05 Oct 2024
During Ocean Week in Brussels (30 September – 4 October), 140 organisations urged the newly elected EU institutions to take bold measures to protect Europe’s oceans and coastlines. These include launching an Ocean Fund and banning destructive activities at sea. On 1 October, the Blue Manifesto, led by Seas At Risk, BirdLife Europe, ClientEarth, Oceana, […]
01 Oct 2024
A group of leading ocean experts say the prevailing definition of ‘sustainable fishing’ is dangerously flawed and have set out 11 ‘golden rules’ to redefine sustainable fishing. In a paper published in Ocean Sustainability, researchers have called on companies, governments, and legislators to implement these actions to end the ongoing destruction of oceans caused by […]
24 Sep 2024
Plans to extend Scotland’s marine planning zones have been put out to public consultation for a total of 12 weeks. Extending local authority responsibilities Fish and shellfish farms require planning permission out to twelve nautical miles, however local authority responsibilities for planning controls currently only extend to three nautical miles. Under new proposals, the marine […]
25 Aug 2024
A deep dive into stock assessments of fisheries around the world has revealed their sustainability is overstated – and it has implications for fisheries management and consumer awareness. Many fish stocks around the world are either threatened by overfishing or have already collapsed. One of the main reasons for this devastating trend is that policymakers […]
20 Aug 2024
Over half of UK seafood consumers now recognise the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) ecolabel, reflecting a growing awareness of sustainable fishing. A recent survey found 54% of fish and seafood buyers had seen the blue MSC ecolabel, up from 51% in 2022 and 44% in 2016. Understanding of the ecolabel has also improved, with 39% […]
13 Aug 2024
Preliminary data exploration by ICES working group on the Ecosystem Effects of Fishing Activities (WGECO) offers an initial attempt to explore how fishing protection zones could be designed in the future. Recently, concerns over European fisheries have often centred on the impact of fishing displacement due to increasing competition for marine space, driven by, for […]
06 Aug 2024
A Private Members Bill to regulate and limit bottom trawling in MPAs, introduced by Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick, has had its first reading in the House of Lords. As currently drafted it states that the regulations must prohibit bottom trawling in MPAs. These are defined as including Marine Conservation Zones, Nature Conservation Marine Protected Areas, […]
06 Aug 2024
Hopes for closure on a fair deal to stop governments bankrolling overfishing flopped yet again at the recent General Council meeting of the World Trade Organization (WTO) in Geneva. Scheduled decision-making sessions aimed at closing the second half of a legally binding treaty to curb harmful fisheries subsidies were downgraded to a discussion at the […]
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