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.

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

New poster on-line

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 Conference organised by the EP Intergroup “Climate change, Biodiversity and Sustainable Development” of 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).

Final report on-line

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.

The European Commission welcomes the adoption of the resolution of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) on sustainable fisheries.

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 presented its proposal for fishing opportunities for fish stocks in the Black Sea for 2012.

The European Commission proposed today to forbid, with no exemptions, the practice of 'shark finning' aboard fishing vessels. Shark finning is the practice of cutting off the fins of sharks ...

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.

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....

Speech by Commissioner Damanaki at the Seminar High North, Oslo, Norway

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 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, ...

Speech by Commissioner Damanaki at the Conference "No fish left on the plate – why a radical reform of the Common Fisheries Policy is needed" organised by Fish of the Future Group

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

Speech by Commissioner Damanaki at the Roundtable on Food at Green Week, Brussels

The pollution of our seas and oceans from marine litter - especially plastic litter - has taken alarming dimensions.

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

Speech by Commissioner Janez Potočnik at the Joint plastic MED event with Commissioner Damanaki on the protection of the Mediterranean Sea

Speech by Commissioner Damanaki at the Round table discussion on pollution of the Mediterranean from marine litter

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...

Speech by Commissioner Damanaki at the meeting of the Employers' Group of the European Economic and Social Committee 

New poster on-line

The 20th Century evolution of Mediterranean exploited demersal resources under increasing fishing disturbance and environmental change

After meeting the WWF – Industry Alliance at Europe House in London today, EU Fisheries Commissioner Damanaki said:

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.

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.

On Saturday 27 November the annual meeting of the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) closed.

"This year's ICCAT meeting has produced results which represent a step in the right direction for sustainable management of bluefin tuna and other species. This is important not just for ICCAT waters and stocks, but for fisheries management globally, and for the EU as a whole.

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, ...

At the annual meeting of International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) being held this week in Paris, the EU has tabled proposals for two new recommendations prohibiting fishing for porbeagle and thresher and hammerhead sharks. The EU is also working with the USA and other members of ICCAT on a third proposal which would set precautionary catch limits for shortfin mako sharks. Together, these proposals provide an opportunity to make substantial progress in bringing the management of shark fisheries in the ICCAT convention area into line with scientific advice.

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

Speech by Janez Potočnik, European Commissioner for Environment, at the conference on the Common Fisheries Policy Reform, Belgium

The European Commission wants to eradicate the practice of shark finning completely from EU waters and fishing vessels from the EU wherever they operate in the world. Finning consists of cutting off and keeping the fins of sharks while throwing the shark body overboard to die.

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 ...

The Commissioner for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, Ms Maria Damanaki, met today in Athens WWF representatives Mr. Sergi Tudela, Director of the Programme Fisheries of the Mediterranean, and Mr. Yiorgos Paximadis, responsible for the Maritime Environment of WWF Greece.

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.

Strides forward were made last week by the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission for the protection of the fish stocks in the Indian Ocean, such as tropical tunas and shark stocks. The parties agreed among others on an enhanced system for control and compliance, on introducing a time/area closure and on forbidding sharks from the thresher family from being taken or kept on board.

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.

The European Commission has welcomed the positive outcome of the annual meeting of the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR), which has now concluded its deliberations in Tasmania, Australia.

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 Commission is disappointed that the significant steps taken in some areas by the 13th session of the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission (IOTC) in Bali (Indonesia) from 30 March to 3 April 2009 have been offset by a failure to make progress in others.

The European Commission has welcomed with mixed feelings the outcome of the meeting of Heads of Delegation of the North East Atlantic Fisheries Commission (NEAFC) held in London last week, attended by the European Union, Iceland, Denmark in respect of  the Faeroe Islands and Greenland, Norway and the Russian Federation.

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 EU has tabled ambitious proposals in view of this year's annual meeting of the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission (IOTC), which will take place in Bali from 30 March to 3 April 2009.

At the initiative of the EU, the Heads of Delegation of the North East Atlantic Fisheries Commission (NEAFC) meet in London this week to consider concrete NEAFC measures to implement the UN General Assembly resolution on vulnerable marine ecosystems.

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.