Press Release

The 13th annual meeting of South East Atlantic Fisheries Organisation (SEAFO) ended on 2 December in Port Elizabeth, South Africa. SEAFO members adopted an EU proposal to upgrade the system of fisheries monitoring and compliance.The meeting also adopted total allowable catches for the main SEAFO species, based on scientific advice.

A sustainable future for the world's oceans will require the full backing of the business community. This was the main message shared by João Aguiar Machado, Director-General of the European Commission's department for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, at the Sustainable Ocean Summit in Rotterdam.

Spanish authorities, producer organisations and research institutes are organising open door visits and conferences across Spain today to celebrate the annual "Día de la Acuicultura". This year, the European Commission joined in the celebrations, supporting the "Di sí a la acuicultura sostenible" ("Say yes to sustainable aquaculture") competition launched by the Observatorio Español de Acuicultura from Fundación Biodiversidad (Mapama).

Next week aquaculture will be under the spotlights in Spain, in the framework of the Día de la Acuicultura celebrated every 30 November. This year is special as the Ministerio de Agricultura y Pesca, Alimentación y Medio Ambiente (MAPAMA) launched last September the campaign "Di sí a la acuicultura sostenible".

Suite à la proposition de l'Union européenne, une série de mesures essentielles pour la conservation de l'espadon de Méditerranée ont été adoptées hier soir par la Commission internationale pour la conservation des thonidés de l’Atlantique (CICTA) au Portugal.

One of the key actions put forward in the Joint Communication "An integrated European Union policy for the Arctic" is the setting-up of the Arctic Stakeholder Forum, a temporary platform for EU institutions, Member States, regional and local authorities to discuss how to better streamline EU funding opportunities relevant for the Arctic region and how to enhance collaboration and coordination between different EU funding programmes.

Next week Spain is celebrating the Day of Aquaculture (Día de la Acuicultura). This year there is a special focus on sustainability with the campaign 'Say Yes to Sustainable Aquaculture' which has been launched on September 2016 by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Food and Environment. Spain is also the first Member State to have launched a school project within the communication campaign #FARMEDintheEU

EU Commissioner for Environment, Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, Karmenu Vella is on mission to Vietnam and China this week and next. The Commissioner will use the visits to both countries push for more international cooperation on ocean governance, including in the fight against illegal fishing and marine litter.

An extraordinary Joint Committee, held at the initiative of the EU, took place in Nouakchott, Mauritania, on 15-16 November in the framework of the Fisheries Partnership Agreement between the EU and Mauritania. The Parties reviewed the implementation of EU support for the Mauritanian fisheries sector, introduced new fishing opportunities for EU trawlers, and discussed the MACAPEL investment project.

The Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries has developed an innovative method for producing tilapia and tomatoes that saves resources and is almost emission free.

This year the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas, hosted by the European Union from 14 to 21 November in Vilamoura, Portugal, has to tackle an ambitious agenda.

Fisheries Ministers are to convene in Brussels on 14 November for the AGRIFISH Council. The Council is expected to reach political agreement on a regulation fixing the fishing levels for certain deep-sea fish stocks in 2017 and 2018. Deep-sea stocks have been regulated since 2003, but scientific advice indicates that they are still harvested unsustainably and that their exploitation should be further reduced.

The global ocean economy is estimated at €1.3 trillion. Climate change, poverty and food security are some of the global challenges that can be effectively addressed, if oceans are better protected and sustainably managed. The Commission and the High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy adopted today a Joint Communication, proposing actions for safe, secure, clean and sustainably managed oceans. As a strong global actor, the European Union sets out an agenda for better ocean governance based on a cross-sectoral, rules-based international approach.

In the framework of the EU's "Ocean Week" initiative (7-13 November 2016), European Commissioner for Environment, Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Karmenu Vella will outline Europe's current efforts to implement the Paris Agreement on Climate Change at the 22nd Convention of the Parties of the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP 22) to be held in Marrakech, Morocco, from 8 to 13 November 2016.

Speech by Commissioner Vella

The Ocean Energy Forum handed over to Commissioner Vella the results of 18 months of work on the future of ocean energy in Europe: its strategic roadmap "Building Ocean Energy for Europe".

Tomorrow the Ocean Energy Forum will release a report that charts a path to 10% of Europe's energy needs being met by tidal and wave energy.

European Commissioner for Environment, Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Karmenu Vella participated in the Sectoral Social Dialogue Committee for Sea-Fisheries (SSDC-F). The Committee consists of representatives from the European Transport Workers Federation (employees) and Europêche and Cogeca (employers).

In preparation for the December Fisheries Council, where Member States will negotiate fishing quotas in the Atlantic and North Sea for 2017, the Commission is presenting its proposal for healthy and sustainable stocks.

A high-level conference on cooperation on Black Sea fisheries and aquaculture took place in Bucharest on 24-25 October.