News
February 18, 2010
New Swedish Agency to combine fish and environment
A Swedish Public investigation on how best to manage fish resources and the marine environment proposes a new, integrated Government agency and it looks set to end up in Gothenburg. It remains unclear, however, whether the Agriculture or Environment Minister will be representing Sweden in the Fisheries Council. Over the last few months, the Swedish … Continued
February 18, 2010
WWF-US Retailer to work together on seafood sustainability
The WWF has announced a new collaboration with one of America’s largest food retailers towards sustainably sourcing the retailer’s wild-caught seafood. The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) noted in a press release that fishing is the principal livelihood for over 200 million people around the world and the primary source of protein for about 950 million … Continued
February 12, 2010
Borg and Namibian Minister share Swedish Seafood Award
In Gothenburg, it was a week of fish and fisheries. For three days everything from capture fisheries and control to cooking for kids was covered. It concluded with the Swedish Seafood Award presented, at the Gothenburg Opera, to ex-commissioner Joe Borg and the Namibian Fisheries Minister. This year, the Swedish Seafood Award – Kungsfenan – … Continued
February 11, 2010
EP backs trade ban on bluefin tuna
The European Parliament has voted in favour of adopting a resolution in support of a ban on the trading blue fin tuna. Support from the European institutions of a ban will likely further pressure the inclusion CITES, the largest global wildlife conservation agreement. Support for the bluefin tuna ban comes with a few conditions, most … Continued
February 9, 2010
Close the TAC Circus, says Swedish MEP
Ministers should not be the ones to set quotas, says a Swedish bestseller-writer-turned-member of the EP Fisheries Committee. Interviewed by the IPS news service, Isabella Lövin added that she supported long-term management plans to replace “the kind of circus, where everyone tries to grab the biggest bit of the cake every December”. Ms. Lövin, the … Continued
February 9, 2010
Now on film: The 17-metre King of Herrings
The fish that may have inspired the Old-Mariner myth of the Sea Serpent has been caught on film for probably the first time, swimming, literally, back and forth. The oarfish, with a potential of becoming more than 17 metres long, was filmed on a depth of more than 1,500 metres below an oil rig in … Continued
February 2, 2010
New beginning for blind turtle
A turtle that was intentionally blinded by Greek fishermen has been flown to start a new life in England. His name is Homer. The much-travelled loggerhead turtle of 56 kilos was admitted to an Athens rescue centre with one eye missing and one eye poked out in 2007. According to the rescue centre, Greek fishermen … Continued
February 2, 2010
Poland on CFP: Ecological objectives must be prioritised, ITQs considered
The next EU Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) should focus on ecological objectives over social and economic, the Polish government says in its official response to the Commission’s Green Paper on the future CFP. In order to address the deep rooted problem of capacity, the Polish response acclaims the positives of the ITQ system. Providing healthy … Continued
February 2, 2010
Icelandic trawler protest
Protesting a Government plan to revoke an old ”tax rebate”, most trawlers in the Westman Islands region of Iceland have been returning to port prematurely lately. The Westman Islands is one of the largest fishing regions in that fisheries-dependent nation. The tax rebate, currently around €5.5 a day spent at sea, is the only similar … Continued
February 2, 2010
Carp threat still on, White House to listen
The U.S. Supreme court decision to reject a proposal to cut off the Illinois river from Lake Michigan, a move to prevent a fugitive carp species from invading and shifting the eco-balance in the world’s largest freshwater lake system, has triggered initiatives to both introduce the issue in the US Congress and gather a White … Continued