News

January 31, 2011

LFN launches Lithuanian fish guide

The Lithuanian Fund for Nature (LFN) has joined the WWF campaign for sustainable seafood by publishing a local version of the “fish guide” – a list of fish to chose for sustainability–aware consumers. The guide was launched along with a screening of “The End of the Line” in Vilnius, to highlight the problems of overfishing … Continued


January 29, 2011

Exotic strangers caught in The Sound

Rising bottom temperatures have lured many new fish species, particularly sharks, to Öresund, the narrow strait separating southern Sweden from Denmark, a local news site reports. A fisherman from Hornbæk on northern Zealand recently reported finding no less than 26 sharks trapped in his nets. “These waters are actually teeming with sharks”, a biologist with … Continued


January 28, 2011

Global shark plan a failure, report says

A ten-year old UN plan to conserve shark stocks has made little difference, a new NGO report shows. With 30 percent of the world’s shark species more or less threatened with extinction, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) agreed ten years ago on an action plan for the stocks’ recovery. The protection plan … Continued


January 28, 2011

Croatian fishermen want their own waters

Protesting their own government and Italian colleagues, several hundred Croatian fishermen have staged rallies in nine different ports. Calling for the establishment of a Croatian economic zone and sovereignty of some 23,000 square kilometres of sea, the protesters accused their Agriculture and Fisheries ministry of allowing the Italians to “destroy resources and the future of … Continued


January 26, 2011

Winter hardships for Swedish fishermen

The hard winter of 2010 resulted in an almost 30-year high in payouts to Swedish fishermen locked in by the ice, and this year’s situation does not appear to be easier on them, the Swedish Radio reports. Statistics from the Swedish Fishermen’s Association show that 6.2 million SEK (€693,000) was paid out from the organisation’s … Continued


January 20, 2011

BS RAC speaks up for greater selectivity

At a January meeting in Hamburg, the Baltic Sea RAC unanimously agreed that greater selectivity is the solution to cod discards in the region. The Baltic Sea Regional Advisory Council (BS RAC) met to agree on a response to the Commission consultation on the eradication of discards in the Baltic Sea. Bycatch and discards in … Continued


January 20, 2011

Online survey

As part of a project evaluation, FISH and Seas At Risk have sent out a questionnaire to recipients of the extensive briefings we are offering to decision-makers and stakeholders prior to all EU Council meetings with fisheries issues on the agenda. If you are an online reader, please follow the link above and you will … Continued


January 19, 2011

UN announcing first global guidelines for discards

Fisheries experts from 35 nations under UN auspices have agreed on a proposal for reducing discards, a first in UN history. The global guidelines for bycatch management, drawn up at a meeting in December organised by FAO, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization, will be up for endorsement as the FAO Committee on Fisheries meets … Continued


January 19, 2011

Reality of fishermen’s wives next on the telly

The US Production company behind reality shows such as ”Who Do You Think You Are”, “World’s Strictest Parents” and “It’s Me or The Dog” has sent out a casting call for its next presumed blockbuster: “Alaska Fishermen’s Wives”. The show, to be produced by Shed Media in Los Angeles and featured on Animal Planet, will … Continued


January 13, 2011

US IUU crack-down targets two EU nations

Italy and Portugal were among six nations that the US Government has reported to Congress for illegal fishing. The report from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the federal agency whose responsibilities include fisheries, opens a process leading to direct consultations between the US Government and the six identified nations that have been reported … Continued