together with the Swedish Institute for the Marine Environment hosted a full day symposium with a focus on fisheries in the Baltic Sea from a historical perspective. The newly released report “Fisket i Stockholms skärgård under historisk tid”, Fisheries in the Stockholm archipelago in historic times, was the underlying reason for the event. … Continued
On 25 October, the European Commission launched a targeted stakeholder consultation on the planned Action plan to conserve fisheries resources and protect marine ecosystems. The action plan is part of the EUs efforts to restore and protect marine ecosystems and apply an ecosystem-based management approach.