Blue Manifesto – The Roadmap to a Healthy Ocean in 2030

CCB • January 28, 2020

More than 100 environmental organisations, led by Seas At Risk, BirdLife Europe, ClientEarth, Oceana, Surfrider Foundation Europe and WWF launched the “ Blue Manifesto ”. The rescue plan lays out concrete actions which must be delivered by set dates in order to turn the tide on the ever-degraded and polluted ocean and coastlines. To be successful, change is needed on both land and sea. The NGOs call for:
– At least 30% of the ocean to be highly or fully protected by 2030;
– Shift to low-impact fishing;
– Securing a pollution-free ocean;
– Planning of human activities that support the restoration of thriving marine ecosystems. 

Press Release available in EN.

Full list of organisations signing the Manifesto:
A Rocha (International Marine and Coastal Conservation Programme); Animal latitude; APECE – Portuguese Association for the Study and Conservation of Elasmobranchs; Archipelagos Institute of Marine Conservation; ASOC – Antarctic and Southern Ocean Coalition; Asociacion plataforma”El Chorlitejo”; BIOM association; BirdLfie Sverige; BirdLife Cyprus; Birdlife Europe and Central Asia; BirdLife Malta; BirdLife Suomi; Birdwatch Ireland; Bloom; Brot für die Welt; BUND – Bund für Umwelt und Naturschutz Deutschland; By the Ocean We Unite; Climate Action Network Europe; CCB – Coalition Clean Baltic; CFFA-CAPE; ClientEarth; Compassion in World Farming; Cork Env Forum; Cork nature network; Deep Sea Conservation Coalition; Deep wave; DEPANA; DN – Danmarks Naturfredningsforening; DSM – Deutsche Stiftung Meeresschutz; DUH – Deutsche Umwelthilfe; Ecologistas En Accion; Ecos; EEB – European Environmental Bureau; ENT Foundation; Environmental Justice Foundation; FANC – Finnish Association for Nature Conservation; France Nature Environnement; Friends of the Black Sea; Friends of the Earth Europe; Fundajia Aquarium; Geota; Good fish foundation; Greenpeace; HOS – Hellenic Ornithological Society; IFAW – International Fund for Animal Welfare Europe; INCA – Iceland Nature Conservation Association; International Programme on the State of the Ocean; Irish Sea Sanctuary; Irish Wildlife Trust; Legambiante; Living Sea; LOB – Latvian Ornithological Society; LOD – Lithuanian Ornithological Society; LPN – Liga para a Protecção da Natureza; LPO – Ligue pour la Protection des Oiseaux; MARE Foundation; Mare Nostrum; Marevivo; MCS – Marine Conservation Society; MedReact; MedSOS; MEER; MIO-ECSDE – Mediterranean Information Office for Environment, Culture and Sustainable Development; Mundus Maris; NABU – Nature and Biodiversity Conservation Union; Natuurpunt; New Economics Foundation; Ocean and Climate Platform; Oceana; OceanCare; Oceanografica; OMA – Observatório do Mar dos Açores; Otop – Ogólnopolskie Towarzystwo Ochrony Ptaków; Our Fish; PongPesca; Poseidonia green project; Project Aware; Prowildlife; Quercus; ReefCheck; Rethink Plastic Alliance; Retorna; RSPB – Royal Society for the Protection of Birds; SAR – Seas At Risk; Sciaena; SDN – Stichting de Nordzee; Sea First; SEO – Sociedad Española de Ornitología; Slowfood Germany; SMILO – Small Islands Organisation; SPEA – Sociedade Portuguesa para o Estudo das Aves; SSNC – Swedish Society for Nature Conservation; Sunce; Surfrider; SWAN – Sustainable Water Network; T&E – Transport and Environment; TNC – The Nature Conservancy; Tour des deux Amériques solidaire en voilier; Under the pole; WDC – Whale and Dolphin Conservation; WWF; Zero Waste Europe.

NGOs to EU decision makers: Commit to a Genuine Baltic Sea Recovery Plan

By CCB • May 28, 2025
Key Baltic fish populations are in crisis, warn environmental NGOs. New scientific advice from the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea, ICES, confirms the poor condition of key Baltic fish populations, several of which remain collapsed (1). EU fisheries ministers must set 2026-catch limits well below ICES advice and prioritise long-term recovery over short-term economic gains.

EU Commission upholds Fisheries Law: Finland's 2025 Atlantic Salmon quota reduced after unjustified overfishing in 2024

By CCB • May 7, 2025
7 May 2025 - Yesterday the European Commission took a strong decision to deduct Finland´s 2025 Atlantic Salmon quota due to unjustified overfishing last year. This action is a clear application of the EU fisheries rules - aiming to ensure sustainable fishing practices and compliance with established quotas - and an important precedent for the consistent enforcement of fisheries law. In 2024, Finland was allocated a strict by-catch quota for Atlantic salmon, with direct fishing prohibited, except for some specific, minor exceptions. Despite this, Finland reported catching 3,162 salmon in a targeted fishery, under a claimed derogation stating the fishery was for scientific research purposes. Upon review, the European Commission concluded that these activities did not meet the legal standards for such an exemption and therefore found this claim unjustified. The number of vessels participating, 32, the number of salmon caught as well as the fact that Finland refused to re-release the salmon after conducting the “scientific research” are all reasons why the fishery cannot be considered to have been carried out for scientific research purposes. As a result, the same number of salmon caught beyond the legal limit in 2024 is now being deducted from Finland’s 2025 quota, from the same stock. “ We welcome the Commission's decision to take enforcement action and apply the law as intended. It sends a clear message to Member States that exceeding quotas will have consequences. However, more consistent enforcement is urgently needed across EU waters, especially in the Baltic Sea, where many fish stocks are collapsing and the ecosystem is in a poor state ” said Aimi Hamberg, CCB Marine Policy Officer. The Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry of Finland has already responded to the Commission´s quota reduction for Atlantic salmon by stating that this decision “is not legally justified” and they will consider taking legal action against it. As this matter continues to evolve, it is highlighting the importance of collective responsibility in managing fish stocks sustainably. Species like salmon, herring and cod , are under increasing pressure due to overfishing, climate change and habitat loss. In this context, rule enforcement is not just a bureaucratic step but a necessary action to ensure the long-term sustainability of marine life in the Baltic Sea.