News

May 16, 2014

Stakeholder consultation on seabed mining open

The European Commission under the Maritime Affairs and Fisheries have opened a public consultation on seabed mining to gather the public’s opinions concerning seabed mining developments as a way to help EU develop its position on the issue.


May 15, 2014

European Commission proposes full ban on driftnets

The European Commission announced yesterday that they want to prohibit the use of any kind of driftnets for fishing in all EU waters as of 1 January 2015.


May 13, 2014

Swedish candidates running for the European Parliament under pressure

Last week the Swedish Society for Nature Conservation gathered the Swedish candidates running for the European Parliament to see where they stand on environmental issues. We checked in to hear what they had to say on fisheries.


May 12, 2014

HELCOM aims for a stronger links with ICES to improve Baltic Fishery Management

The HELCOM fisheries and Environment Forum held a meeting in Riga where among other things the HELCOM ambitions and plans on how to increase the cooperation with ICES on fish and fisheries related issues were presented.


May 8, 2014

FISH celebrates 10 years and the end of CFP reform

On 5 May, exactly 10 years after the official launch, FISH highlighted key achievements and marked the end of the CFP reform and work with OCEAN2012 at a seminar in Stockholm.


May 7, 2014

Final discussions on a discard ban plan for the Baltic Sea in BALTFISH

An elaborated draft of Fisheries control strategy were presented by Sweden and Denmark presented proposed Terms of References for fisheries management in Natura 2000 areas. Finally, some aspects of the impending multi-species plan for the Baltic Sea were briefly discussed.


May 7, 2014

New fisheries fund soon to be official

Yesterday, the Fisheries Council formally adopted the compromise on the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund, essentially brining the CFP reform to an end. Only publication in the Official Journal now remains.


April 29, 2014

Lithuanian fishermen and BirdLife attempts to tackle Baltic seabird bycatch

The Baltic Sea is a global hotspot for seabird bycatch, with an estimated 76 000 birds caught in fishing gear every year. In a new collaboration, BirdLife International is trying to tackle this issue together with a group of Lithuanian fishermen.


April 27, 2014

Warmer sea temperatures may lead to reduced fish sizes

A new study indicates that climate change may be stunting fish growth. Fish sizes in the North Sea have shrunk dramatically, and scientists believe warmer ocean temperatures and less oxygenated water could be the causes. Could this be the case for the Baltic Sea cod?


April 25, 2014

Baltic Sea Advisory Council implements CFP reform

Meeting in Gdynia yesterday for its annual General Assembly, the Baltic Sea Regional Advisory Council took the first formal steps to implement the new Common Fisheries Policy. It has been renamed the Baltic Sea Advisory Council and adjusted its membership base to reflect the new 60/40 split.