Arcadia has awarded $1 million to the international marine conservation organisation Oceana, which will fund the first year of its two-year Baltic Sea Enforcement Project. Oceana plans to seek other donors to meet the remaining project cost.
Oceana will work on two fronts in the Baltic Sea, with the aim of reducing and preventing illegal and non-sustainable fishing.
Its campaign by land will involve the research and documentation of all ports in the nine Baltic countries, with researchers specialising in fisheries issues hired locally and trained for this specific campaign. Their role will be to monitor the Baltic coasts to verify fleets and their catches, including bottom trawlers and driftnets. An investigation of the fishing companies operating in these fisheries will also be carried out, as well as a thorough study of the regulations in each area. This will enable Oceana to develop policy proposals.
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