Fisheries discard ban: Commission proposes plans for the North Sea

Today the Commission adopted a plan to reduce the wasteful practice of discarding – throwing overboard unwanted fish – in the North Sea. This discard plan concerns demersal fisheries, i.e. fish that feed on or near the sea bottom, and is a temporary measure to phase out discarding and gradually …

Fisheries discard ban: Commission proposes plans for the Atlantic

Today the Commission adopted two proposals to reduce the wasteful practice of discarding – throwing overboard unwanted fish – in the north western and south western waters of the Atlantic. These discard plans concern demersal fisheries, i.e. fish that feed on or near the sea bottom, and are temporary measures …

FAO Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries celebrates 20-year anniversary

Twenty years after its birth, FAO’s Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries shared a moment in the limelight with ministers, researchers and leaders in the fisheries industry at the first International Fisheries Stakeholders Forum that opened in Vigo, Spain, today. “The Code of Conduct has been an unmitigated success, because it …

IUU developments – 2 new countries yellow card and 2 countries green

The Commission today confirmed its zero tolerance policy against illegal fishing worldwide by warning the Comoros and Taiwan that they risk being identified as uncooperative countries in the fight against illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing. At the same time, the Commission is lifting the yellow cards from Ghana and …

NAFO enhances the protection of vulnerable marine ecosystems (VMEs)

The European Commission welcomes the decisions during the 37th annual meeting of NAFO (North Atlantic Fisheries Organisation, 21-25 September 2015, Halifax, Canada), which contain a strong commitment of its Contracting Parties to protect vulnerable marine ecosystems, by adopting Total Allowable Catches (TACs) for a number of stocks taking due account …

EVENT on CFP: The External Dimension as a Driver for Change

Sustainable Fisheries & Regional Cooperation The Long-Distance Advisory Council (LDAC) is delighted to announce a high-level workshop to discuss the role of the external dimension of the reformed CFP as a driver for sustainability and good governance outside EU waters, with a special focus on Africa.  With an excellent line-up of speakers and a wide range …

Balanced harvesting in fisheries: a preliminary analysis of management implications

Balanced harvest (BH) proposes to distribute a moderate mortality from fishing across the widest possible range of species, stocks, and sizes in an ecosystem, in proportion to their natural productivity so that the relative size and species composition are maintained, in line with the CBD requirement for sustainable use. This …

Commission proposes Baltic Sea fishing opportunities for 2016: more stocks than ever before to be fished at sustainable levels

The European Commission today tabled its proposal on fishing opportunities in the Baltic Sea for 2016. This is the annual proposal for the amount of fish that EU fishermen may catch from the Baltic Sea’s 10 main commercial fish stocks, also known as Total Allowable Catch (TAC). What is new …

Seminar “State of Fish Stocks and the Economics of Fishing Fleets”

The annual seminar “State of Fish Stocks and the Economics of Fishing Fleets” organised by the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries (DG MARE) took place at the European Commission premises on the 14th July 2015. The event was chaired by Director General for DG MARE, Lowri Evans. …

Positive state of ICES fish stocks presented to European Commission

Today, the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) delivered an overview of the status of a host of fish and shellfish stocks across the Northeast Atlantic for which the organization has provided advice on this year. The Chair of ICES Advisory Committee, Eskild Kirkegaard, presented the information …