The General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean (GFCM) will meet in Morocco, Marrakesh from 14 to 19 May 2012. The European Commission represents the EU at the meeting.

On 14 March, the Commission presented a Staff Working Paper on the "Common Strategic Framework" (CSF) which sets the main investment priorities and key actions for programmes for the 2014-2020 period. 

A European Maritime and Fisheries Fund, The EU's Atlantic strategy, The port of Gothenburg: growth and the environment, TACs & quotas 2012

The Agriculture & Fisheries Council will meet in Brussels on 19 and 20 March. It will be chaired by Mrs Mette Gjerskov, Danish Minister of Food, Agriculture and Fisheries....

New poster on-line

Following the Cohesion Policy proposals of 6th October, and in order to help Member States with their preparations for the next programming period the Commission has today presented the "Common ...

Today, the European Commission has adopted the detailed rules for deduction of fishing quotas of Member states who have overfished their quotas.

Speech by Commissioner Maria Damanaki at the Hearing "the new EMFF in the view of the CFP reform" organised by European People's Party Group at the European Parliament

What did the catch composition rules intend to achieve?
The catch composition rules were put in place in 2009 to reduce fishing mortality by preventing a targeted fishery for cod, haddock, and whiting. The catches of all three stocks had substantially reduced, and they were considered to have collapsed. The rules were to allow for stocks to recover, but only the haddock stock has improved since.

The European Commission today used emergency powers, under Article 7 of Council Regulation (EC) No 2371/2002 to reduce and avoid excessive discarding of haddock in the West of Scotland.

Maria Damanaki, Commissioner for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, on behalf of the European Union, and Lisbehth Berg-Hansen, Minister of Fisheries, on behalf of Norway, have expressed their disappointment and grave concern following the inconclusive outcome of the meeting on mackerel fishery in the North-East Atlantic, held in Reykjavik from 14 to 16 February 2012 between the EU, Norway, Iceland and the Faroe Islands (the so-called coastal states).

Keynote address by Lowri Evans, Director General, Directorate-General for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries at the European Parliament

New report on-line

Baltic: a new ecosystem approach; Controls: European Union inspectors; Illegal fishing: DNA as evidence; EFF: taking stock of the territorial approach

EU intervention in inland fisheries

The Agriculture & Fisheries Council will meet in Brussels on 15 and 16 December. It will be chaired by Mr Marek Sawicki, Polish Minister for Agriculture & Rural Development....

Today, the European Commission welcomed the report, by the European Court of Auditors, evaluating whether EU measures have contributed to adapting the capacity of EU fishing fleets to available fishing opportunities.

A new agreement for the management of shared fish stocks in the North Sea has been concluded between the European Union and Norway after a week of negotiations.

The European Commission has proposed a new fund for the EU's maritime and fisheries policies for the period 2014-2020: the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF)....

What is the EMFF? EMFF is the new financial instrument that will help deliver the growth, jobs and sustainability objectives of the reformed Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) and support the implementation of the EU Integrated ...

The European Commission has presented its proposal for fishing opportunities for fish stocks in the Black Sea for 2012.

The European Commission today presented its proposal for fishing opportunities, for 2012, for fish stocks managed together with third countries such as Norway or through Regional Fisheries Management Organisations (RFMOs) across the world's oceans.

Speech by Commissioner Damanaki at the Conference "New Challenges and Opportunities facing Marine Fisheries Science", London, United Kingdom

The Agriculture and Fisheries Council will meet in Luxemburg on 20 (starting at 10.00) and 21 October, under the presidency of Mr Marek Sawicki, Polish Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development....

Commissioner Maria Damanaki, in charge of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, will meet Norvegian ministers and stakeholders during a two day visit to Norway starting Monday 17 October.

European Commission presented today its first proposal for 2012 fishing opportunities for certain stocks in the Atlantic and the North Sea....

Thanks to the continued commitment of the European Union to follow scientific advice and its close cooperation with partner countries, the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organisation (NAFO) adopted science-based, precautionary measures...

The European Commission today tabled its proposal on fishing opportunities in the Baltic Sea for 2012. Based on scientific advice, the Commission proposes to increase TACs (total allowable ...

On 8 September, the European Commission will host a one-day seminar on the state of fish stocks in European waters. The seminar aims to have open discussions on the latest scientific research on EU fisheries and how it should be applied in practice for the 2012 fishing season and in the long term.

The fishing sector, NGOs, national administrations, EU institutions and interested members of the public are invited to participate in a discussion on the status of European fish stocks and on corresponding appropriate management measures to be undertaken.

The European Commission has tabled its proposal for a new Regulation of the Council and the European Parliament establishing a multiannual plan for the sustainable management of Baltic salmon. ...

The European Commission today proposed fishing opportunities for anchovy fishing in the Bay of Biscay for the season 1 July 2011 - 30 June 2012.

Today, the EU Ministers met in the framework of the Fisheries Council, in Luxembourg to discuss the Commission's Communication on the Consultation on Fishing Opportunities for 2012, published on 25 May.

Speech by Commissioner Damanaki at the Fisheries Council, Luxembourg

The Agriculture and Fisheries Council will meet in Luxembourg on Tuesday 28 June, under the presidency of Mr Sandor Fazekas, Hungarian Minister of Rural Development. Maritime Affairs & Fisheries Commissioner Maria Damanaki, ...

Two recent reports by the European Commission add further weight to calls for significant structural change within the EU fish catching sector and a far reaching reform of the Common Fisheries ...

Today the European Commission published its report on progress achieved in the Common Fisheries Policy over the last few years and its suggestions for fishing opportunities in EU waters in 2012....

Speech by Commissioner Damanaki at the press conference, BERL Press Room, Brussels

New study on-line

Speech by Commissioner Damanaki at the European Parliament - Greens/EFA Group Hearing: "How much fish can be safely caught?"

New study on-line

Speech by Commissioner Damanaki at the European Parliament plenary session

Video

The 15th Plenary Session of the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission (IOTC) was held in Colombo, Sri Lanka from 18 to 22 March. A three-day meeting of the IOTC Compliance Committee had preceded the plenary. The Plenary outcome was rather disappointing for the EU. While...

After more than a decade of ineffective measures to ensure the sustainability of the redfish fisheries in the Irminger Sea (waters between Iceland and Greenland in the NEAFC Convention Area), the Coastal States (Faroe Islands, Greenland and Iceland) along with the European Union and Norway reached agreement in Reykjavik on 17 March on multi-annual interim conservation and management measures for deep and shallow pelagic redfish in the Irminger Sea. These measures, based on an EU proposal, will be applied with immediate effect.

New poster on-line

The European Commission welcomes the decision by the 2nd Preparatory Conference for a South Pacific Regional Fisheries Management Organization which concluded Friday last week in Cali, Colombia, to make a substantial reduction in the TAC for jack mackerel.

Final report

At the end of the first day of their meeting in Brussels, the Council of Fisheries Ministers reached political agreement on TACs and quotas for turbot and sprat fisheries in the Black Sea.

The European Commission regrets the inability of the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC) to agree on a new and effective approach to managing tropical tunas at its 7th annual meeting in Honolulu from 6 to 10 December.

(organised by the Fisheries Committee of the European Parliament)

The European Commission has tabled its proposal on fishing possibilities for fish stocks in the Black Sea for 2011.

The Agriculture & Fisheries Council will meet in Brussels on Monday 29 November (starting at 10 a.m.) and (if necessary) Tuesday 30 November. It will be chaired for the Agriculture issues by Mrs Sabine Laruelle, ...

Speech by Commissioner Maria Damanaki at the Plenary Session of the European Parliament

Video on the European Parliament's website

Issue 49 of the magazine Fisheries and aquaculture in Europe focuses on stock management: success stories

What are TACs and quotas?
A TAC – which stands for total allowable catch – is a legal limit on the overall amount of fish of a particular species that can be taken from the sea in a given area and brought ashore over a specified period (usually one year). A quota is a share of the TAC that can be fished by one Member State.

The European Commission has adopted its fishing opportunities proposal for 2011 setting levels of total allowable catch (TAC) and fishing effort for the Atlantic, the North Sea, and international waters regulated ...

Speech by Commissioner Maria Damanaki at the Symposium on "Improved Fisheries and Science Partnerships as Policy Drivers", Ostend (Belgium)

It has been for several years now that the state of the bluefin tuna stock remains a cause for major concern. Despite the efforts made so far, in particular by the EU, and the progress achieved, there are still open questions regarding how we can ensure the long sustainability of the species. This, in turn, is the only way by which our fishermen can keep on with their activity.

European Commissioner for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, Maria Damanaki, will open a one-day seminar on the state of fish stocks in European waters tomorrow.

On 14 September, European Commissioner for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, Maria Damanaki, will open a one-day seminar on the state of fish stocks in European waters.

The European Commission today expressed its grave concern at the unilateral mackerel quota of 85,000 t set by Faeroe Islands for 2010. It pointed out that this level amounted to three times the level of Faeroese traditional quota entitlement under multilateral management arrangements between the EU, Norway and Faeroe Islands in force from 1999 to 2009.

The European Commission today proposed a total allowable catch (TAC) of 15 600 tonnes of anchovy in the Bay of Biscay for the fishing season 1 July 2010 - 30 June 2011.

Today, the Commission has adopted a Regulation to modify the 2010 fishing possibilities for sandeel in the North Sea and Skagerrak.

WebGR - Web services for support of growth and reproduction studies

Commissioner for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Mrs Maria Damanaki made clear yesterday that there will be no postponement in the implementation of the Mediterranean Regulation no. 1967/2006.

After lengthy consultations over recent months, the European Union and Norway have struck a crucial long-term agreement on mackerel management in the North-East Atlantic, which provides both for stable quota shares and for agreed access arrangements for their respective fleets over a ten-year period.

The European Commission, negotiating on behalf of the European Union, and the Faeroe Islands have agreed on the levels of fishing possibilities in each other's waters, as well as access provisions for blue whiting for 2010.

At their Council meeting in Brussels today, fisheries ministers addressed a wide range of issues.

On the conservation of fisheries resources through technical measures, the Council reached agreement on a Presidency compromise.

What are TACs and Quotas?

Ideally, fishing activities would take from each stock no more fish than can safely be removed without inhibiting the stock's capacity to spawn and to bring in young fish to the stock.

The European Commission today adopted a proposal for a long-term plan for the sustainable management of horse mackerel across the eastern Atlantic from the Iberian Peninsula to the northern North Sea.

The European Commission has expressed its serious concern at the recent action by Iceland to declare a unilateral mackerel quota of 112 000 tonnes for 2009.

The Commission has received the Ombudsman's draft recommendation wherein he asks the Commission to rectify an administrative error concerning fishing quotas in the West of Scotland allocated for the year 2007.