Spain

Spain takes first step to ban deep-sea mining in its waters as global momentum for a stop to the industry grows

14 April, 2022

PRESS RELEASE

  • NGOs applaud Spain and call on the government to go further by pushing for a global moratorium on deep-sea mining at the forthcoming sessions of the International Seabed Authority and the UN Biodiversity Convention conference, scheduled to take place later this year.
  • Global pressure for a moratorium or ban on the nascent industry continues to build as this week at the Our Ocean conference in Palau, the Pacific Parliamentarians Alliance on Deep Sea Mining (PPADSM) launched, and Hawaiian actor Jason Momoa called for a ban on deep-sea mining during a Greenpeace event. Tuvalu’s Foreign Affairs Minister also announced that the country has withdrawn its sponsorship of the company Tuvalu Circular Metals for a deep-sea mining exploration contract. 

Continue reading Spain takes first step to ban deep-sea mining in its waters as global momentum for a stop to the industry grows

Defending the deep: the new EU deep-sea bottom trawling ban

16 August, 2016

Source: Virgin Unite
Author: Claire Nouvian

Hundreds of thousands of citizens, who added their voices to a hard-fought campaign to end one of the most absurd and abominable of all fishing practices, can finally celebrate a major peoples’ victory: the European Parliament, Council and Commission have agreed to a ban on deep-sea bottom trawling.

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New deep-sea protection measures agreed for the Northwest Atlantic

26 September, 2014

 

Vigo, Spain (September 26th, 2014) – The 36th Annual Meeting of the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization (NAFO) closed today in Vigo, Spain. The 12 members of NAFO were presented with comprehensive scientific advice regarding the protection of deep sea ecosystems as well as the conservation of fish stocks in the NAFO Convention Area. NAFO agreed to close two new areas to protect deep-sea ecosystems such as coldwater corals, sponge and seapen ecosystems, but did not adopt the full suite of recommendations to protect sites identified by its scientists as high priorities.

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Pressure Mounts for Adoption of Further Conservation Measures for NAFO

22 September, 2014

The 36th Annual Meeting of the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization (NAFO) convenes this week (September 22-26) in Vigo, Spain. Of primary concern to conservation organizations is the protection of deep sea species from bottom trawling. While some areas of the deep-sea in the Northwest Atlantic have been closed to fishing over the past several years, scientific advice presented this year indicates that there is poor protection in several areas including deep sea corals, sponges and seamounts as well as other fragile sea floor species. 

Continue reading Pressure Mounts for Adoption of Further Conservation Measures for NAFO