News
June 12, 2007
EU decision on Baltic cod puts focus on illegal fishing
This morning, EU Fisheries Ministers agreed on a long-term management plan for Baltic Sea cod. This is a welcome development, but the state of the cod stocks calls for stronger measures. A European Commission proposal for a multi-annual plan for the cod stocks in the Baltic Sea and the fisheries exploiting those stocks (COM(2006)411) was … Continued
June 11, 2007
Management Plan for eel finally agreed
With only a few per cent left of the European eel population, EU Ministers finally agreed on a joint management plan today. The European Management plan on eel was proposed by the European Commission in October 2005, and has been debated off and on since then. Efforts to find agreement intensified early this year with … Continued
June 7, 2007
Eel is the hot topic all around
The International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) has been drawing attention to the serious state of eel stocks for almost ten years and calling for measures to improve the situation, but without major effect. This week a listing of eel under CITES Appendix II is being negotiated and next week the European … Continued
April 24, 2007
Sargasso eels still elusive
The Danish Galathea 3 expedition spent nine days fishing for eels in the Sargasso Sea, hoping to solve the mystery of their reproduction. But the mystery remains. The area is like a biological desert according to ICES scientist Henrik Sparholt. The Galathea 3 expedition, initiated in August 2006, is the largest Danish research expedition in … Continued
April 23, 2007
FAO to develop aquaculture certification guidelines
The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said Friday it is working with certification bodies, producer groups, processors and consumer organizations to draft guidelines on how aquaculture certifications should be established and applied. The guidelines will be a shared roadmap rather than certification standards of themselves, which will ensure that certifiers of farmed seafood … Continued
April 17, 2007
Still no decision on the European Eel
No decision on the proposed Regulation establishing measures for the recovery of the stock of European eel (COM(2005)472) was made at the Agriculture and Fisheries Council meeting on 16-17 April in Luxembourg. There is still a disagreement on issues related to glass eel restocking in the regulation proposal that remains to be solved before an … Continued
March 29, 2007
Commission proposes ban on discard
On 28 March, the European Commission adopted a communication on reducing unwanted catches and eliminating discards in European fisheries. The proposed approach involves the adoption of a discard ban and the setting of standards for maximum acceptable by-catch. The idea is that this will provide an incentive for fishers to harvest only what can be … Continued
March 29, 2007
Press release from the BS RAC regarding the Conference on Control and Compliance, 28-29 March 2007
The Baltic Sea RAC concludes that the two-day conference on Control and Compliance in Copenhagen was successful, and among other things made Baltic sea Fisheries ministers commit to combat IUU fishing. All EU countries in the Baltic Sea area agree to combat illegal and unreported fishing A draft action plan for the sectors involved in … Continued
March 28, 2007
New report on IUU fishing of Baltic Sea cod
Today FISH published a report on IUU fishing of Baltic Sea cod. The report ‘A report on IUU fishing of Baltic Sea cod’ was commissioned by FISH from ORCA-EU, frollowing a study into IUU in 2005. The report is based on a review of the available literature on IUU fishing within the Baltic Sea region, … Continued
March 28, 2007
BS RAC Conference on Control and Compliance in the Baltic
A wide range of stakeholders are meeting in Copenhagen to discuss ways of dealing with illegal fishing in the Baltic Sea. The first day of the conference was set aside to discuss different perspectives on the problem, the drivers behind it, its consequences and possible steps forward. More than 140 stakeholders met in Copenhagen today … Continued