The 43rd General Fisheries Commission for Mediterranean (GFCM) Annual Session attended by 24 countries took place in Athens from 4 to 9 November 2019. The 15 recommendations and resolutions, proposed by the European Union, were adopted by consensus with the crucial support of the GFCM Secretariat.
The Commission has adopted a proposal offering support from the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund to fishermen affected by the closure of the Eastern Baltic cod fishery to permanently decommission their fishing vessels.
On IUU fishing in general.
The European Commission continues its action to fight illegal fishing worldwide by notifying the Republic of Ecuador that it needs to step up its actions (yellow card) in the fight against illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing.
Meeting in London over the past two weeks, delegations of the European Union, the Faroe Islands, Norway, Iceland, Greenland and the Russian Federation, reached an agreement on the management measures for mackerel, blue whiting and Atlanto-Scandian herring for 2020. All three stocks have a Total Allowable Catch (TAC) set at the recommended scientific advice.
Ahead of the 16-17 December Council meeting on Fisheries, the Commission has today adopted its proposal for fishing opportunities in 2020 for 72 stocks in the Atlantic and the North Sea: for 32 stocks the fishing quota is either increased or remains the same; for 40 stocks the quota is reduced. The fishing opportunities, or Total Allowable Catches (TACs), are quotas set for most commercial fish stocks in order to keep or restore healthy stocks, while allowing the industry to profit from fishing the highest amount of fish.
On 22 October 2019, the EU and the Seychelles have concluded negotiations for a new Sustainable Fisheries Partnership Agreement (SFPA) and a new protocol that will strengthen their cooperation in the fisheries field for the next six years.
Subject to the adoption of the European Union (EU) budgetary authority, the European Fisheries Control Agency (EFCA) receives EUR 17.6 million for 2020 to safeguard the sustainability of fisheries resources.
The European Union will announce 22 new commitments at the 2019 edition of Our Ocean conference, which will take place in Oslo, Norway on 23-24 October 2019, for better governance of the oceans. In addition, the EU is also launching ‘The Ocean Tracker', an interactive map to follow the over 10 billion euros commitments already made by governments, businesses and NGOs.
The EU will encourage the ratification of the 2012 Cape Town Agreement on safety of fishing vessels at the Ministerial Conference on Safe and Legal Fishing hosted by Spain jointly with the International Maritime Organization in Torremolinos, Spain on 21-23 October 2019.
The 2020 edition of the European Maritime Day (EMD) will take place on 14-15 May 2020 in the City of Cork, Ireland. EMD is the annual two-day event during which Europe’s maritime community meet to network, discuss and forge joint action on maritime affairs and sustainable blue growth. The opening session will target the “EU Maritime Policy towards 2050” and the plenary session will focus on ‘Empowering Future Ocean Leaders’.
Stakeholders’ workshops are at the core of the European Maritime Day. For 2020, the European Commission is planning to select 20 high-quality workshops (four slots with 5 workshops running in parallel).
Good evening, Tonight we have taken some very difficult, but much needed decisions concerning fishing in the Baltic Sea.
Climate change is making Arctic waters more accessible to vessels, raising the controversial prospect of more industrial-scale fishing. In the latest episode of Ocean, Euronews looks at what's being done by the EU to prevent threats to the Arctic ecosystem.
Fisheries ministers are meeting at the AGRIFISH Council in Luxembourg on 14 and 15 October to reach a political agreement on the Baltic fishing opportunities for 2020. Karmenu Vella, Commissioner for the Environment, Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, will present the Commission's proposal, and urge ministers to address the serious situation of the Baltic fisheries by setting fishing opportunities at sustainable levels.
Today, the Commission has adopted its first ever proposal on fishing opportunities covering both the Mediterranean and the Black Seas.
In recent years, the Arctic has increasingly become a geopolitical hotbed and a window on amplified effects of climate change. Amidst this rapidly evolving context, on 3-4 October the European Commission (DG MARE) organised the EU Arctic Forum, jointly with the EU’s External Action Service (EEAS) and the Swedish Government, to debate the wider strategic agenda facing the Arctic and EU’s approach to the region.
On October 10th, in Brussels, a workshop on traceability of fisheries and aquaculture products brings together representatives of the European Commission, the Secretariat of the Council, the European Parliament, the EU Member States and representatives of the Advisory Councils.
The European Union participated in the 41st Annual Meeting of the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organisation (NAFO), in Bordeaux, from 23 to 27 September 2019.
The European Union’s long standing commitment to enhance sustainable international cooperation in the Arctic
