Under the agreement, specific arrangements will be made to increase cooperation in a number of areas including sustainable fisheries and aquaculture development, marine conservation and the prevention, deterrence and elimination of Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) fishing.
As the bluefin tuna fishing season begins in the EU, the European Commission has reaffirmed its commitment to its sustainable management.
Based on the experiences of previous years and given the particularities of this year's campaign, a strict control and inspection programme has been put in place. It involves a significant deployment of inspectors, patrol vessels and aircrafts coordinated by the European Fisheries Control Agency (EFCA) and the Member States concerned.
The protection of crayfish in the EU has also been developed through the placing of barriers which prevent invasive American signal crayfish from moving upstream and colonising important European crayfish habitats.
The barriers, which are designed to stop crayfish but allow migrating fish to pass, have been found to be effective where water flow rates are sufficiently high.
Oyster farmers in New Zealand, who were hit by Oyster Herpes Virus, are now able to repopulate their farms through a special permit from the government.
Valid for three years, the permits will allow oyster farmers to collect feral oysters and transfer them onto their marine farms for later re-harvest and sale.
In other disease news, a suspected outbreak of Infectious Salmon Anaemia has been reported in Troms, Norway.
