Source: Seas At Risk
In October 2017, Seas At Risk together with its Portuguese members organised a conference on ‘Deep sea mining – A sustainable choice for Portugal?’, which was attended by over 100 participants, including Portuguese and Azorean government representatives, NGOs and scientists. The conference also marked the launch of Oceano Livre, a coalition of Portuguese NGOs against deep sea mining.
Continue reading Deep sea mining – A sustainable choice for Portugal?
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Continue reading Download our briefing paper Missing At Sea – a new EU deep-sea fishing regulation
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London, November 14, 2014 – The North East Atlantic Fisheries Commission (NEAFC) this week agreed to close six new areas totaling around 11,000 square kilometres to bottom fishing to protect vulnerable deep-sea species ecosystems and extended its prohibition on the catch of several shark species.
On July 14th, European Fisheries Ministers will be meeting at the Council in Brussels. A reform of the EU deep-sea fisheries management regulation, including the ban of deep-sea bottom trawling, was proposed by Fisheries Commissioner Maria Damanaki in July 2012. As trawlers continue to drag their nets, the Fisheries Council drags its feet mainly due to the pressure that countries such as France and Spain have put up to hinder the reform. These industrial fishing nations are now jeopardizing the adoption of the ban in Council.
Continue reading International Mobilisation Against Deep-Sea Bottom Trawling on July 14th
London — The North East Atlantic Fisheries Commission, or NEAFC, this week has adopted stronger regulations for the management of deep-sea fisheries and the conservation of deep-sea species and habitats in the North East Atlantic. NEAFC is a regional treaty organization established to manage high seas fisheries in the North East Atlantic Ocean. The new regulation is expected to enter into force in September of this year.
Source: WWF
Parties to the OSPAR Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the North-East Atlantic should take measures to control human impacts in marine protected areas. Action is being urged in advance of the upcoming OSPAR meeting in Cascais, Portugal, beginning June 23.
Continue reading WWF urges new measures as protected areas fail high seas wildlife
In the lead up to World Oceans Day, Portugal has enacted a ban on bottom trawling and bottom gillnet fishing over 2 million square kilometres of the North Atlantic Ocean.
Continue reading Portugal bans bottom trawling on seamounts on the high seas in the North Atlantic
Source: The Fish Site
PORTUGAL – Trawling’s impacts on marine ecosystems can be assessed using simple metrics which characterise easy-to-obtain samples of fish, new research suggests. The Portuguese study shows that groups of fish become dominated by fewer species as fishing intensity increases, while their total biomass declines. Moreover, in the most fished areas there were other noteworthy changes, such as substantial reductions in the proportion of sharks and rays. Bottom trawling, a form of fishing which involves dragging nets along the seafloor, can have devastating effects on marine life. The heavy equipment used to hold the net open can damage habitats, changing the structure and function of these sensitive environments.
Continue reading Seafloor trawling’s ecological impacts revealed
