News
July 7, 2011
Ocean Search: new ways to study seas and oceans
Magnus Jonsson, founder of Ocean Search and an internationally renowned creative mind in the field of digital information technology, assembled a team of NGOs and research groups to collect and share information about the state of our seas and oceans by providing traditional specialist tools to a fleet of private sailing boats, which are envisioned to work in the capacity of research vessels and collect scientific data.
July 1, 2011
Will Poland deliver sustainability to the failed Common Fisheries Policy?
Today, July 1, Poland is taking over the European Union (EU) Presidency for the next six months. This is the first time Poland will lead the EU Council. As the official release of the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) Reform package is quickly approaching (July 13), Poland’s Vice Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development responsible for Fisheries, Kazimierz Florian Plocke, identified Poland’s priorities for a ‘comprehensive’ reform, written exclusively for CFP Reform Watch.
June 30, 2011
Fisheries Ministers not living up to commitment to reach MSY by 2015
At the Fisheries Council meeting on June 28, the Commission Communication concerning the consultation on fishing opportunities in 2012 was discussed. Majority of the Ministers stated that the objective of reaching the Maximum Sustainable Yield (MSY) level by 2015 should be assessed on a case by case basis.
June 10, 2011
Parliamentarians call for priority access to sustainable vessels
To mark World Oceans Day, GLOBE, a network of international parliamentarians and legislators, held a forum in London to discuss the CFP reform. The product of which was a declaration containing 18 recommendations to ensure a radical and ambitions reform.
May 28, 2011
European fisheries must go back to the future
In the run up to the publication of the European Commission’s proposal for a reformed Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) over 100 member groups of OCEAN2012 are engaging citizens across Europe in the second European Fish Week.
May 27, 2011
ICES advice spells cuts for pelagic fisheries in the Baltic Sea
The annual scientific advice on Baltic Sea fish stocks provided by the International Council for Exploration of the Seas (ICES) is now available. It paints a mixed picture, with recovering cod stocks, decreasing pelagic stocks in the central Baltic Sea and salmon populations in increasing trouble.
May 24, 2011
Crack-down on illegal fisheries imminent; more questions mount on fishery subsidies
Illegal drift net operations targeting bluefin tuna have been taken down in the Italian islands of Sicily and Ponza by undercover fisheries inspectors from Brussels, the Financial Times reports.
May 24, 2011
Hugh’s FISH fight wins a BAFTA award
The 2011 British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) recognized Fish Fight, an incredibly successful and political TV campaign aiming to put an end to discards, with an award in the ‘Features’ category.
May 23, 2011
The Golden Fish calls for ‘Environment First’!
"The Story of the Golden Fish", a visually stunning street performance carried out during the 2011 European Maritime Day (EMD) on 20 May, captured the absurdity of the present European Union (EU) fisheries management and currently destructive fishing practices, and called for sustainable fisheries in a balanced ecosystem.
May 16, 2011
Draft of the new Common Fisheries Policy reform leaked: BBC reports
An article by Richard Black, Environmental Correspondent for BBC, presents the current proposals for the CFP reform. Among other things, the current draft’s center points are planned to consist of eliminating discards, encourage the use of selective fisheries, multi-annual management plans for stock recovery, and restoring fisheries to a Maximum Sustainable Yield (MSY) level by 2015.