Fishing

New trade protections for sharks - but are they enough?

Posted by Willie — 19 October 2016 at 10:01am - Comments
All rights reserved. Credit: BBC, Carlos Aguilera
Hoo-RAY! A Mobular ray leaps from the ocean after hearing about the new CITES protection for sharks.

Like it or not, around the world many species of animals are seen as tradeable commodities – for things like food, fur, fashion or medicine. Of course we know that historically hunting animals for commercial gain has often been really bad news for the animals concerned. Just stop and think about some of the most recognisable big land mammals – things like tigers, elephants and rhinos – and it’s pretty evident what trade can do to even well-known beasts, pushing many of them to the very brink of extinction.

The lowdown on UN's SOFIA report: 89.5% of fish are now fully or overfished

Posted by Fiona Nicholls — 23 September 2016 at 4:39pm - Comments
All rights reserved. Credit: Greenpeace

The SOFIA report is a biennial publication that outlines the State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture of the previous two years, hence the name. Commissioned by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (‘for a world without hunger,’ is their tagline), the report is a big deal in the world of fish. It’s considered a check up on the state of the world’s fish stocks and our consumption.

Will George Eustice finally create a fair deal for small-scale fishermen?

Posted by Alix FOSTER VAN... — 15 September 2016 at 4:52pm - Comments
George Eustice signing a Greenpeace petition asking the Government to reallocate
All rights reserved. Credit: Greenpeace
George Eustice signing a petition asking the government to create a fair deal for small-scale fishermen.

(Guest blog by Frances Rankin)

Fisheries Minister George Eustice was at the House of Lords yesterday, facing questions on the future of the fishing industry after we leave the EU.

Fishing for plankton is ridiculous.

Posted by Willie — 1 June 2016 at 5:04pm - Comments
All rights reserved. Credit: http://spongebob.wikia.com/wiki/Sheldon_J._Plankton/gallery
Plankton is justifiably outraged.

In the ocean, plankton is food.

There are two types of plankton – tiny plants (phytoplankton) and tiny animals (zooplankton).

Zooplankton includes some eggs and larvae of things like fish and crabs, as well as some minute animals that feed on phytoplankton. That makes them the first link in any food chain, and the basis for all of the ocean’s food webs.

Behind The Lens

Posted by MeenaRajput — 31 May 2016 at 2:44pm - Comments

Photographer, Will Rose, joined Greenpeace activists on an expedition to the Indian Ocean to remove dozens of destructive Fish Aggregating Devices. These FADs kill endangered marine life including sharks and turtles, but despite this, leading tuna brands John West and Thai Union continue to use them. Since our campaign launched, Tesco and Waitrose have threatened to remove John West from their shelves unless they clean up their act. 

Finding a sense of porpoise.

Posted by Willie — 19 May 2016 at 12:00pm - Comments
All rights reserved. Credit: Stefan Schorr / Greenpeace

Being a porpoise looks rubbish.

Dolphins look like they have fun. They even look like they seek out fun. Okay, the fixed grins make them seem perpetually happy but let’s be honest - when was the last time you saw a porpoise jumping out of the water or heard a friend gushing about an *amazing* experience seeing porpoises?

There’s good reason that porpoises don’t have the wow factor of dolphins: and it’s not just that they have bad PR people.

The winners and losers: tinned tuna league table kicks off new campaign to end destructive fishing

Posted by Ariana Densham — 2 October 2015 at 4:29pm - Comments
All rights reserved. Credit: Emily Buchanan
John West are failing to meet their commitment to source sustainable tuna

The new Greenpeace tinned tuna league table exposes the wide gulf between UK supermarkets and brands which have taken sustainability seriously and those which have simply broken promises to clean up. Use this to help you decide which brands to buy and which to avoid until they improve. 

#JustTuna

For the first time, this league table ranks brands on a wider range of issues. Yes, there’s fishing methods of course, but we’ve also rated them on;

Greenpeace wins permission to take UK government to court over fish quotas

Posted by Ariana Densham — 24 April 2015 at 4:25pm - Comments
All rights reserved. Credit: John Cobb / Greenpeace
Fishermen outside the High Court in 2013

Yesterday the UK High Court gave the green light for a full judicial review into whether the UK fishing quota allocation system is unlawful under new European law. 

The government has given out fishing quota in largely the same way since the mid-90s. About 95% of the fishing quota is awarded to the larger end of the fleet, most notably domestic and foreign controlled industrial fishing businesses – such as the vessel Cornelis Vrolijk - which we previously exposed. It's symbolic of just how broken the system is.

Illegal fishing coming to waters near you

Posted by Ariana Densham — 17 March 2015 at 2:32pm - Comments
Illegal fishing for Patagonian toothfish in Antarctic waters
All rights reserved. Credit: New Zealand Defence Force
Crew members aboard the Kunlun fishing illegally in the Southern Ocean haul in a Patagonian toothfish

Illegal fishing is a global problem. Between  €9 - €23 billion is lost every year to illegal fishing and often as a result of international organised crime. Previously, imports of illegal fishing products into the EU were estimated at €1.1 billion. It is often linked to environmental crimes which damage marine habitats and animals, not to mention food insecurity in developing countries, human, drugs and arms trafficking, as well as forced labour on board fishing vessels.

Illegal fishing can happen anywhere and at anytime and last week there were two very interesting developments both at home and abroad. 

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