Illegal fisheries: green cards for five countries, but red card for Sri Lanka. (EC -14.10.14)

European Commission, Press release, Brussels, 14 October 2014:

In its fight against illegal fishing activities worldwide, the European Commission has today proposed to ban imports of fisheries products from Sri Lanka to tackle the commercial benefits stemming from illegal fishing. The move comes after four years of intense dialogue with the country after which it could not demonstrate that it sufficiently addressed illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing. In contrast, the Commission today confirmed that Belize, Fiji, Panama, Togo and Vanuatu, which had received warnings at the same time as Sri Lanka, have successfully taken measures to tackle illegal fishing. Consequently, the Commission proposes to lift the trade measures imposed in March this year against Belize.

THE TIME TO INVEST IN OCEAN ENERGY IS NOW

(Maria Damanaki, Commissioner for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries)

" It has become clear over the past years that our seas and oceans can generate huge economic growth and create jobs, much needed in these times. That is why we have been working for the past five years on our Blue Growth strategy to foster sustainable blue economy. Ocean energy is part of this strategy. It is a very promising sector, capable to exploit an indigenous, predictable, safe source of clean energy.

TACKLING THE SKILLS GAP IN BLUE CAREERS

(Maria Damanaki, Commissioner for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries)
 - One of the paradoxes of our time is that, while half of our young people are unemployed in the EU, the blue industry has difficulties to find people with the appropriate skills. We know for example that there is a shortage of qualified workers for the growing sector of offshore wind industry.

Considering that the EU needs to be at the forefront of Blue innovation and should not risk being overtaken by competitors, we need to concretely address this skills gap.

EU mulls over supportive measures on fisheries sector to combat Russian trade ban

The European Union (EU) has planned to provide financial support to fisheries sector, together with a proposal of shifting unused fishing quotas to 2015 to counter Russian trade ban, an EU official said on Monday.

According to a letter, European Commissioner for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Maria Damanaki reassured the Council and the European Parliament that the European Commission stands ready to support the European fisheries sector.

OCEAN HEALTH: LET´S SEIZE THIS INTERNATIONAL MOMENTUM

.....Just last week, President Obama announced the US commitment to fight illegal fishing and to establish a marine protected area in the Pacific. 

This week, I am in New York for the launch of the “Global Ocean Commission” (GOC) report on global ocean governance and we’ll continue the discussion on 30 June in Brussels. 

EU warns Philippines, Papua New Guinea over illegal fishing

The European Commission on Tuesday warned the Philippines and Papua New Guinea over insufficient action to fight illegal fishing, threatening them with further trade sanctions, according to an EU statement.

Both countries identified as non-cooperative in the fight against illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing, are being given a yellow card warning and a reasonable time to respond and take measures to rectify the situation.

BLUEFIN TUNA: THE LONG PATH OF RECOVERY

Bluefin Tuna is an emblematic species, fished and appreciated all across the globe. But when I took office four years ago, the state of the stocks was extremely alarming. We were exporting and eating more bluefin tuna than we were expected to catch!

In 2012 we managed to take action at global level: we implemented, within the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT), a very strict recovery plan based on advice by scientists.

NO MORE DRIFTNETS IN OUR WATERS

Driftnet fishing – with vertical nets – is an irresponsible practice. It is a non-selective fishery which leads to non-targeted catches. It threatens marine wildlife and species which are protected under EU legislation. Tolerating this practice comes in contradiction with our newly reformed Common Fisheries Policy.

One of the core principles of our Reform is to reduce the pressure of fishing activities on marine ecosystems. This is a key value that we promote also in our international agreements. It is important that we remain coherent and ensure such prohibited and destructive practices are not taking place in the EU anymore. We need to lead by example on sustainability.

Fisheries: European Commission proposes full ban on driftnets

The European Commission wants to prohibit the use of any kind of driftnets for fishing in all EU waters as of 1 January 2015. Although rules are already in place to forbid using driftnets to catch certain migratory fishes, the practice continues to be a cause of concern due to the incidental catching of marine mammals, sea turtles and sea birds which are mostly protected under EU legislation. To fight circumvention, the Commission proposal includes a full ban of driftnets fishing in the EU as well as the prohibition of keeping driftnets on board of fishing vessels. Furthermore, to avoid ambiguity, the proposal refines the current definition of a driftnet.

Fish farmed in the EU: a healthy, fresh and local alternative

Maria Damanaki, European Commissioner for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, Brussels, 7 May 2014:

Aquaculture Event at Seafood Expo Global - 

"Ladies and Gentlemen,

I will be brief… I can see many of you are eyeing up the delicious samples on offer here and this is precisely the purpose today: showcase our "EU farmed fish"! I am delighted to be here today to highlight the benefits of eating, fresh, locally produced fish. In other words, fish farmed here in the EU. When I say "fish", I mean of course both finfish and shellfish.

NO EXCUSES: WE NEED TO PROTECT THE ANTARCTIC. - Only less than one percent of the world’s oceans are currently set aside as “protected”

Maria Damanaki, Commissioner for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries:

"Did you know that only less than one percent of the world’s oceans are currently set aside as “protected”? Only a handful of those areas are spared human interference altogether. Today’s International Penguin Day reminds us of the need to protect Antarctic habitats before it’s too late. If we are to save the last remaining pockets of pristine ocean and the thousands of unique species living there, we need to act fast.

EU takes concrete action against illegal fishing. -European Commission

Following a Commission proposal, the Council of Ministers has today decided to list Belize, Cambodia and Guinea-Conakry as countries acting insufficiently against illegal fishing. After several warnings, measures will now come into effect against the three countries to tackle the commercial benefits stemming from illegal fishing. This means that imports into the EU of any fisheries products caught by vessels from these countries will now be banned, whilst EU vessels will not be allowed to fish in these countries' waters. It is the first time that measures of this type are adopted at EU level.

European Commissioner for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, Maria Damanaki, welcomed the decision:

THEY SAY OLD HABITS DIE HARD…

From fish egg to adult fish, all species follow important stages of development. And we definitely need to respect this life cycle. Even more now that the state of the stocks is alarming in the Mediterranean.
The maths are simple: for one juvenile left in the sea today we will have a new generation tomorrow. For example, a juvenile codfish reaches 10 cm, weights 5.4 grams and has no chance to reproduce. A mature codfish of 80 cm weights in average 3.6 kilos and produces 657 eggs. And if we let these new 657 juveniles grow up to maturity, we could fish in the end up to 2400 kilos of codfish. In other words, fishing juveniles is completely illogical.

Less is More: We Need a Global Strategy to End Fishing Overcapacity

The global ocean, from the coast to the high seas, is facing multiple threats. We rely on the ocean for food, for transport, for the very air we breathe, but the current systems in place for governing and managing its resources are not fit for purpose. As a result, fish stocks are being depleted, rich biodiversity is at risk and illegal fishing vessels threaten the food security of whole nations. It is our economies that suffer -- depletion of fish stocks alone costs the global economy an estimated $50 billion per year.

The root of the problem is fishing overcapacity: too many boats chasing too few fish. Most problematic are the thousands of powerful, modern boats, equipped with high-tech tools able to find fish almost anywhere. But the more fish these boats take out, the fewer fish there are that can reproduce, and the more fishers must turn to potent tools to find them.

La Commission européenne veut développer l'énergie marémotrice

La Commission européenne a lancé lundi un plan d'action pour inciter les 28 à exploiter leurs vagues et marées, une source d'énergie renouvelable jugée prometteuse pour compléter éolien et solaire. Le secteur permettrait de créer plus de 25.000 emplois temps plein et 14.000 emplois temporaires.

L'énergie marémotrice est "une énergie à portée de la main, que l'on peut exploiter de manière écologique", a souligné lors d'une conférence de presse le Commissaire à l'Energie, Gunther Oettinger.

Ευρωπαϊκή «κίτρινη κάρτα» σε 8 κράτη για παράνομη αλιεία

Η Ευρωπαϊκή Επιτροπή προειδοποίησε με κυρώσεις οκτώ αναπτυσσόμενες χώρες αν δεν λάβουν περισσότερα μέτρα για να σταματήσουν την «εγκληματική» παράνομη αλιευτική δραστηριότητα, επισημαίνοντας ότι είναι η πρώτη φορά που προβαίνει σε ανάλογη δράση.
Η Επιτροπή δήλωσε μεν ότι δεν έχει ακόμη σκοπό να επιβάλει κυρώσεις στα κράτη Μπελίζε, Καμπότζη, Φίτζι, Γουινέα, Παναμά, Σρι Λάνκα, Τόγκο και Βανουάτου, ωστόσο τόνισε ότι θα μπορούσαν να αντιμετωπίσουν κυρώσεις, όπως η απαγόρευση πώλησης αλιευτικών εργαλείων στην Ευρώπη, αν δεν ανταποκριθούν στην προειδοποίηση.
«Αυτό δεν είναι μια μαύρη λίστα, αλλά μια κίτρινη κάρτα» δήλωσε χαρακτηριστικά η ελληνίδα Επίτροπος Αλιείας της ΕΕ Μαρία Δαμανάκη [1].

BLUE ENERGY: THE TIDE IS TURNING

The power of waves

Until today, despite the considerable investment, very little electricity has been generated using ocean power anywhere in the world. But the several hundreds international experts and world-leading companies in ocean energy that gathered in Dublin last week, at the 4th International Conference on Ocean Energy  confirm that the tide is turning.
And right so: waves, tides and currents can provide a dependable supply of clean energy, which could greatly help to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels and European greenhouse gas emissions by about 65 Mt CO2 in 2020.