Fisheries

• Friday, December 11th 2009 - 17:34 UTC

  FAO report predicts “an ocean of change” for fishers and fish farmers

  

  Marine capture fisheries already facing multiple challenges due to overfishing, habitat loss and weak management are poorly positioned to cope with new problems stemming from climate change, a new FAO study suggests.

• Thursday, December 10th 2009 - 11:26 UTC

  Chilean officials and private sector divided over recovery of salmon exports

  

  Chilean officials expect sustained growth from the aquaculture sector with exports reaching 4 billion US dollars by 2015. Currently Chile’s main aquaculture export product is salmon with overseas sales in 2008 of 2.4 billion USD. The private sector however does not share the enthusiasm.

• Wednesday, December 2nd 2009 - 12:15 UTC

  MSC's toothfish certification proposal criticised

  

  Scientists and environmental groups criticised the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) last week for proposing the certification of Ross Sea Antarctic toothfish. The certification is being recommended by UK-based Moody Marine, the organisation chosen by Ross Sea fishers and accepted by the MSC.

• Wednesday, December 2nd 2009 - 12:10 UTC

  EU welcomes newly qualified seafood exports

  

  The European Union (EU) informed the National Directorate of Aquatic Resources (DINARA) that Uruguay will be able to resume shipments of seafood products to the EU market. This announcement marks the end of restrictions imposed by the European bloc in 2008.

• Thursday, November 26th 2009 - 13:12 UTC

  Sturgeon and caviar could replace “king salmon” in Chile’s aquaculture

  

  “King salmon” which for many years helped prop the Chilean economy could be coming to an end. Last November 15, following fifteen years of failed tests, finally white sturgeons were procreated in captivity for the first time in Chile.

• Thursday, November 26th 2009 - 05:33 UTC

  FAO approves treaty to close ports to ships involved in illegal, unreported fishing

  

  A new treaty that aims to close fishing ports to ships involved in illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing has been approved by FAO governing Conference. Once it enters into force, it will be the first ever legally binding international treaty focused specifically on this problem.

• Tuesday, November 24th 2009 - 03:50 UTC

  Quotas for Atlantic blue fin tuna cut by one third to 13.500 tons

  

  The body responsible for managing Atlantic blue fin tuna has decided not to suspend the fishery in response to concerns over dwindling stocks. The International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (Iccat) instead decided to lower the annual catch quota by about one third.

• Saturday, November 21st 2009 - 01:53 UTC

  Argentina reports a slight drop in hake landings

  

  A slight drop in hake landings between January and November compared to the same period a year ago has been registered in Argentina according to official statistics released this week.

• Thursday, November 19th 2009 - 04:49 UTC

  Argentina regulates individual catch quota fisheries law effective 2010

  

  Argentina announced this week the regulation of the Fisheries Law that allows for 15 years individual transferable catch quotas (ITQs) of common hake (Merluccius hubbsi) which is to become effective in 2010. The new system is also applicable to other three species: hoki (Macruronus magellanicus), Patagonian toothfish (Dissostichus eleginoides) and southern blue whiting (Micromesistius australis).

• Wednesday, November 11th 2009 - 10:29 UTC

  Fighting to get Atlantic albatrosses off the hook

  

  As scientists gather in Recife, Brazil, to agree on quotas for the Atlantic and Mediterranean stocks of tuna and swordfish in the latest round of fisheries talks, the RSPB (Royal Society for the Protection of Birds) and BirdLife International are reminding delegates that at least 37 species of seabirds are at risk from these fisheries.