Fact Sheets

• FAQ: What is a Regional Fishery Management Organization?

  • Feb 23, 2012, 15:25 EST
  • Global Campaign to End Illegal Fishing, Global Shark Conservation, Global Tuna Conservation, Protecting the Deep Sea

  An RFMO—short for regional fisheries management organization—is an international body made up of countries that share a practical and/or financial interest in managing and conserving fish stocks in a particular region.More

   

Reports

• Out of the Abyss: Transforming EU Rules to Protect the Deep Sea

  • Jan 26, 2012, 06:05 EST
  • Protecting the Deep Sea

  • Deutsch
  • Español
  • Français

  Leading scientific authorities have concluded that the EU’s fisheries for deep-sea species in the northeast Atlantic are ‘outside safe biological limits’ and that deep-sea fishing should be significantly reduced or ended entirely.More

   

• Deep Trouble for the Deep Sea

  • Sep 08, 2011, 12:30 EST
  • Global Campaign to End Illegal Fishing, Protecting the Deep Sea

  The deep sea, home to some of the world’s most unusual creatures, is teeming with biological diversity, most of which has yet to be scientifically-documented. But in spite of the wonders that exist far below the surface, the deep sea is being destroyed.  More

   

Other Resources

• Key Atlantic Fisheries Body Extends Deep-Sea Shark Protections

  • Nov 28, 2012, 13:30 EST
  • Protecting the Deep Sea

  Deep-sea sharks in a huge swath of the Atlantic and Arctic oceans won extended protections Nov. 16 when the North East Atlantic Fisheries Commission (NEAFC) extended a ban on targeted fishing of 17 shark species.More

   

• Deep-Sea Fisheries and Vulnerable Ecosystems in the Northeast Atlantic

  • Oct 22, 2012, 16:20 EST
  • Protecting the Deep Sea

  A new European Commission proposal to overhaul the regulation of deep-sea fisheries in the northeast Atlantic Ocean is a promising step toward transforming the area into a sustainable fishery.More

   

• NAFO: Much Talk Yields Little Action

  • Sep 21, 2012, 15:30 EST
  • Protecting the Deep Sea

  A frustrating week at a key fisheries management meeting in St. Petersburg, Russia, leaves the rich biodiversity of the deep sea still wanting for protection.More

   

• COFI 30 Builds on Rio+20 Momentum

  • Jul 19, 2012, 13:50 EST
  • Global Campaign to End Illegal Fishing, Global Shark Conservation, Global Tuna Conservation, Protecting the Deep Sea

  Participants in the 30th session of the Committee on Fisheries (COFI 30) of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, which took place one month after the U.N. Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20), noted that Rio’s momentum could be used to address pressing ocean issues such as illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing, management of shark fisheries, and sustainability of small-scale fisheries.More

   

• At Last, a Ray of Hope Reaches the Deep Sea

  • Jul 19, 2012, 09:15 EST
  • Protecting the Deep Sea

  The future may finally be brighter for the countless animals living in the depths of the sea. In a long-awaited move, the European Commission today proposed a phase-out of the destructive practice of deep-sea bottom trawling in the northeast Atlantic Ocean.More

   

• Deep Ocean Mysteries and Wonders

  • Mar 12, 2012, 13:45 EST
  • Protecting the Deep Sea

  (TED Talks) In the deepest, darkest parts of the oceans are ecosystems with more diversity than a tropical rainforest. Taking us on a voyage into the ocean -- from the deepest trenches to the remains of Titanic -- marine biologist David Gallo explores the wonder and beauty of marine life.More

   

• Guide to Regional Fisheries Management Organizations (RMFOs)

  • Feb 23, 2012, 15:55 EST
  • Global Campaign to End Illegal Fishing, Global Shark Conservation, Global Tuna Conservation, Protecting the Deep Sea

   Regional fisheries management organizations (RFMOs) are international bodies made up of countries that share a practical and/or financial interest in managing and conserving fish stocks in a particular region. More

   

• Reforming EU Deep-Sea Fisheries Management

  • Jan 26, 2012, 06:05 EST
  • Protecting the Deep Sea

  The future of vulnerable deep-sea habitats remains at stake as the European Commission prepares to release a proposal on deep-sea fishing regulations at the end of this month. The current practice has serious and widespread environmental consequences for countries fishing on the high-seas, the international community, and ocean ecosystems. And time in running out.More

   

• The Deep Sea is 'Worth Saving'

  • Jun 08, 2011, 14:30 EST
  • Protecting the Deep Sea

  The Pew Environment Group is supporting the Deep Sea Conservation Coalition’s new “Worth Saving Campaign”.More

   

• Splash Mob at the Smithsonian's Ocean Hall

  • Jun 07, 2011, 12:45 EST
  • Protecting the Deep Sea

  On June 7, several hundred visitors at the Smithsonian’s Ocean Hall took time out to boogie down in a ‘Splash Mob’ to celebrate World Oceans’ Day.More

   

• Preliminary Findings: High Seas Fishing Nations Fail Important UN Commitments

  • Jun 02, 2011, 14:50 EST
  • Protecting the Deep Sea

  On June 2, the Deep Sea Conservation Coalition (DSCC) presented preliminary findings of a comprehensive review of how countries have implemented the UN General Assembly resolutions on deep-sea bottom fishing at a meeting at United Nations headquarters in New York.More

   

• Protecting the Deep Sea: Pew Fights Destructive Fishing Practices

  • Jun 01, 2011, 09:00 EST
  • Protecting the Deep Sea

  More may be known about the farthest reaches of outer space than the deepest parts of the oceans. Pew works to protect these unknown worlds before it is too late.More

   

• Joint-NGO Follow-up Letter to the European Commissioner for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries

  • Mar 07, 2011, 15:25 EST
  • Protecting the Deep Sea

  A joint-NGO letter to Maria Damanaki, European Commissioner for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, that follows up on a February 1, 2011 meeting with the Commissioner. In the letter, Pew and other NGOs reiterate our concerns and provide additional information and ideas for improvement of European deep-sea fisheries.More

   

• Joint-NGO Letter to the European Commissioner for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries

  • Dec 16, 2010, 15:15 EST
  • Protecting the Deep Sea

  A joint-NGO letter to Maria Damanaki, European Commissioner for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, outlining our serious concerns about European deep-sea fisheries and requesting a meeting for further discussion.More

   

• Joint-NGO Recommendations to Fisheries Ministers

  • Nov 09, 2010, 16:05 EST
  • Protecting the Deep Sea

  A joint-NGO position paper urging European Fisheries Ministers to set Total Allowable Catches (TACs) for deep sea species in the Northeast Atlantic at sustainable levels.More

   

• The Pew Environment Group's recommendations to European Commission on Deep-Sea TACs

  • Sep 20, 2010, 17:50 EST
  • Protecting the Deep Sea

  A Pew policy paper containing a detailed analysis of the scientific information available on the current status of deep-sea fish stocks in the Northeast Atlantic and recommendations to the European Commission as to why its proposal for setting Total Allowable Catches (TACs) for deep-sea species should reflect the scientific advice: that any fishing on these stocks is unsustainable.More

   

• Joint-NGO Response to European Commission Consultation Document on Deep-Sea Fisheries

  • Sep 02, 2010, 16:15 EST
  • Protecting the Deep Sea

  Key non-government organizations in Europe joined together to  urge the European Commission to base their decisions on science and sustainability when deciding on TACs and quotas for deep-sea species that are consistent with commitments made by the EU at the United Nations.More

   

• Joint-NGO Policy Brief to the European Commission on Deep-Sea TACs and Quotas

  • Jul 15, 2010, 14:55 EST
  • Protecting the Deep Sea

  Key non-government organizations in Europe joined together to  urge the European Commission to base their decisions on science and sustainability when deciding on TACs and quotas for deep-sea species that are consistent with commitments made by the EU at the United Nations.More

   

Videos

• 

  Deep Sea Under Threat

  • Sep 08, 2011, 17:30 EST
  • Protecting the Deep Sea

  Far below the surface of our oceans lie entire mountain ranges covered with ancient corals and unusual creatures. Though we once thought the deep sea to be barren, scientists and the fishing industry now understand that the deep sea is teeming with life, including many species that are found nowhere else.More