Behnan Thomas

Danish-owned BioMar is globally one of the most significant feed producers for the aquaculture industry with 14 feed plants and another two under construction.…

A new study claims that the EU will not reach its 2020 goal of sustainably caught fish, as EU ministers continue allowing catches higher than the recommended limits set by scientists. The New Economics Foundation (NEF), an NGO based in the UK, claims that the 2019 TACs for nearly half of EU commercial fish species were set higher than the scientific advice. They found that 55 TAC’s were set above recommended levels equating to approximately 312,000 tonnes in excess catch. The Northeast Atlantic TACs were on average set 16% above scientific advice, an increase of 9% from 2018. Early negotiations for the Baltic Sea and deep sea TACs are currently set higher than expert advice.

The Norwegian Directorate of Fisheries has issued warnings that toxic algae blooms (Chrysochromulina leadbeaterii) are affecting an area of about 450 kilometres of the northern coastline of Norway.

The Bangladesh Fisheries Ministry has banned fishing in coastal areas for 65 days in an attempt to protect its marine populations during breeding season. The ban has been enforced by authorities and is set to run until July 23. Affected fishermen are concerned about how this will affect their livelihoods and their income. Although similar bans have been issued in the Bay of Bengal in the past, this is the first time the ban extends to include small-scale and local fishing boats.

Cooperation on marine research and innovation in the Black Sea region is receiving a strong boost with the adoption of the Black Sea Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda (SRIA). The agenda, prepared by researchers and scientists from the region’s major marine research institutes and scientific bodies, aims to make the Black Sea more productive, healthy, resilient, sustainable and better-valued by 2030. It will be the research and innovation pillar of the Common Maritime Agenda for the Black Sea, to be agreed at the end of May.

Increasing concentrations of plastic in our environment are a growing threat to ecosystems and human health. Plastic has been detected in nearly all marine life – from whales to molluscs. In order to fight this threat, there have been calls in international fora such as G7, G20 and the United Nations to bring the many measurements and observations together to create a complete picture. Europe is now leading the way. Authorities and the wider society now have a new tool to help track, map and identify where litter ends up in our seas and oceans and check how it is affecting ocean health. The data and integrated maps on marine litter will allow people to detect trends for litter on beaches and the seafloor. These maps will also enable society to evaluate the efficiency of reduction measures (bans, taxes, rules, etc.) launched by both the European Commission and Member States, which will address marine litter in general, with two specific types being single use plastics and fishing gear.

An American voyager, Victor Vescovo, has broken the record for the deepest dive ever by descending nearly 11km to the Pacific Ocean’s Mariana Trench,…

January marked the successful completion of the Common Oceans ABNJ Tuna Project’s electronic monitoring pilot program in Ghana.  A celebration was organised by the Ministry of Fisheries and Aquaculture Development of the Republic of Ghana with representatives from all stakeholders including the World wildlife Fund (WWF), international Seafood Sustainability Foundation (ISSF) and the Ghana Tuna Association (GTA) participating in the event. As part of the festivities, there was a formal transfer of the equipment from the project to the Ghanaian authorities.

Sales of seafood products carrying the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) sustainability logo amounted to approximately €6.8 billion for the financial year to March 2018,…

Petrozavodsk, capital of the Republic of Karelia, the leading region for rainbow trout aquaculture in the Russian Federation,…