News

December 22, 2016

Plan for closer cooperation between marine environment and fisheries management in the Baltic Sea

At the recent HELCOM Heads of Delegation meeting, 14-15 December, a commitment was made to initiate closer cooperation with BALTFISH.


December 19, 2016

The Fisheries Secretariat is looking to hire

Along with the North Sea Foundation and Seas at Risk, we are looking to hire an NGO Advisory Council support officer to coordinate the work of NGOs in the EU fisheries advisory councils.


November 23, 2016

North Atlantic and North Sea TACs 2017: Policy briefing from the Fisheries Secretariat & Seas at Risk  

For the upcoming December Council meeting, at which quotas will be set for over 150 stocks, we have prepared a briefing outlining our main recommendations for certain key and vulnerable stocks. The principle outlined in the reformed CFP means that Ministers must set quotas below Fmsy, where possible. Thereby ensuring a sustainable harvest whilst allowing … Continued


November 17, 2016

NGOs renew calls for greater transparency when quotas are set

In a letter to the Slovakian Presidency of the EU, NGOs have requested that the December Council meeting at which quotas are set for hundreds of Atlantic and North Sea fish stocks is live streamed and publicly accessible. Fish stocks are a public resource and it is in the public interest that decisions are taken … Continued


October 20, 2016

BALTFISH: Fisheries as part of integrated Baltic Sea marine management – what are the challenges & opportunities?

At the upcoming EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region (EUSBSR) meeting, The Fisheries Secretariat is organising a seminar to discuss BALTFISH, the regional management body established under the Flagship Project: “Regionalisation of fisheries management in the Baltic Sea” in 2010. This will be the first opportunity for a public discussion forum to meet and … Continued


October 11, 2016

2017 Baltic TACs decided

Cod overfishing will continue next year and the Baltic management plan is in tatters despite quota reductions of 56% for the western cod stock and 25% for the eastern. For sprat, the herring stocks, plaice and salmon, we welcome the decisions. They are all likely to all continue their upward trajectory and had their quotas set broadly in line with scientific advice.


October 6, 2016

Developing fisheries advice to implement the ecosystem approach

MareFrame is a project in which Ecosystem-based fisheries management solutions are to be co-developed through discussions between stakeholders, which are led by scientists. It aims to remove the barriers toward the implementation of the ecosystem approach to fisheries management. FishSec attended the latest meeting this week as a representative of the Baltic Sea Advisory Council.


September 30, 2016

Baltic Sea 2017 TACs – Briefing from the Fisheries Secretariat & Seas at Risk

In advance of the Fisheries Council meeting, 10-11 October, at which next year's fishing quotas for the Baltic Sea will be set, The Fisheries Secretariat and Seas at Risk have provided Ministers with a set of recommendations.


September 26, 2016

Environmental organisations suspend activities in Advisory Council

In response to the admission of “three fishing interest organisations” to the Other Interest Group of the South-West Waters Advisory Council (SWW AC), environmental NGOs wrote to the Commission to announce the suspension of their activities.


September 6, 2016

Quotas, Closures, and Technical Measures tabled at BALTFISH

Baltic quotas for 2017, closures for the Baltic cod fisheries, and EU technical measures filled the agenda during the first BALTFISH forum under the German Presidency.