News Digest n.8 / 2023
Commission proposes fishing opportunities for 2024 in the Baltic Sea
The Commission has adopted its proposal for the 2024 fishing opportunities for the Baltic Sea in response to a scientific assessment that indicates several fisheries are in a dire situation. The Commission will propose setting by-catch TACs for western cod, eastern cod, western herring, Bothnian herring and central herring on the basis of additional information expected in autumn. The proposed TACs are based on the best available scientific advice from ICES and follow Finland's trout farming sector records 25-year highthe Baltic multiannual management plan adopted in 2016 by the European Parliament and the Council.
Save the date! EU organises the 1st EU Algae Awareness Summit in Paris from 5 to 7 October
From 5 to 7 October, the European Commission, the French Government, and the Global Seaweed Coalition will host the first-ever EU Algae Awareness Summit in Paris, with the support of the Oceanographic Institute, Prince Albert I of Monaco Foundation. The summit will kick off a process of raising awareness among EU Member States’ administrations and the public about the various benefits that algae cultivation can bring to national and regional economies, to people, and to the regeneration of our Ocean.
Marilena and the sturgeons: conservation and sustainable aquaculture in Romania
In the heart of Romania, entrepreneur Marilena Maereanu has been working on preserving sturgeon populations and developing sustainable aquaculture practices since the 1990s. Driven by her passion for innovation, Marilena followed training courses in Germany to learn the art of artificial sturgeon reproduction. Her dedication paid off. In 2004, her company became the first in Romania to successfully reproduce the wild Beluga sturgeon. With help from the EU, what started as a humble family business trading fish and fish products soon transformed into a lifelong mission to protect the precious sturgeon.
The EU and UK reach three agreements on fisheries management
Following the departure of the UK from the EU, most stocks in the EU waters of the north-east Atlantic are now shared with non-EU countries, in particular the UK. The EU-UK Specialised Committee on Fisheries reached three agreements for better fisheries management between the EU and UK. The agreements include a mechanism for voluntary transfers of fishing opportunities between the EU and UK common guidelines for notifying management measures to the other party improvements to the management of four shared stocks (lemon sole, witch, turbot and brill).
The Baltic Sea, nestled between lush green forests and breathtaking sandy beaches, is facing an increasingly challenging environmental situation, mainly due to pollution. It remains the most polluted sea in Europe. Concerned about this situation, the European Commission is organising the 2nd edition of the Our Baltic Conference in Palanga (Lithuania) on 29 September 2023. This high-level event will bring together ministers from the 8 EU countries surrounding the Baltic Sea (Denmark, Germany, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Finland and Sweden).
