Author: dave

Geographical: Is the Mediterranean becoming a second ‘Dead Sea’?

Officially declared the world’s ‘most overfished sea’, the Mediterranean is having a crisis beneath the surface

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It states that among the Mediterranean and Black Sea regions showed the highest percentage (62.2 per cent) of unsustainable stocks, closely followed by the Southeast Pacific at 61.5 per cent and the Southwest Atlantic at 58.8 per cent. According to a report from the WWF, in 2017 Mediterranean countries consume some 7.5m tonnes of fish each year, with only 2.75m tonnes of that coming from domestic sources.

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However, there are concerns that any tangible action being taken is slow-moving. ‘Talk is cheap,’ commented a spokesman for Our Fish. The advocacy group wants immediate action to ‘rectify fisheries management’, something it feels can’t be achieved simply through debate. Moreover, while it may not be asking the public to actively prevent nets being dropped into the water, it is pushing for the EU to do more to intercept current illegal fishing practises.

There is evidence of successful ocean protection and management programmes being employed across the Atlantic, leading Our Fish, among others, to question why similar methods are not being employed in the Mediterranean. For example, the Commission for the Conservation of Southern Bluefin Tuna (CCSBT) has successfully set global total allowable tuna catch limits for 2015 to 2017 and 2018 to 2020. The aim: a ‘rebuilding target of 20 per cent of the original spawning stock biomass’. These limits apply to all cooperating partners, ranging from the South Korea to South Africa to the EU. Our Fish reports this scheme to be working, noting a 35 per cent increase in such fish stocks when compared with previous annual figures. The hope is that similar results can flow from the Mediterranean.

Geographical:Is the Mediterranean becoming a second ‘Dead Sea’?

27/07/2018
Proplanta: Fangquote für Kabeljau wird sinken

Kopenhagen – Den Kabeljau-Fischern an der Nordsee drohen im nächsten Jahr deutliche Einschnitte.

Der Internationale Rat für Meeresforschung (ICES) empfiehlt in seiner neusten Analyse, die Fangquote für 2019 um fast die Hälfte zu kürzen. Die Deutsche Umwelthilfe (DUH) forderte am Donnerstag, die EU-Fischereiminister müssten bei Festlegung der Fangbeschränkungen «endlich den wissenschaftlichen Gutachten folgen».

Proplanta: Fangquote für Kabeljau wird sinken

06/07/2018
Vroege Vogels: ‘Noordzee Visbestanden Herstellen Te Langzaam’

Vroege Vogels: ‘Noordzee Visbestanden Herstellen Te Langzaam’

De Europese lidstaten zijn te langzaam met het aanpakken van overbevissing, concludeert de STECF, de wetenschappelijke commissie van de Europese Unie over visserij vandaag in een nieuw rapport.

Einde aan overbevissing

Europese lidstaten hebben sinds 2015 vanuit het Gemeenschappelijke Visserijbeleid de verplichting om in 2020 een einde te maken aan overbevissing. Sinds 2003 is de overbevissing van kwetsbare visbestanden in de Europese wateren gedaald van 70 procent naar 40 procent. Er is dus vooruitgang geboekt in vijftien jaar tijd, maar juist de laatste jaren vlakt die ontwikkeling weer af.

Soorten

Ook in de Noordzee is deze trend waar te nemen. Van meer dan honderd soorten die daar rondzwemmen, valt voor slechts 22 soorten wetenschappelijk vast te stellen of ze worden overbevist, of juist niet. De jaren 2005 en 2006 waren een dieptepunt: toen werden 18 van deze 22 gemonitorde visbestanden nog overbevist. In 2011 werden nog tien commerciële vissoorten overbevist en na een paar schommelingen werden er dat in 2016 negen.

Voor de meeste commerciële visbestanden wordt dit doel behaald. Zo niet voor bijvangst-soorten. “Omdat zij minder economische waarde vertegenwoordigen, krijgen vissen die als bijvangst in de netten belanden weinig bescherming van beleidsmakers”, stelt Frederieke Vlek van Our Fish Nederland “Zolang dat zo blijft, komt er voor die soorten geen échte redding.”

Selectieve visserij

Om ook bijvangst-soorten goed te kunnen monitoren en beheren, moet geïnvesteerd worden in een meer selectieve visserij. Omdat 2017 een goed jaar was voor vissers dankzij hoge visprijzen en lage brandstofprijzen hebben zij dit jaar een mooie kans om de verplichting uit Europa te gaan behalen, stelt Our Fish.

Our Fish Nederland werkt aan de naleving van het gemeenschappelijke visserijbeleid en het behalen van duurzame visbestanden in Europese wateren.

26/04/2018
Deutsche Welle: ‘Fishing the last fish’: Is the EU doing enough to protect fisheries?

Article – ‘Fishing the last fish’: Is the EU doing enough to protect fisheries? by Lars Bevanger, Deutsche Welle, 22 February 2018:

Campaigners say EU politicians under pressure from industry routinely agree to unsustainable fishing quotas, against scientific advice. But fishermen warn big cuts to fish quotas will put thousands of jobs at risk.

But campaign group Our Fish said the agreement showed “an unsurprising lack of ambition” from the lawmakers, who they accused of failing short of their legal, scientific and moral obligations.

“It’s extremely frustrating to watch the process, when the law is quite clear about what should be done,” Our Fish program director Rebecca Hubbard said.

The industry argues it is doing its bit to turn things around, and that cutting quotas too fast would jeopardize tens of thousands of jobs.

But Hubbard believes fishery ministers should focus on the scientific advice and disregard pressure from the industry in their home countries

“The reformed Common Fisheries Policy really aims to take the politics out of the process. That gives the fisheries ministers the ability to step out of their local issues that they get stuck in,” she said.

Fishermen warn cutting quotas too quickly would put tens of thousands of jobs at risk

“But we’re seeing particular industry players who benefit from this situation in the short term, who have unfair access to large amounts of quota, saying they need more. And this is driving an increase in the total fishing limits that are being set.”

Read the article: ‘Fishing the last fish’: Is the EU doing enough to protect fisheries?

Listen to audio interview on Deutsche Welle’s Living Planet: Living Planet: Is the EU doing enough to protect fisheries?

22/02/2018
Deutsche Welle: ‘Fishing the last fish’: Is the EU doing enough to protect fisheries?

Article – ‘Fishing the last fish’: Is the EU doing enough to protect fisheries? by Lars Bevanger, Deutsche Welle, 22 February 2018:

Campaigners say EU politicians under pressure from industry routinely agree to unsustainable fishing quotas, against scientific advice. But fishermen warn big cuts to fish quotas will put thousands of jobs at risk.

But campaign group Our Fish said the agreement showed “an unsurprising lack of ambition” from the lawmakers, who they accused of failing short of their legal, scientific and moral obligations.

“It’s extremely frustrating to watch the process, when the law is quite clear about what should be done,” Our Fish program director Rebecca Hubbard said.

The industry argues it is doing its bit to turn things around, and that cutting quotas too fast would jeopardize tens of thousands of jobs.

But Hubbard believes fishery ministers should focus on the scientific advice and disregard pressure from the industry in their home countries

“The reformed Common Fisheries Policy really aims to take the politics out of the process. That gives the fisheries ministers the ability to step out of their local issues that they get stuck in,” she said.

Fishermen warn cutting quotas too quickly would put tens of thousands of jobs at risk

“But we’re seeing particular industry players who benefit from this situation in the short term, who have unfair access to large amounts of quota, saying they need more. And this is driving an increase in the total fishing limits that are being set.”

Read the article: ‘Fishing the last fish’: Is the EU doing enough to protect fisheries?

Listen to audio interview on Deutsche Welle’s Living Planet: Living Planet: Is the EU doing enough to protect fisheries?

22/02/2018