Fisheries

• Monday, May 25th 2009 - 17:44 UTC

  Decline in freshwater fish took medieval Europe to the open seas

  Medieval European fishermen first took to the open seas in about AD1.000 as a result of a sharp decline in large freshwater fish, scientists have suggested. They say the decline was probably the result of rising population and pollution levels.

• Monday, May 25th 2009 - 17:31 UTC

  EU fisheries policy up for review; 80% Europe’s stocks overfished

  

  European Union fisheries ministers are in Brussels to review rules on how much fish can be caught in EU waters. The EU's executive, the European Commission, says more than 80% of Europe's fish stocks are now overfished. The global average is 28%.

• Friday, May 15th 2009 - 09:29 UTC

  Argentina tightens conservation for polaca, hoki and Patagonian toothfish

  

  Argentina is tightening fisheries conservation in the South Atlantic. The Secretariat of Agriculture, Livestock, Fishery, and Food (SAGP&A) announced it will establish catch limits, intended to last 15 years, for polaca (Micromesistius australis), hoki (Macruronus magellanicus) and Patagonian toothfish (Dissostichus eleginoides).

• Tuesday, May 12th 2009 - 04:43 UTC

  No peace between pro and anti-whaling countries, anticipates BBC

  

  Moves to make a peace deal between pro and anti-whaling nations have stalled, with no chance of agreement. Countries have been talking for nearly a year in an attempt to hammer out an accord by this year's International Whaling Commission (IWC) meeting. But a draft report seen by BBC News admits the process has “fallen short”.

• Saturday, May 9th 2009 - 01:34 UTC

  FAO proposals to tackle abandoned fishing gear lost at sea

  

  The UN Food and Agriculture Organization, FAO and the UN Environment Program, UNEP have made a number or recommendations for tackling the problem of abandoned fishing gear lost at sea and which are severely hurting the marine environment.

• Friday, May 8th 2009 - 07:17 UTC

  One sailor missing as fishing vessel is lost off Rio Gallegos

  

  The freezer vessel Mataco II, owned by Harengus SA and the Amaltal Fishing Company, sank Tuesday night some 40 nautical miles (70 kilometres) from Rio Gallegos, Santa Cruz, in the midst of a severe storm.

• Friday, May 8th 2009 - 03:13 UTC

  Ghost nets and lost fishing gear hurting marine environment

  

  Large amounts of fishing gear lost at sea or abandoned by fishers are hurting the marine environment, impacting fish stocks through “ghost fishing” and posing a hazard to ships, according to a new report jointly produced by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and UN Environment Programme (UNEP).

• Monday, April 27th 2009 - 13:51 UTC

  New hope for the “critically endangered” grey whales

  

  Conservation campaigners are hailing a victory for the “critically endangered” grey whale. The groups have won agreement from some oil and gas companies in Russian waters to end seismic work, giving grey whales a chance to breed undisturbed.

• Sunday, April 26th 2009 - 17:12 UTC

  Skate recovered three years after tagging in the Falkland's waters

  

  THE fishery around the Falkland Islands is rich and diverse, with the main fisheries focussed on a variety of squid and finfish. Furthermore, the area is also widely inhabited by a number of skate species, a family closely related to sharks.

• Friday, April 24th 2009 - 04:51 UTC

  EC determined to radical fisheries reform and lower catch capacity

  

  The European Commission (EC) has raised the issue of radically reforming the European Union (EU) Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) to Member States, in favour of an important reduction of the fishing capacity, among other points.