News
August 15, 2005
Commission delays draft Marine Directive
As part of a wider EU Marine Strategy, a proposal for a directive to protect the marine environment has been prepared by DG Environment and was discussed by the Commission in June. The proposed directive follows a Communication from the Commission in 2002, “Towards a strategy to protect and conserve the marine environment” (COM 2002/539), … Continued
June 28, 2005
First meeting to establish a Baltic Sea RAC
On June 22, interested stakeholders met for the first time to discuss the establishment of a Baltic Sea Regional Advisory Council (RAC). The new regional advisory bodies on fisheries are being established all around the EU after the CFP reform in 2002 and the Council’s Decision in July 2004 (2004/585/EC). The meeting held in Copenhagen … Continued
June 16, 2005
Closure of North Sea sandeel fishery expected
The European Commission is expected to announce the closure of the North Sea sandeel fishery this month. The Commission’s Scientific, Technical and Economic Committee for Fisheries recommended an immediate closure of the fishery for the rest of the year, to conserve depleted sandeel stocks. The Commission will for the first time either close or scale … Continued
June 14, 2005
UNICPOLOS fails to recommend a moratorium on bottom trawling
The United Nations Open-ended Informal Consultative Process on Oceans and the Law of the Sea (UNICPOLOS) again failed to recommend a moratorium on bottom trawling at their sixth meeting, held in New York, 6-11 June. Despite support from several countries, the move to recommend a global moratorium was blocked by the EU and Iceland. Support … Continued
June 13, 2005
Removing cod has major repercussions for marine ecosystems
The collapse of cod stocks in the northwest Atlantic during the 1980s and 1990s has had a major impact on the entire ecosystem of the Scotian Shelf, off Nova Scotia in Canada. The results of a new study, which analysed abundances of fish, seals, invertebrates and plankton from 1960 to the present day, show that … Continued
May 20, 2005
First proposal for Marine Bill to be discussed in the UK
A draft Marine Bill is to be discussed in the new session of the UK Parliament, which opened on 17 May. Environmental groups have welcomed the move and are urging the government to press ahead so that a full bill can be introduced quickly. The Wildlife and Countryside Link, a coalition of UK environmental NGOs, … Continued
May 13, 2005
North Sea fish moving to colder waters
A study of demersal fish species in the North Sea over a 25 year period has shown that most fish are moving deeper and further north to escape rising sea temperatures. The study, published online in the journal Science on 12 May, was led by conservation ecologists Allison Perry and John Reynolds at the University … Continued
May 13, 2005
North Sea RAC discuss spatial planning
This week, the North Sea Regional Advisory Council (NSRAC) Spatial Planning Working Group held its first meeting in London. The aim of the meeting was to set up Terms of Reference for the group, established at the Executive Committee meeting in Boulogne earlier this year. The first day of the workshop provided participants with an … Continued
May 12, 2005
Polish stakeholders discuss sustainable fisheries
On 10-11 May, a range of Polish stakeholders interested in Baltic Sea fisheries management came together in Gdynia to discuss sustainability. A number of different issues were discussed, among them control and monitoring, subsidies to the sector, the status of the Baltic harbour porpoise, implementation of the Habitats and Birds directives in Poland, and the … Continued