Welcome   Sponsored By
Subscribe | Register | Advertise | Newsletter | About us | Contact us
   


Illegal fishing for sharks and rays is devastating marine ecosystems, and the situation in the Mediterranean is worse than anywhere in the world (WWF)

WWF Press Release: Illegal fishing of sharks and rays caught on camera in the Mediterranean

EUROPEAN UNION
Monday, July 13, 2020, 07:00 (GMT + 9)

Multiple species of sharks and rays, some of them critically endangered, are being illegally caught on a regular basis in the Mediterranean Sea, evidence obtained by WWF reveals. These activities are proof of Member States’ failure to enforce and comply with  EU fisheries legislation for the sustainable management of our seas. WWF calls on the European Parliament Fisheries Committee to support increased transparency and traceability of fisheries activities when they vote on the revised EU fisheries control regulation later this year. The EU must ensure its seafood supply chain is sustainable and stand by international commitments to safeguard a healthy ocean.

IUCN Red List figures for the Mediterranean, showing shark and ray species at risk of extinction - more than half are severely threatened

A citizen scientist initiative known as the M.E.C.O project has shared dozens of social media photos and videos taken in the last few years in 11 Mediterranean countries, over half of which are EU Member States. Activities caught on camera include illegal landings of endangered giant devil rays in Spain, while white, mako and smooth hammerhead sharks are ending up on markets in Italy and France, despite being critically endangered. 

Dr Antonia Leroy, Head of Ocean Policy at WWF European Policy Office said: "There is a tragedy unfolding in our ocean because EU fishing rules are not being applied properly – these awful images are merely our most recent glimpse of it. The extinction of even one of these predators from our seas would be an unprecedented loss for the whole marine ecosystem, in turn jeopardising the EU’s €8 billion fisheries industry and the livelihoods of fishers playing by the rules. The revision of the Control Regulation is a critical opportunity to mend the holes in the net which allow such illicit activities to persist.” 

The EU Regulation to prevent, deter and eliminate illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing (IUU) has been in effect since 1 January 2010, while the reformed Common Fisheries Policy (CFP), which ensures that fishing and aquaculture are environmentally, economically and socially sustainable has been in force since 1 January 2014. However, illegal fishing operations have continued to prosper in EU waters and measures such as the Landing Obligation have failed to be successfully implemented on time. These demonstrate that the EU fisheries control system, designed to ensure that the rules of the CFP are followed in practice, is failing and requires ambitious revision.


Click to enlarge

The Mediterranean is a biodiversity hotspot for sharks and rays, with over 80 different species counted in its waters, but more than half of them are threatened and some face the real possibility of extinction. Toothless regulations aimed at conserving vulnerable populations are often not properly implemented at national level and, as this latest evidence shows, those that are in place are routinely ignored in poorly managed markets. Effective controls to both curb illegal activities and proactively support a sustainable seafood market are urgently needed.

editorial@seafood.media
www.seafood.media


 Print


Click to know how to advertise in FIS
MORE NEWS
Australia
Mar 28, 21:10 (GMT + 9):
IN BRIEF - At WTO, Australia seeks details on India's fisheries plan
United States
Mar 28, 07:20 (GMT + 9):
AQUA Cultured Foods Partners with Ginkgo Bioworks to Optimize Alt-Seafood Production
United States
Mar 28, 07:00 (GMT + 9):
Seafood Expo Global Announced Finalists of the 2024 Seafood Excellence Global Awards
Norway
Mar 28, 07:00 (GMT + 9):
Borealis and AKVA group launch groundbreaking Polarcirkel™ workboat hull crafted from renewable feedstock-based plastic
Viet Nam
Mar 28, 07:00 (GMT + 9):
China & HK imported 75 million USD of Vietnamese pangasius
Japan
Mar 28, 07:00 (GMT + 9):
The first fly meal-based food in Japan developed by Nichimo
United States
Mar 28, 06:50 (GMT + 9):
Southern Shrimp Alliance Praises Congressional Representatives for Demanding Action on Indian Shrimp
Norway
Mar 28, 06:50 (GMT + 9):
Fish Pool Salmon Price Status Report for week 13
Norway
Mar 28, 06:40 (GMT + 9):
Statistics │ Export by destination │ Atlantic salmon: semi-dress/fillet fresh │ by country │ 2022-23-24
Papua New Guinea
Mar 28, 04:00 (GMT + 9):
IN BRIEF - Thrilling progress in PNG fisheries sector
Norway
Mar 28, 01:00 (GMT + 9):
IN BRIEF - Marine protected areas safeguard more than ecology – they bring economic benefits to fisheries and tourism
South Africa
Mar 28, 01:00 (GMT + 9):
IN BRIEF - Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment on Biodiversity Economy and Investment Indaba
Japan
Mar 28, 01:00 (GMT + 9):
Maruha Nichiro: 'Salmon is the most consumed dish in conveyor belt sushi restaurants for 13 consecutive years'
European Union
Mar 28, 00:50 (GMT + 9):
IN BRIEF - EU seeks to boost fisheries competitiveness, Morocco ranks high as exporter
United Kingdom
Mar 28, 00:00 (GMT + 9):
Other Media | SalmonBusiness: Aquaculture Stewardship Council exits China amidst forced labour fallout



Lenguaje
FEATURED EVENTS
  
TOP STORIES
Clipfish challenges in Brazil: Port bureaucracy stops millions worth
Brazil More and more clipfish containers are being stopped in Brazilian ports. - Complicated regulations make market access challenging, to say the least, say Norwegian exporters who risk large losses. Bra...
Catches in the Sea of Okhotsk and Bering Sea
Russia Fed. Situational update as of 03/24/2024 Source: Stockfile FIS Sea of Okhotsk (pollock) According to OSM data in the Sea of Okhotsk, pollock catch (industrial and coastal fisheries) as of March 24, 20...
Productive Development of the Fishing Activity
Peru Fishing Sector Bulletin - January 2024 The landing of hydrobiological resources registered a negative interannual variation of 62.7%, as a result of the lower landing of fishing resources for indirec...
NGO Sues UK Government Over International Fishing Quotas
United Kingdom Blue Marine Foundation, a charity dedicated to restoring the ocean to health, has launched legal proceedings over the government’s decision to set fishing opportunities, for more than half UK st...
 

Maruha Nichiro Corporation
Nichirei Corporation - Headquarters
Pesquera El Golfo S.A.
Ventisqueros - Productos del Mar Ventisqueros S.A
Wärtsilä Corporation - Wartsila Group Headquarters
ITOCHU Corporation - Headquarters
BAADER - Nordischer Maschinenbau Rud. Baader GmbH+Co.KG (Head Office)
Inmarsat plc - Global Headquarters
Marks & Spencer
Tesco PLC (Supermarket) - Headquarters
Sea Harvest Corporation (PTY) Ltd. - Group Headquarters
I&J - Irvin & Johnson Holding Company (Pty) Ltd.
AquaChile S.A. - Group Headquarters
Pesquera San Jose S.A.
Nutreco N.V. - Head Office
CNFC China National Fisheries Corporation - Group Headquarters
W. van der Zwan & Zn. B.V.
SMMI - Sunderland Marine Mutual Insurance Co., Ltd. - Headquarters
Icicle Seafoods, Inc
Starkist Seafood Co. - Headquearters
Trident Seafoods Corp.
American Seafoods Group LLC - Head Office
Marel - Group Headquarters
SalMar ASA - Group Headquarters
Sajo Industries Co., Ltd
Hansung Enterprise Co.,Ltd.
BIM - Irish Sea Fisheries Board (An Bord Iascaigh Mhara)
CEFAS - Centre for Environment, Fisheries & Aquaculture Science
COPEINCA ASA - Corporacion Pesquera Inca S.A.C.
Chun Cheng Fishery Enterprise Pte Ltd.
VASEP - Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters & Producers
Gomes da Costa
Furuno Electric Co., Ltd. (Headquarters)
NISSUI - Nippon Suisan Kaisha, Ltd. - Group Headquarters
FAO - Food and Agriculture Organization - Fisheries and Aquaculture Department (Headquarter)
Hagoromo Foods Co., Ltd.
Koden Electronics Co., Ltd. (Headquarters)
A.P. Møller - Maersk A/S - Headquarters
BVQI - Bureau Veritas Quality International (Head Office)
UPS - United Parcel Service, Inc. - Headquarters
Brim ehf (formerly HB Grandi Ltd) - Headquarters
Hamburg Süd Group - (Headquearters)
Armadora Pereira S.A. - Grupo Pereira Headquarters
Costa Meeresspezialitäten GmbH & Co. KG
NOAA - National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (Headquarters)
Mowi ASA (formerly Marine Harvest ASA) - Headquarters
Marubeni Europe Plc -UK-
Findus Ltd
Icom Inc. (Headquarter)
WWF Centroamerica
Oceana Group Limited
The David and Lucile Packard Foundation
Ajinomoto Co., Inc. - Headquarters
Friosur S.A. - Headquarters
Cargill, Incorporated - Global Headquarters
Benihana Inc.
Leardini Pescados Ltda
CJ Corporation  - Group Headquarters
Greenpeace International - The Netherlands | Headquarters
David Suzuki Foundation
Fisheries and Oceans Canada -Communications Branch-
Mitsui & Co.,Ltd - Headquarters
NOREBO Group (former Ocean Trawlers Group)
Natori Co., Ltd.
Carrefour Supermarket - Headquarters
FedEx Corporation - Headquarters
Cooke Inc. - Group Headquarters
AKBM - Aker BioMarine ASA
Seafood Choices Alliance -Headquarter-
Austevoll Seafood ASA
Walmart | Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. (Supermarket) - Headquarters
New Japan Radio Co.Ltd (JRC) -Head Office-
Gulfstream JSC
Marine Stewardship Council - MSC Worldwide Headquarters
Royal Dutch Shell plc (Headquarter)
Genki Sushi Co.,Ltd -Headquarter-
Iceland Pelagic ehf
AXA Assistance Argentina S.A.
Caterpillar Inc. - Headquarters
Tiger Brands Limited
SeaChoice
National Geographic Society
AmazonFresh, LLC - AmazonFresh

Copyright 1995 - 2024 Seafood Media Group Ltd.| All Rights Reserved.   DISCLAIMER