Displaying items by tag: pollution

The Black Sea Commission collaborates with many to achieve its objectives

This article was featured in Eurofish Magazine 6 2021

The Black Sea Commission was originally created three decades ago to fight marine pollution, but its remit has since expanded to include marine litter, biodiversity, and integrated coastal zone management. The commission works closely together with a number of international organisations to monitor the environment in the Black Sea and it provides a legal framework to fight land-based and maritime pollution. It is also the only instrument related to international environmental law that has all the Black Sea riparian countries as signatories. Prof. Halil Ibrahim Sur, Executive Director, discusses here some of the environmental challenges facing the Black Sea and the role of the commission in solving them.

Ghost nets endanger wildlife and harm the environment

This article was featured in Eurofish Magazine 3 2021.

Every day, nets and other fishing gear are lost in the vastness of the oceans or are intentionally disposed of at sea. These ghost nets keep on catching, however, and can become deadly traps that threaten marine biodiversity. Even their gradual disintegration presents dangers, because it contributes to microplastics pollution in the seas. There is still no practical solution in sight for this issue.

Over 730 tonnes of plastic end up in the Mediterranean each day. The level of pollution in the Mediterranean poses a major threat to fisheries and the ecosystems in the region. Home to over 7.5% of known marine species, the continued contamination of these waters could endanger numerous organisms. One organization, however, might have the solution to this plastic crisis in the Mediterranean.