Blog: Oceans

It’s crunch time (again) for Europe’s fish ministers

Posted by Willie — 13 May 2013 at 12:56pm - Comments
All rights reserved. Credit: Greenpeace
A full page ad calls for Benyon to support sustainable fishing

If you listen to Ronan Keating much (I don’t) – you’d be familiar with the concept that Life is a Rollercoaster.

But for some of us, it’s a bit more accurate to liken the process of reforming Europe’s failed fish laws to that particular fun-fair ride : full of twists and turns, highs and lows, moments of hopeful elation, followed by moments of abject panic and fear. And sometimes making us reach for a sick bag.

Article tagged as: CFP, oceans, richard benyon, sustainable fishing

Championing small-scale fishermen in court battle for fairer quotas

Posted by Ariana Densham — 1 May 2013 at 11:28am - Comments
All rights reserved. Credit: Greenpeace
Small-scale fishermen outside the Royal Courts of Justice

Imagine if someone claimed ownership of a percentage of the sparrows in the sky or a share of the deer in our forests? Would this seem absurd to you? I agree.

Unbelievably, this is now set to be the heart of an unprecedented court battle – except that it’s over who ultimately controls the UK’s fishing quota, and therefore who 'owns' the fish in our seas. 

Article tagged as: CFP, NUTFA, small scale fishing, sustainable fishing, ukafpo

How are you celebrating World Penguin Day?

Posted by Willie — 25 April 2013 at 10:39am - Comments
All rights reserved. Credit: Mauthe/Greenpeace
This Gentoo penguin is celebrating - are you?

It’s World Penguin Day today, April 25th, and I simply can’t imagine a world that didn’t have penguins in it. So in order to celebrate our funny fine-flippered friends I thought it would be good to pull together some fun facts about penguins. Some are fun, some are facts, and some are both at once.

Article tagged as: biodiversity, endangered species, penguins, southern ocean

Revealing the NFFO’s members – opening Pandora’s Box?

Posted by Ariana Densham — 15 March 2013 at 12:43pm - Comments

How would you feel if you were betrayed by the very people who are meant to be protecting your interests? This is what we discovered about the National Federation of Fishermen's Organisations (NFFO) last month. It turns out that instead of standing up for small scale fishermen, they have actually been trying to deny them the wider representation in Europe that they so desperately need.

Article tagged as: CFP, nffo, oceans, responsible fishing

Revealing the NFFO’s members – opening Pandora’s Box?

Posted by Ariana Densham — 15 March 2013 at 12:43pm - Comments

How would you feel if you were betrayed by the very people who are meant to be protecting your interests? This is what we discovered about the National Federation of Fishermen's Organisations (NFFO) last month. It turns out that instead of standing up for small scale fishermen, they have actually been trying to deny them the wider representation in Europe that they so desperately need.

Article tagged as: CFP, nffo, oceans, responsible fishing

Good riddance to bad fishing

Posted by Willie — 14 March 2013 at 6:10pm - Comments
All rights reserved. Credit: Greenpeace
The Margiris is sent packing

Over in Australia, our colleagues have just seen off an unwanted supertrawler, the Margiris. This monster of a boat has been sent packing after an unprecedented campaign by Greenpeace, local fishermen and NGOs, which resulted in the government banished it from fishing in Australian waters.

Article tagged as: factory fishing, nffo, supertrawlers, unsustainable fishing

Who holds the UK fish pie? We’d all like to know.

Posted by Ariana Densham — 5 March 2013 at 6:34pm - Comments
All rights reserved. Credit: © David Sandison, Greenpeace
Sustainably caught wild bass, Newlyn

When did the world of fish become so secretive, and why? This is a question that I have been thinking about a lot recently, and which was today also questioned by The Times. 

Article tagged as: artisanal fishing, CFP, fish, fishing quotas, sustainable fishing

The floating factories finishing off our fish

Posted by Willie — 28 February 2013 at 5:36pm - Comments
Activists intercept the world’s second largest factory fishing trawler, the FV M
All rights reserved. Credit: Greenpeace

Q: when is a fishing boat not a fishing boat?

A: when it’s actually a floating factory.

No, it’s not a good joke. It’s not much of a joke at all.

Article tagged as: factory fishing, fishing, monster boats, overfishing

Hardcore prawns: trashing tropical seas for a cheap treat

Posted by Willie — 28 February 2013 at 5:24pm - Comments

When I was little, salmon and shrimps were posh, fancy food, served up at celebrations and the like. Fast forward a few decades and both of those have descended to becoming everyday food, available in pre-packed sandwiches and cheap meals in every supermarket.

But cheap and available at what real cost?

Article tagged as: bycatch, fishing, hugh's fish fight, overfishing, prawns, shrimp, shrimp farms

Saving the Southern Ocean: the penguins need you!

Posted by Willie — 21 February 2013 at 5:33pm - Comments
King Penguins in the St. Andrews Bay on South Georgia in the Atlantic Ocean
All rights reserved. Credit: Markus Mauthe / Greenpeace
Antarctica's land needs protecting, but so do its oceans

Antarctica is special. It’s home to globally recognisable species that we, as a planet, value. It’s a continent apart from all others, and it’s a place we have all pledged to protect for the future.

But this isolated continent is surrounded by a sea, the Southern Ocean, that doesn’t yet have the protection it needs.

Article tagged as: antarctic oceans alliance, antarctica, fishing, overfishing, southern ocean
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