The Pew Trust published, 26th March 2015, a report titled “Turning the Tide” (very large pdf file) which sets out the history of over-fishing of NW Europe’s seas since 1945 along with a proposal for the recovery of fish stocks in the future. Their press release states: “The seas of north-western Europe — the North, […]

The Institute of Fisheries Management issued the following statement on proposals and actions relating to the management of Sea Bass: “The European sea bass, Dicentrarchus labrax, is a vulnerable species in a changing and dynamic climate. A combination of slow growth, late maturity, spawning aggregation, and strong site fidelity increases the vulnerability of bass to […]

Britishseafishing.co.uk reports that the Atlantic Dawn has been described as the ship from hell. Charles Clover, author of The End of the Line, states “Atlantic Dawn … is the greatest fish killing machine the world has ever seen.” Atlantic Dawn was the world’s largest trawler — and the most controversial fishing vessel ever built. It […]

The Irish Times reports, 27th March 2015: “The skipper of the world’s largest trawler has been convicted of breaching EU fishing regulations on board a vessel that’s half a metre longer than the Croke Park pitch [144 metres] “Two of the five charges against Gerrit Plug, skipper of the 144.6-metre Annelies Ilena, were rejected on […]

The Deep Sea Conservation Coalition has announced, October 2014, a new campaign and published a leaflet to end deep sea fishing in UK and EU seas. The leaflet states: “Most of the targeted fishing for deep-sea species in UK waters is carried out by French and Spanish fleets. These fleets are primarily fishing in UK […]

We provide a link here to a Care2 petition which seeks to require Defra to ban electric pulse trawling. The petition notes read: “Pulse trawling uses electricity to flush flatfish or shrimp out of the sediments in which they hide. The electric shock makes them convulse and flip upwards, into the net. “However, many other […]

The New Zealand Herald reports, 19th March 2015: “The Pacific’s tuna fishery is being hammered by over-fishing as the tiny nations controlling access to the some of the world’s richest waters hold out for more money and greater local investment. “There are fears big-eye, yellow fin and albacore tuna are teetering on the edge of […]

Mongabay.com reports 19th March 2015: “Oceans not only provide important ecosystem services, including climate regulation and nutrient cycling, but they also serve as a major contributor to food and jobs. Yet human actions in the oceans are having a major impact on species, sometimes in unexpected ways. Indeed, a recent study published in Proceedings of […]

A study by the University of Strathclyde states, 19th March 2015: “The fishing industry will have difficulty complying with new EU Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) rules banning the throwing away of unwanted fish. The aim of the regulations, which began to come into force in January 2015, is to reduce waste and improve fish stocks […]

Mcclatchydc.com reports, 19th March 2015: “Scientists studying the Antarctic’s marine life received some unexpected news this month: China plans to vastly increase fishing for Antarctic krill — small crustaceans that are a critical food for the continent’s penguins and other creatures. “China currently harvests about 32,000 metric tons of krill annually from Antarctica’s waters, topped […]

Marinet has written a letter, dated 13th March 2015, to the UK’s Minister for Marine Affairs about the failure to develop the co-location principle whereby MCZsMCZ Marine Conservation Zone are located in conjunction with sites featuring commercial use of the sea.

Marinet has written, 13th March 2015, to George Eustice MP, Minister for Fisheries at Defra, to enquire whether the minister will take any action over the issues involved.

The Guardian reports, 13th March 2015: “Fishermen in the UK could benefit from doubled fish catches within a decade and an expanded industry, if European Union fishing quotas were in line with scientific advice, a new study has found. “British fleets would be able to land 1.1bn tonnes of fish a year — up from […]

Sea Fish Magazine reports, 11th March 2015: “It has been reported that the owner of a Cornelis Vrolijk super-trawler, caught fishing illegally in south-west England, has been allowed to sell its haul for £437,000 while being fined a fraction of the profits, The Times reports. “The Frank Bonefaas was found to be carrying 632,000 kilos […]

Oceana reports, 12th March 2015: “The Spanish Government has announced the launch of ‘Operation Sparrow’, an investigation into several companies for alleged links with illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing activities. “If the investigation finds links to IUU fishing, including financial connections, it could lead to the imposition of significant fines on Spanish companies and […]

A Marine Management Organisation press release, 10th March 2015, reports: “On 6th March 2015 at Bodmin Magistrates courts the master and owner of the Dutch registered trawler Frank Bonefaas SCH-72 were each convicted following guilty pleas after being charged by the Marine Management Organisation (MMO) with illegally retaining on board mackerel caught in the mackerel […]

Authors in the Journal of Applied Ecology, March 2015, report: “The study showed that a network of ‘limited-take zones’, in which trawling and dredging is allowed, would have far fewer benefits for wildlife and fisheries than a network of fully protected ‘no-take zones’. However, the study also revealed that a compromise based on mixing no-take […]

The EU Commission issued the following Press Release, dated 26th January 2015: “The European Commission has announced measures to avert the collapse of the declining sea bass stock. Immediately effective emergency measures will place a ban on targeting the fish stock by trawling while it is reproducing, during the spawning season, which runs until the […]

George Monbiot writes, The Guardian 9th February 2015: “Fishing in Europe with poisons, explosives and electricity is banned. But the EU Commission has gradually been rescinding the ban on using electricity. It began with one or two boats, then in 2010, after ferocious lobbying by the government of the Netherlands, 5% of the Dutch trawler […]

Marine Licensing is the process for getting planning permission to dig, dump or build something at sea. However, communities currently have no rights to challenge the regulator’s decisions. If you want more protection for our seas, please reply to an important Department of Environment (DEFRA) consultation, before the deadline of 25th February 2015. Unusually, DEFRA […]