International

The 16th Session of the Western Central Atlantic Fishery Commission (WECAFC) was held in Gosier (Guadeloupe, France) from 20-24 June 2016. It was attended by representatives from 28 member countries, including the European Commission for the European Union, as well as observers from sub-regional fisheries organisations, cooperation agencies and civil society.

The Agriculture and Fisheries Council will take place in Luxembourg on 27 and 28 June 2016. The Commission will be represented by Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development, Phil Hogan, Commissioner for Environment, Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, Karmenu Vella and Commissioner for Health and Food Safety, Vytenis Andriukaitis.

Closing date: 15 July 2016

From 23rd to 27th May 2016, the 20th Annual Meeting of the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission (IOTC) was hosted by the European Union in La Réunion, France. Overall, the EU welcomes the outcome of the meeting, in particular the adoption of several EU proposals, such as a pilot project for a Regional Observer Scheme, the implementation of electronic Port State measures, an incentive scheme for better catch data reporting ('no-data no-fish' principle).

On 10 May, during its plenary session, the European Parliament voted to give its final consent to the new Protocol to the Fisheries Partnership Agreement between the European Union and Mauritania.

The 21st Session of the Fishery Committee for the Central Eastern Atlantic (CECAF) was held in Dakar, Senegal from 20 to 22 April 2016 with the participation of 23 Member countries, including the European Union, as well as observers from different regional and sub-regional fisheries organisations, cooperation agencies and NGOs. The Committee had last met in March 2012.

A new report is on-line (in French only)

Fisheries were high on the agenda of European Parliament's plenary session on 12 April in Strasbourg, with three Parliament reports on the table.

In Brussels today Commissioner for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Karmenu Vella will be presenting to the agriculture and fisheries sections of the Council of the European Union a Commission's proposal on the sustainable management of external fishing fleets. The presentation will be followed by an exchange of views with the Ministers.

A new evaluation is on-line

The final report is on-line

At its annual meeting, held from 25-29 January in Valdivia, Chile, the South Pacific Regional Fisheries Management Organisation (SPRFMO) adopted a series of important conservation and enforcement measures demonstrating its commitment to sustainable fisheries in the region.

Information is now available in English and French.

The European Commission welcomes the open and constructive discussions held at the "Bluefin Futures Symposium" that took place on 18-20 January in Monterey, California.

Short animated video about the importance of fisheries for food security, health and growth in developing countries, highlighting the commitment of the EU with 3rd countries to help promote sustainable management of seafood resources and inclusive opportunities for trade and growth.

Deadline for applications: 29th January 2016

A new report is on-line

The Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC) held its 12th plenary session from 3 to 8 December 2015 in Bali, Indonesia. Discussions focused on management measures for various tuna species as well as sharks. The EU, represented by the European Commission, used the meeting to promote better fisheries control and more sustainably managed fish stocks in the western and central Pacific Ocean region.