EU Commissioner for Environment, Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, Karmenu Vella will present the Commission's proposals for 2019 fishing opportunities for the Atlantic, North Sea and Black Sea at the Agriculture and Fisheries Council on 17-18 December in Brussels.
The United Nations General Assembly has adopted two resolutions concerning the oceans and the Law of the Sea and sustainable fisheries, in line with the EU’s agenda on ocean governance.
Representatives of the European Commission (DG MARE), EU Member States, European Parliament, Council of the European Union, Advisory Councils and other EU stakeholders participated in the Workshop of Digital Tools for Small-Scale Fisheries (Brussels, 4-5 December), organised in the context of the Expert Group on Fisheries Control.
Ministers of the Western Mediterranean countries, at the presence of the European Commission and the Union for the Mediterranean, have adopted a declaration to strengthen maritime regional cooperation under the WestMED initiative. This initiative promotes the sustainable blue economy in the Western Mediterranean, and involves 10 countries from in and outside of the EU (Algeria, France, Italy, Libya, Malta, Mauritania, Morocco, Portugal, Spain and Tunisia).
From 21 to 23 November 2018, more than 300 stakeholders gathered in Brussels to discuss the future of ocean observing, monitoring and data collection efforts in Europe.
Meeting in Bergen (Norway) on 29 November, the three most important Coastal States have agreed to set the Total Allowable Catch (TAC) for 2019 at 653,438 tonnes. This represents a 20% reduction compared to 2018. It was also agreed to extend the current trilateral sharing arrangement for another two years, possibly three, if required. Other Coastal States were not able to join the agreement at this stage.
Representatives of the European Commission (DG MARE), EU Member States, European Parliament, Council of the EU, Advisory Councils and other EU stakeholders will take part in the Workshop of Digital Tools for Small-Scale Fisheries (Brussels, 4-5 December). The aim of this meeting is to share knowledge, solutions, current trends and developments on new monitoring and control tools for small-scale vessels.
EUMOFA's annual report offers a comprehensive analysis at EU-level of all market dimensions of fisheries and aquaculture products.
The European Commission welcomes the agreement reached by the European Parliament and the Council on a multi-annual plan for fisheries in the Western waters. The agreement will help restore and maintain stocks at sustainable levels, while ensuring social and economic viability for the fishermen operating in the region.
Today, on the occasion of the annual conference of the outermost regions, in Gran Canaria, President Juncker has announced that the nine territories can now use State aid to support the renewal of the small-vessel fishing fleet, whilst fishing sustainably.
Commissioner for the Environment, Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Karmenu Vella is announcing today the Blue Economy call 2018 at a dedicated info day in Brussels.
The North-East Atlantic Fisheries Commission (NEAFC) gathered for its annual meeting in London from 13 to 16 November 2018. During the meeting, the EU and the other contracting parties agreed on a number of conservation and management measures for 2019, covering several fish stocks (including blue whiting, Atlanto-Scandian herring, mackerel, redfish in the Irminger Sea, spurdog and Rockall haddock).
After two years of intensive negotiations, ICCAT (the International Commission for the conservation of Atlantic Tunas) finally adopted a management plan for Bluefin tuna, during its annual meeting on 12-19 November 2019.
Karmenu Vella, the European Commission for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, donates prize money from receiving the prestigious German Ocean Award to Sustainable Ocean Alliance. Sustainable Ocean Alliance (SOA), an international nonprofit that empowers young innovators to become leaders in preserving the health and sustainability of the ocean.
I would like to thank the Austrian Presidency for their work in facilitating a compromise. Today, we have adopted important decisions on deep sea stocks. As you know, these are very vulnerable species that need decades to grow and reproduce. We often have incomplete knowledge about these stocks. But we know one thing for certain: many of these stocks have been overfished for years.
The seminar, which took place on 15 November in Brussels, was the first opportunity to discuss the implementation and policy messages of the five ongoing Blueprint projects.
On 15 November, the EU and Guinea Bissau concluded a new Sustainable Fishing Partnership Agreement (SFPA) protocol, a year after the previous protocol expired.
In parallel with the EMD Conference in Lisbon (16 & 17 May 2019), a series of local EMD events will be organised all over Europe for the public at large. In 2018 73 EMD events in My Country took place around Europe, attracting thousands of participants, making a record in EMD history! Read our call and apply for your event. Deadline for applications: 15 February 2019.
Last week, in London, delegations of the European Union, the Faroe Islands, Norway and Iceland, with the participation of Greenland as observer, reached an agreement on the management measures for 2019 for blue whiting and Atlanto-Scandian herring.
The European Commission and IOC-UNESCO have launched MSPGlobal, a new joint initiative to promote cross-border maritime spatial planning.
