Bleak future for Mediterranean mammals

The latest assessment of Mediterranean mammals shows that one in six is threatened with extinction at a regional level, according to the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.

Learn more at:
http://www.iucn.org/about/work/programmes/species/news_events/?3888/Bleak-future-for-Mediterranean-mammals--IUCN

Continued illegal driftnetting off Morocco

A large fleet of illegal driftnets deploying nets up to 14 km in length continues to operate business as usual in Morocco, targeting swordfish for the European market.

According to WWF, this illegal fishing is likely to have caused the accidental deaths of as many as 20,000 dolphins and more than 100,000 sharks in the past five years alone.

Fisheries experts from WWF recently visited Morocco where they were told by driftnet fishermen that no changes in the fishing activity of this illegal fleet had occurred in the past few years – despite international prohibitions.

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For more information:
www.panda.org

Also see:
Bearzi G. 2009. When swordfish conservation biologists eat swordfish. Conservation Biology 23(1):1-2. (84 Kb)

Collisions between ships and cetaceans in the Mediterranean Sea

A new web site (in English and Italian) has been created to document the problem of collisions between ships and cetaceans - particularly large animals such as fin whales and sperm whales.

The site was made by the Tethys Research Institute to document and raise awareness on the problem in Mediterranean waters, where collisions represent a significant threat.

The project, funded by the Italian Ministry for the Environment, is being conducted in collaboration with ACCOBAMS and the IWC.

Visit the web site: www.collisioni.org

Mediterranean monk seal conservation in Greece

Giuseppe Notarbartolo di Sciara, Honorary President of Tethys, just completed a work for MOm, the Hellenic Society for the study and protection of the Mediterranean monk seal, which includes a national conservation strategy.

The work is summarised in two documents, which can be downloaded from the links below.

Conservation strategy

Full report

No cetaceans in captivity in Croatia

The Minister of Culture of the Republic of Croatia enacted a new "Ordinance concerning the conditions of keeping protected animals in captivity, marking methods and keeping
records thereof".

According to this new regulation, Croatia prohibits keeping cetaceans in captivity for commercial purposes, including dolphinaria, aquaria and similar facilities.

The only exception could be granted by the Ministry of Culture if the animals are injured or sick and the solely purpose of their keeping is rehabilitation and recovery to return to nature.

This regulation was adopted based on the expertise study prepared by the State Institute for Nature Protection. Valuable information and evaluations included in the study were provided by the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society.

With adoption of this regulation, Croatia has met provisions of the ACCOBAMS Resolution 3.13. on Dolphin Interaction Programmes, adopted at the Third Meetings of Parties organized in Dubrovnik in 2007.

Watch out: jellyfish!

Jellyfish blooms were rare episodes in the Mediterranean until the last eight years, when massive swarms of gelatinous organisms have become a frequent sight in coastal waters. Although overfishing and climate warming are amongst the most probable drivers, the specific causes and mechanisms are not well identified, and the lack of reference data makes any further investigation difficult.

The new CIESM Jelly Watch Programme shall gather for the first time baseline data on the frequency and extent of jellyfish outbreaks across the Mediterranean Sea.

Coastal users (fishermen, divers, tourists) but also ferry passengers, are invited to report sightings of jellyfish swarms (see poster for species) with information on the location, type and extension of the observed swarms. Records are sentkey scientists who act as focal points in different regions. After accurate screening and validation of the records, data will be centralized and integrated in the CIESM Metabase.

National JellyWatch Focal Points:
Croatia - Adam Benovic, University of Zagreb
Israel - Bella Galil, IOLR
Italy - Ferdinando Boero, Univ. del Salento: boero[at]unile.it

For more information:

CIESM Jellywatch Program website

Boero et al. 2008 "Gelatinous plankton: irregularities rule the world (sometimes)" Mar Ecol Prog Ser 356: 299–310.

Premio internazionale per la tutela dei cetacei a Sabrina Giannini, giornalista di Report

Tredici organizzazioni attive nel campo della ricerca e tutela dei cetacei hanno conferito alla giornalista Sabrina Giannini il premio “Cetacean Conservation Star” per il suo impegno nella sensibilizzazione del pubblico riguardo al sovrasfruttamento delle risorse ittiche e alla pesca illegale con reti derivanti, un vero flagello per delfini, balene e altre specie minacciate del Mediterraneo.

Le tredici organizzazioni, che rappresentano circa 400.000 soci, hanno deciso di premiare Sabrina Giannini per il documentario “Mare Nostrum”, realizzato per la trasmissione di RaiTre “Report” condotta da Milena Gabanelli.

Nicolas Entrup, portavoce di WDCS, la Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society, ha affermato: “Sabrina Giannini e i suoi collaboratori hanno documentato il proseguimento della pesca illegale con reti derivanti e hanno chiarito i meccanismi che consentono questo scempio, che spesso avviene sotto gli occhi delle Autorità italiane”. “In seguito a questa denuncia molte reti sono state sequestrate e le attività di pesca illegale sono state interrotte, si spera per sempre, salvando così la vita a molti delfini, capodogli, mante, tartarughe marine e altri animali protetti che cadono vittima di queste reti”.

“Documentare l’impatto distruttivo delle attività umane che minacciano la vita nel mare è di enorme importanza”, ha sostenuto Xavier Pastor di Oceana Europe. “Sabrina e i suoi collaboratori di Report lo hanno fatto molto bene e con grande coraggio, riuscendo a ottenere risultati importanti e sensibilizzando il pubblico e le istituzioni sui grandi problemi legati alla gestione della pesca in Mediterraneo”.

Il premio è stato consegnato da Giuseppe Notarbartolo di Sciara, Presidente onorario dell’Istituto Tethys, nel corso di una semplice cerimonia tenutasi presso l’Acquario Civico di Milano.

Sabrina Giannini ha avuto modo di ribadire il suo impegno e ha affermato: “Per cancellare definitivamente le reti derivanti credo fosse importante mostrare il vero volto dei pescatori che ne fanno uso, un volto diverso dallo stereotipo del bravo e povero pescatore che guadagna il necessario per la sopravvivenza. Si tratta di pescatori che si sono arricchiti, sprezzanti delle regole e dell’etica. Credo fosse ancora più grave la 'tolleranza' e la complicità dei politici del Sud Italia che per dieci anni hanno lasciato operare questi pescatori in una sostanziale impunità, a dispetto dei pescatori onesti e delle specie marine drammaticamente coinvolte. Da quando il servizio televisivo ha fatto emergere l’impunità di cui godevano questi pescatori, mi ha piacevolmente colpita il fatto che ci sia stata una diffusa presa di coscienza, anche da parte della politica e delle capitanerie coinvolte, che stanno eseguendo numerosi controlli e sequestri. Non so se e quanto durerà l’attuale situazione. Ho reso noto alle istituzioni italiane la mia intenzione a documentare questa situazione finché la pesca al pescespada continuerà ad essere fatta con l’uso delle reti derivanti. Potrebbe essere una guerra lunga, ma vale la pena combatterla e il vostro autorevole riconoscimento è un importante sostegno. Per questo ringrazio tutti voi”.

Per maggiori informazioni:
http://www.cetaceanalliance.org/star/Sabrina_Giannini.htm

HOME by Yann Arthus-Bertrand

Yann Arthus-Bertrand became famous through the “Earth from above,” a photographic portrait of aerial shots of our planet. Three million copies of his book have been sold and his free, open-air exhibitions have been seen by more than one hundred million people.

The movie HOME carries on this tradition. This feature will be made up of aerial images which have been filmed in more than fifty countries around the world. A voice-off will offer constructive hindsight into the major environmental and social challenges facing our world.

The worldwide release of the movie will be organized by EuropaCorp on June 5th, 2009 – World Environment Day – in cinemas, on television, on DVD and on the Internet around the world. The aim of this simultaneous worldwide broadcasting is to enable as many people as possible to watch the movie together.

The objective of HOME is not to make a profit. Its only benefit will be to contribute towards increasing awareness of our responsibility towards the planet. Profits will be donated to Goodplanet.org

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http://www.home-2009.com/us/index.html

http://www.youtube.com/homeproject

http://www.facebook.com/pages/HOME-WATCH-THIS-MOVIE/57902450052

http://fmcinema.altrovideo.com/2009/05/14/visioni/cinema/home-di-yann-arthus-bertrand/

Artemis: life and death of a monk seal

Please find below a message by Dr. Spyros Kotomatas, Director of MOm, the Hellenic Society for the Protection of the Monk Seal.

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Dear friends and colleagues,

With great disappointment and sorrow I would like, on behalf of all of us at MOm, to inform you that Artemis, the orphan monk seal pup rescued and treated by MOm for a 4 month period, and released in the core zone of the National Marine Park of Alonnisos Northern Sporades in Greece just over a month ago, was found dead on the 14th of May. Based on the results of the necropsy conducted the animal died of drowning, most probably due to entanglement in fishing gear.

Do find below the press release that we have just issued in relation to the particular case, that provides a detail account of the events and the up to date available information.

A sad last message from Artemis

On Thursday 14th of May, our organization received sad and disheartening news: orphaned monk seal pup ‘Artemis’ had been found dead at the port of Skiathos. Subsequent investigations, including the results of a necropsy performed by a veterinary pathologist from the Netherlands, indicate that she had drowned, most probably as a result of becoming entangled in fishing gear.

With a clean bill of health from her veterinarians, Artemis had been released just over a month ago, into the core zone of the National Marine Park of Alonnisos, Northern Sporades (NMPANS) — this following 4 months of treatment at MOm’s Monk Seal Rehabilitation Centre, that had raised her from a vulnerable week-old pup to a vigorous young seal.

After her body was discovered at Skiathos, events unfolded as follows:

- MOm’s response team recovered the carcass and, in collaboration with the local Port Police authorities, managed to transfer it to Athens that same evening.

- Prof. Dr. Thijs Kuiken, a veterinary pathologist specialising in marine mammals at Erasmus University, Rotterdam, travelled urgently to Greece to conduct a full necropsy at the zoology laboratory at the University of Athens. He was assisted by MOm’s own biologists, who are also experienced in performing monk seal necropsies.

- The necropsy established that Artemis was in excellent nutritional condition and overall health, having a normal weight for her age. There was clear evidence that the seal had died as a result of drowning.

“The results of the necropsy,” said Dr. Thijs Kuiken, “led to the clear conclusion that the animal died of acute pneumonic edema, caused by drowning. The fresh food remains identified in the stomach and the evidence of active digestion in the digestive tract substantiate further that death was sudden.”

To further assess the condition of the animal, additional data were utilized, obtained through the attached satellite tag (GPS mobile telephony tag), that recorded Artemis’ movements and behavior during her post-release monitoring, a program conducted by MOm in collaboration with the Sea Mammal Research Unit of UK. Artemis, up until her death, exhibited a gradual and continuously increasing mobility and diving ability, first around her release site and then outside the NMPANS, covering distances of more than 100 nautical miles, and with dives exceeding 150 meters in depth.

The specific conditions in which the death occurred, as well as the exact cause of drowning, may yet be determined through further in-depth analysis, both of samples from the necropsy, and satellite tag data from the last few hours prior to the animal’s death.

At this point, however, interpretation of the accumulated evidence suggests that Artemis may have drowned as a result of becoming entangled in fishing gear.

“Although the young seal quickly adjusted to its natural environment,” says Vangelis Paravas, Conservation and Policy Coordinator of MOm, “the harsh but unavoidable fact is that Artemis ultimately also had to face the reality of surviving in the wild, just as the rest of the remaining monk seals in the Mediterranean Sea.”

Data stemming from MOm’s long-term research — notably from its current European Commission LIFE-MOFI project, that investigates seal-fisheries interactions throughout the country — have shown that the entanglement of monk seals in fishing gear, and especially in nets, constitutes one of the most significant threats for the Greek population of the species, the largest in the EU.

This threat, occurring commonly during spring, is the main cause of death in immature monk seals. In fact, 47% of the mortality recorded in immature animals is attributable to entanglements.

As part of the MOFI project and in consultation with artisanal professional fishermen and their representatives, MOm is formulating specific proposals to the Greek government to mitigate monk seal mortality and promote sustainable coastal fisheries.

“Despite difficult and disappointing times like today,” says Dr. Spyros Kotomatas, Director of MOm, “monk seal rescue, treatment and rehabilitation remains a key priority for MOm in the conservation of Europe’s most endangered marine mammal.”

We will keep you informed of any further developments as they become available.

MOm, would like to thank all people, institutions and bodies that participated, assisted and supported the particular effort and express our commitment to continue with conviction the course towards achieving MOm’s mission to conserve the most critically endangered marine mammal in Europe and to protect the marine environment of Greece.

Dr. Spyros Kotomatas
Director of MOm

Prince Charles' video to save the rain forests

A campaign to save the rain forests was recently launched by the Prince of Wales, based on a 90-sec video that relies on state-of-the-art software and internet strategy.

Read more and see the video at: www.time.com

The video features pople such as Harrison Ford ('actor, conservationist'), the Dalai Lama ('simple Buddhist monk'), Kermit the frog, and an actual (digital) frog.

GB

The End of the Line

A feature documentary film revealing the impact of overfishing on our oceans. The film shows firsthand the effects of our global love affair with fish as food.

It examines the imminent extinction of bluefin tuna, brought on by increasing western demand for sushi; the impact on marine life resulting in huge overpopulation of jellyfish; and the profound implications of a future world with no fish that would bring certain mass starvation.

Filmed across the world – from the Straits of Gibraltar to the coasts of Senegal and Alaska to the Tokyo fish market – featuring top scientists, indigenous fishermen and fisheries enforcement officials, The End of the Line is a wake-up call to the world.

In the film's web site http://endoftheline.com/ you can preview excellent video shots, waiting for the film to be released.

The web site also allows you to claim your bit of ocean - it's a nice idea and a smart way of making the point.

GB

Mediterranean region: ever drier by 2100

'A new study suggests that the impact of climate change on the Mediterranean region will change precipitation and evaporation rates over land and sea, creating even drier conditions. A greater amount of atmospheric moisture will be lost from the region. Agriculture may suffer as a result, and the salinity of the Mediterranean Sea could increase.
The study suggests that many of the projected changes will have started by 2020-2049, with further changes gradually intensifying until 2070-2099.
Long-term changes project a decrease in precipitation and an equal increase in evaporation over the Mediterranean Sea, making the sea increasingly saline: the degree of salinity will depend on the inflow of fresh water from the Atlantic Ocean through the Gibraltar Strait.
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For more information:
Original article by EU DG Environment

Sea lions and marine debris

The Alaska Department of Fish and Game with Sea Gypsy Research produced an educational video called ‘Entanglement of Steller sea lions in marine debris: identifying causes and finding solutions’.

The video describes how Steller sea lions (Eumetopias jubatus) become entangled and - most of the time - dye for this reason, which are the most common sources of entangling debris, and what one could do to help reduce the number of entanglements.

These animals are threatened because of us and unfortunately this problem is not only related to sea lions but affects any marine animals such as cetaceans, elasmobranchs, pinnipeds, sea-turtles, marine birds, and big fishes.

As the video says: “... Since many of us live near some types of waterway, enjoy eating seafood and use plastic materials, we all contribute to the problem... Let’s be part of the solution!”

SB

The video (11 min. long)

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For more information:
http://marinedebris.noaa.gov/
http://coastalmanagement.noaa.gov/marine_deb.html

Don't feed wild dolphins animation

What is a dolphin doing in front of a fireplace with a brown bear, a seagull, another dolphin and two racoons?

He is telling the others 'patients' about his problems, and how it all started...

“For me it started with one hit of sardines.
Oooh... Sardines.
That's when I learned to beg.
It was easy to score free fish.
I mean eh, with this dolphin smile... [clicks].
Yeah, it's illegal but no one cares.
I had a monkey on my back and I was "jonesing" for people food...
Hanging out under boats, dodging props and hooks, doing dangerous stuff that I'm ashamed to admit?
Look... I know that I can kick this, if people would just stop feeding me”.

This animated announcement was produced by a coalition of governmental agencies and private organisations. Through innovative communication, it reminds viewers that feeding wild dolphins or harassing them is illegal and harmful to both dolphins and humans.

Watch the video

Silvia Bonizzoni

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For more information: http://www.noaanews.noaa.gov

The Cove

The movie called 'The Cove' features the attempts of a team of activists, filmmakers and freedivers embarked on a covert mission to penetrate a hidden cove in the small vilage of Taiji (Japan). The mysteries they uncover are only the tip of an iceberg...

This documentary on dolphin captivity issues and dolphin meat consumption won the Audience Award at 2009's Sundance Film Festival.

To see the trailer: http://thecovemovie.com/

SB

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For more information:
http://festival.sundance.org
http://www.salon.com

When swordfish conservation biologists eat swordfish

I wrote a short essay that was accepted as an Editorial in the renown scientific journal Conservation Biology.

This article is now in press and its published version should be out in February 2009. I would like to share it with Mediterranean Conservation readers ahead of print.

The essay is meant to be food for thought -- for people including myself.

Giovanni Bearzi

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Bearzi G. In press. When swordfish conservation biologists eat swordfish. Conservation Biology (scheduled February 2009). (84 Kb)

New monk seal breeding colony in the Aegean Sea

An island previously reserved for military use turned out to be a safe heaven for the endangered Mediterranean monk seal. Three out of the eight caves are suitable for pupping and in 2004 ten pups were identified, four in 2005 and seven in 2007.

Being off limits for all but the military, the beaches of this island provided a safe place for mothers and pups to rest, a behavior that has not been observed in this species in the Mediterranean Sea recently.

This newly discovered colony, with relatively high natality compared to other breeding sites in the Mediterranean Sea and the rare use of open beaches, is of outstanding conservation value and is in urgent need of effective protection.

(Illustration: distribution of Med monk seal, Monachus Guardian)

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For more information:
Dendrinos, D., A.A. Karamanlidis, S. Kotomatas, V. Paravas, S. Adamantopoulou. 2008. Report of a New Mediterranean Monk Seal (Monachus monachus) Breeding Colony in the Aegean Sea, Greece. Aquatic Mammals 34(3): 355-361

EU halts bluefin tuna fishery in the Mediterranean

The European Commission closed the industrial tuna fishing season early (June 16th as opposed to end of month), provoking a wave of protest from Europe's leading fishing nations. With quotas nearly full, and substantial illegal fishing reported again this year, the EU executive said that fishing in the Mediterranean and eastern Atlantic needed to be halted early to protect the species.

The move targets fishing by purse seiners, which account for 70% of all bluefin tuna hauls. Spanish ships are allowed to fish until June 23rd.

The commission said an early closure was all the more necessary this year because the purse seiner fleet had grown substantially since 2007 despite tougher international quotas and EU funds available for reducing fleets. "The commission is determined to use all necessary means to prevent a recurrence of the substantial overfishing seen in 2007" it said.

Illegal fishing for bluefin tuna is still rampant in the Med. Last week WWF and Greenpeace caught Italian planes spotting tuna schools from the air in the central Mediterranean. Spotter planes are illegal in the area, as they give too strong an advantage to a massive hi-tech fleet that is already far larger than the capacity recommended by scientists for the survival of the species and the fishery.

Since the Mediterranean tuna fishing season opened at the beginning of May, WWF calculated that over 10,000 breeding bluefin tunas were caught every day by the industrial fishing fleet.

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For more information:
- EU tightens controls over BFT fisheries
- WWF report on BFT overfishing in the Med

Turtles in trouble

The Marine Conservation Society together with the Travel Foundation and design company Juniperblue have recently produced an entertaining and educational cartoon called Turtles in Trouble.

The 8 minutes long animation is for everybody planning holidays in the Mediterranean, but it includes valuable advice relevant to all destinations where marine turtles may lay eggs.

The video effectively shows how simple changes in our behaviour while on holidays can make a big difference. As the video points out: “Turtles are in danger of extinction, and extinction is forever. But doing your bit, you can give this spectacular animals the chance to survive for generations to come”.

Silvia Bonizzoni

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To watch the video: Turtles in Trouble

Where have all the sharks gone?

Several species of sharks in the Med have almost disappeared, their numbers 97% below what they were 200 years ago.

This is the scary figure that emerges from a new research (Loss of large predatory sharks in the Mediterranean), founded in part by the Lenfest Ocean Program, just published on Conservation Biology.

Fishing (both direct and by catch), coastal degradation and lack of management, coupled with the life history of sharks (who grow slowly, mature late and produce few young) caused this massive loss.

Blue, thresher, mako, porbeagle and hammerhead sharks have almost totally vanished in catch records from all sorts of different sources (tuna traps records, coast guard, fishing market, recreational fishing tournaments data) over the years, the authors found.

The consequences on the ecosystem of losing these key players is still poorly understood, as populations of other fish and invertebrates shift in unpredictable ways. But the extent of this collapse "may hold serious implications for the entire marine ecosystem, greatly affecting food webs throughout this region,” said the lead author of the study, Francesco Ferretti, a doctoral student in marine biology at Dalhousie University in Nova Scotia.

Better management of shark fisheries is clearly needed to reverse this trend.

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For more information:
- The press release
- The Lenfest Report "Shark Declines in the Mediterranean sea: a summary of a new scientific analysis"
- Ferretti et al. 2008. Loss of large predatory sharks from the Mediterranean Sea. Conservation Biology.

New publication on the Pelagos Sanctuary

Back in 1990, the Tethys Research Institute proposed to the “European Association Rotary for the Environment” a project for the establishment of a marine protected area, a Biosphere Reserve, in the high seas encompassing the most important habitat for cetaceans in the region.

The rationale behind the proposal, which was named “Project Pelagos”, included the ecological representativeness of the area, its high species diversity, its intense biological activity, the presence of critical habitat for a number of pelagic species including cetaceans, and the opportunities that the area offered to baseline research.

Now, almost 20 years later, the pioneer of Pelagos Giuseppe Notarbartolo di Sciara and other four authors published a comprehensive review on the Cetacean Sanctuary.

‘The Pelagos Sanctuary for Mediterranean marine mammals’ provides a description of the rationale behind the initial proposal and an overview of the challenging process leading to the creation of the Sanctuary, a unique area that contains habitat suitable for the breeding and feeding needs of the entire complement of cetacean species regularly found in the Mediterranean Sea.

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To download the article:
Notarbartolo di Sciara G., Agardy T., Hyrenbach D., Scovazzi T., Van Klaveren P. 2008. The Pelagos Sanctuary for Mediterranean marine mammals. Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems 18:367-391.

For more information:
www.cetaceanalliance.org
www.tethys.org

Tuna conservationists attacked by Turkish fishermen

Three Turkish tuna fishing vessels surrounded the Greenpeace ship Arctic Sunrise while the crew of one of the vessels attacked the ship in the Cypriot Channel.

Earlier, Greenpeace flew its helicopter to document the activities of tuna fishing vessels. One of the three, the Cinar Ibrahim, collided with the Arctic Sunrise. The tuna ship’s crew then started hurling lead fishing weights at the Greenpeace ship. Gunfire was also heard. No one was injured but the Greenpeace helicopter was damaged and is now inoperable.

The Arctic Sunrise was sailing between Turkey and Cyprus to draw attention to tuna illegal overfishing.

Photo: © Greenpeace / Gavin Parsons

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For more information:
Greenpeace press release
Video of the incident
Artic Sunrise in Italian waters

MPAs export fish

MPAs export adult fish, egg and larvae to adjacent areas, as results of BIOMEX project (Assessment of BIOMass EXport from Marine Protected Areas and its impact on Fisheries in the western Mediterranean Sea) prove.

Depending on the MPA, the effect is on some species or groups of species. Fish biomass export varies greatly in space and intensity according to fish species, and is restricted to a small distance from MPA border, but it is likely to have positive effects on adjacent fisheries.

Photo: © Photo Pablo Sanchez / Biomex

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For more information:
- MedPan, the Network of Managers of Marine Protected Areas of the Mediterranean
- Full Programme report and Biomex website

Fishing out the pirates of the Mediterranean

Greenpeace campaign "Defending Our Mediterranean" had barely begun when activists confronted Italian fishing “pirates” in the Ionian Sea and confiscated almost two kilometres of illegal driftnet containing dead undersized bluefin tuna and a small sea turtle that was later released alive.

The Greenpeace crew came across the Italian fishing vessel Diomede II, fishing with 8-10 km of driftnet in international waters approximately 50 kilometres off the coast of Sicily, Italy.

Diomede II - which is licensed only to fish with longline or anchored nets within 15 kilometres from the coast - was met at her home port by officials, alerted by the NGO, that confiscated its illegal driftnets.
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For more information read the whole story on the Greenpeace web site

The most dangerous species in the Mediterranean

Campaign for the Government of Catalunya by Klas Ernflo to keep the Mediterranean sea clean (2005).

Made with copywriter Fran Segarra, Creative directors Xavi Hidalgo & Fernando Planelles for the agency Small in Barcelona.

EU tightens control on bluefin tuna fisheries

The European Commission launched a major control campaign aimed at preventing a repeat of last year's overfishing of Mediterranean bluefin tuna by a number of EU Member States.

The plan will bring together the resources of the seven main Member States involved in the fishery – Cyprus, France, Greece, Italy, Malta, Portugal and Spain – and will cover all stages in the market chain, including controls at sea, onshore, and at fattening farms.

The control campaign marks an unprecedented effort, in terms of both the scale of operations, and the technical means deployed. The Community Fisheries Control Agency will coordinate joint inspection and control activities involving 13 large patrol vessels, 36 coastal patrol vessels and 16 aircraft. There will be 14 campaigns at sea involving in all 30 inspectors, representing overall 160 patrol days. 25 joint inspections involving 50 inspectors are planned in the ports concerned. Commission inspectors will also be involved in 32 inspection visits both at sea and in ports.

As illustrated by a report published by the WWF, the whole fishery is plagued by overfishing by a fleet that keeps growing in size and efficiency - thanks also to 16 million Euro of EU fundings, as Oceana recently underlined.

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For more information:
European Commission press release
EU funding for tuna overexploitation
Crazy race for last Mediterranean tuna

Contaminants and marine megavertebrates - a workshop

'Contaminants and pathology in marine megavertebrates as environmental assessment tools' is the title of a workshop organized by University of Bologna on May, 8th, in Cesenatico, Italy. The meeting is organized in conjunction with Gruppo di Ricerca sui Grandi Vertebrati Pelagici.

Aim of the workshop is to focus on potential effects of pollutants on the health of marine megavertebrates. It will focus on different aspects of natural and anothropogenic pollutants and on suspected or proved connections with specific pathologies. Proceedings will be published on Endangered Species Research.

The workshop is open to students as well. Registration deadline is April, 30th.

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For more information:
http://www.eulasmo.org/content.asp?did=30233

EU funding for tuna overexploitation

Oceana – the international ocean conservation organisation – reports that millions of Euros have been allocated for the overexploitation of bluefin tuna in the Mediterranean, calls for the immediate closure of the Balearic fishing grounds, and criticises the contradictory measures adopted by implicated states.

According to Oceana, overcapacity in Mediterranean bluefin tuna fishery denounced by a WWF report (see 12 March post), has been financed by the EU with more than 16 million Euros. The EU purse seine fleets involved in this fishery are from Spain, France and Italy.

Oceana also stressed that management measures and actions by the governments participating in this kind of fishery do not correspond to the reality of the fleet and the state of bluefin tuna stocks.

Once again, scientific recommendations are being ignored. Excessive quotas are established, the fleets continue to fish in spawning grounds, undersized tunas are being caught, illegal vessels catch and land bluefin tuna in unauthorised ports, the fleets continue to ignore the assigned quotas and do not declare the catches.

Silvia Bonizzoni

(Photo by Oceana)

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For more information:
Oceana press release
Oceana website
WWF report
Mediterranean Conservation News - 12 March post

Ships dumping waste: illegal as of 2009

Dumping of waste by ships in the Mediterranean Sea will become illegal as of May 1, 2009, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) said.

The new rules prohibit the ditching of "all plastics, including but not limited to synthetic ropes, synthetic fishing nets and plastic garbage bags and all other garbage, including paper products, rags, glass, metal, bottles, crockery, dunnage (loose material used in ship storage), lining and packing materials".

The application of International Maritime Organization measures had been suspended for years, until adequate garbage collection facilities were established in ports around the sea's coasts.

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For more information:
UNEP News

Trawling near the coasts of Greece

Bottom trawling, a fishing method that drags a large net across the sea floor, is a known threat to the marine environment.

Due to the disruptive nature of this method, the European Regulation currently in force across the Mediterranean forbids trawling closer than 1.5 nautical miles from the seashore.

The Hellenic Centre for Marine Research has also demonstrated that trawling is the least selective of all fishing gears, with an annual bycatch rate up to 44%. The Greek Ministry for Rural Development and Food, in its National Operational Plan for Fisheries 2007-2013, acknowledges that “most benthopelagic species are in a state of relative overfishing or overfishing”.

Despite the European regulation and scientific evidence the Greek Ministry for Rural Development and Food, itself, has recently decided to allow the use of trawling nets at a distance of only 1 nautical mile from the coast.

A coalition of Greek conservation organizations, including Archelon, Mediterranean SOS Network, MOM, Pelagos Cetacean Research Institute, Greenpeace and WWF Greece, is calling for the immediate reversal of this decision, to prevent the destruction of coastal ecosystems and ensure sustainability of fishing in the long term.

Silvia Bonizzoni

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For more information:
www.panda.org