Category: Article

US takes on alien fish

Following a White House summit meeting, the US Government has decided to hit the threat of an alien carp species “with all of the tools in the toolbox”. The plan however failed to impress both environmentalists and some Governors from concerned states. The Asian imports, the bighead and silver carps, were brought to America for … Continued

EP comes up short on CFP, environmentalists say

Regionalisation instead of ”top-down approach”, subsidarity and widened stakeholder involvement were key notions as the European Parliament has its saying on the upcoming CFP reform. The non-binding resolution, part of the consultation process leading up to a 2012 decision on a new Common Fisheries Policy, was adopted 456-50, with all Green MEPs abstaining. The resolution’s … Continued

EU-Iceland talks may start in dire straits

Fisheries may be one of the biggest stumbling blocks, as the EU Commission has now given green light for membership talks with Iceland. “We will be applying the same criteria as are applied to any other country. There is no short cut,” said enlargement commissioner Stefan Füle while announcing the commission’s recommendation to move ahead … Continued

PECH ponders pros and cons of farming fish

Aquaculture can be green, a Spanish industry representative claimed to somewhat sceptical MEPs at a hearing in the European Parliament’s Fisheries Committee (PECH). Otero Lourido, director of the Galician Turbot Producers Association, referred to one of his own establishments in Galicia, where one of the world’s largest aquaculture sites is located right next to the … Continued

Japan says ”clear no” to tuna ban

The Japanese Fisheries minister, representing three quarters of the global bluefin tuna consumption, has come out strongly against a trade ban on the threatened species, common in sushi. A meeting of the parties to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) in Doha, Qatar, on 13-25 March will decide on a proposed inclusion … Continued

Sardines Made in USA no more

Reduced herring quotas are forcing the last US remaining sardine cannery to close down, its parent company has announced. The Stinson Seafood cannery in Prospect, Maine, employing some 130 people, will cease operations on April 18 after having been around for more than a century. Referring to lowered catch quotas for herring in American waters, … Continued

COM comes out for tuna ban

The EU Commission has followed suite after the European Parliament decision to support a trade ban on bluefin tuna, saying that it will now search out Member States to reach a common EU position for the CITES meeting in March. The conference of the parties to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) … Continued

Norway having hard time at Winter Olympics

Adding insult to injury – Canada won 8-0 – North American environmentalists staged a protest demonstration outside the Olympic Canada-Norway hockey game – against Norwegian aquaculture. Aiming their protest primarily against the Oslo-based Marine Harvest, the world’s dominant salmon farming company, the activist claimed the industry practice to be “tremendously destructive” to the environment. The … Continued

New Swedish Agency to combine fish and environment

A Swedish Public investigation on how best to manage fish resources and the marine environment proposes a new, integrated Government agency and it looks set to end up in Gothenburg. It remains unclear, however, whether the Agriculture or Environment Minister will be representing Sweden in the Fisheries Council. Over the last few months, the Swedish … Continued

WWF-US Retailer to work together on seafood sustainability

The WWF has announced a new collaboration with one of America’s largest food retailers towards sustainably sourcing the retailer’s wild-caught seafood. The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) noted in a press release that fishing is the principal livelihood for over 200 million people around the world and the primary source of protein for about 950 million … Continued