Fisheries
FisheriesFAO sponsored guidelines for flag sate accountability and cutting illegal fishing
After several years of negotiations, countries have taken a major step against illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing (IUU), one of the greatest threats to sustainable fisheries and related livelihoods.
EU reaches ambitious agreement on fish discarding; no details on implementation
Fifty years after the European Union fishing quota system was introduced, the EU has at last reached an ambitious agreement on the controversial practice of discarding fish. This comes over a month after the European Parliament voted for a ban.
Fisheries minister says Japan will never stop hunting whales “it’s part of our culture”
Japan's fisheries minister said Tuesday his country will never stop hunting whales, despite fierce criticism from other nations and violent clashes at sea with militant conservationists.
Major global effort involving Interpol launched to eliminate IUU fishing
Interpol Environmental Crime Program, with support from the Pew Charitable Trusts, the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation, this week announced the beginning of a massive global movement -- Project SCALE -- to cull illegal fishing and associated crimes.
Fish discard clash in Brussels; NE Atlantic has highest discard rate, says UN
Europe's fisheries ministers may dilute plans for a total ban on the practice of discarding fish at sea, as they meet in Brussels. An outright discards ban was widely welcomed when backed by the European Parliament last month, but it is being resisted by France, Spain and others.
Falklands confirms £ 26m fishing and oil ‘windfalls’ only for the Consolidated Fund
The Falkland Islands government at a public meeting defended their position of not including in the annual budget what they described as ‘windfalls’ from fishing and oil and instead adding the ‘exceptional” excess revenue to the Consolidated Fund.
Foreign Office pledges more marine protected areas in the Southern Ocean
The Foreign Office said that the UK is striving to ensure that all fishing undertaken in the Southern Ocean is carefully managed and sustainable and that the current FCO focus is supporting international work to establish a network of Southern Ocean Marine Protected Areas.
Japanese scientists explain how flying squid jet out of sea and glide for over 30 meters
Looks like Olympic Gold medalist Usain Bolt may finally have some competition. Japanese researchers published a study in German magazine ‘Marine Biology’ about the ocean squid that can fly more than 30 meters through the air at a speed of 11.2 meters per second.
US NOAA identifies 10 countries that conducted IUU fishing in 2011-12
As part of its overall efforts to ensure that the US fishing industry isn’t undermined by unsustainable or illegal activities, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has submitted a Congressionally mandated report identifying ten nations whose fishing vessels engaged in illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing in 2011 or 2012, or had ineffective measures to prevent the unintended catch of protected species in 2012.
South Georgia implements additional measures to safeguard Marine Protected Area
The United Kingdom Minister for the Overseas Territories Mark Simmonds welcomed the announcement of a set of additional measures to safeguard the sustainable-use Marine Protected Area (MPA) around the South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands.
