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Results tagged “Norway” from NatGeo News Watch

Norway Bans Fishing of European Eel

Posted on June 30, 2009 | 0 Comments

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Norway's fisheries regulators have cut the 2009 catch quota for the endangered European eel by 80 percent and banned fishing of the eel completely starting next year, WWF announced today.

European-eel-picture.jpg

Will the endangered European eel be able to slip through the net of extinction, thanks to Norway's ban on catching it?

Photo copyright WWF-Canon/Rudolf Svensen.

The Ministry of Fisheries and Coastal Affairs also announced that all recreational fishing of European eels would stop tomorrow, July 1, as stock of the eels hit historically low levels and continue to decline. "The decision represents a major conservation decision that is a model for proper fisheries management," WWF-Norway said.

"This protection should have been implemented many years ago, and we are hoping that the long-overdue protection is not too late."

"A total fishing ban is the strongest measure the fisheries management can use, and when a species is critically endangered one must use the strongest and most efficient measures. This protection should have been implemented many years ago, and we are hoping that the long-overdue protection is not too late," said Norway-WWF CEO Rasmus Hansson.

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"The Minister of Fisheries is making an important, and the only right choice, and is showing international leadership in fisheries management," Hansson said. "Norway's Fisheries Minister, Helga Pedersen, has used every occasion to point out that Norway is the best in the world on fisheries management, and by making bold moves like this they have probably earned the title."

The European eel is listed as critically endangered in Norway and on the IUCN Redlist. Stocks are at historically low levels with spawning levels at between one and five percent from their 1970 level, with only the Atlantic area seeing higher levels. In the Baltic Sea, including Kattegat and Skagerrak, indices show a sharp decline in young yellow eel stocks since 1950.

European Eels Video

Staff from Slapton Ley Field Centre & National Nature Reserve in the UK check the elver traps to see how many 'glass' eels have survived the two-year migration across the Atlantic from the Sargasso Sea.

As early as 1999, the International Council for the Exploration of the Seas (ICES) stated that the eel stock was outside safe biological limits, and that the fishery was unsustainable. Yet, fishing has been ongoing for decades, despite scientific advice, WWF said in a statement.

"A successful rebuilding strategy for the eel, both in Norway and the EU, will have a substantial impact on eel numbers in Norwegian waters.

"Consequently, Norway has a great responsibility in influencing both the management and the research that is being undertaken in Europe. In Europe, fishing for eel continues, despite the very severe and depleted state of the stock," the statement added.

"WWF urges Ms Pedersen to fight for the EU taking similar bold measures in their fisheries management, and WWF will fight to stop the eel fishery in the EU," Hansson said.

Related National Geographic News stories:

Europe's Eels Are Slipping Away, Scientists Warn

One in Three European Freshwater Fish Face Extinction

Additional information:

Eel stocks dangerously close to collapse (ICES)

European Eel (USGS)

Beavers Return to Scotland After 400 years

Posted on June 1, 2009 | 0 Comments

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Photo courtesy Scottish Wildlife Trust

Beavers are a familiar sight to millions of people across North America. The tree-felling rodent is a common resident (some would say nuisance) in wetlands, ponds, and waterways.

But in the UK, beavers have not been seen in the wild since they were extirpated four centuries ago, about the time King Henry VIII of England was still married to the first of his eight wives. Scotland was a separate state, under its own monarch.

After four long event-filled centuries, all that may be changing. In what has been described as the first formal reintroduction of a mammal to the UK, the first beavers to live in Scotland for over 400 years were released into the wild last Friday.

The Scottish Beaver Trial (SBT), a partnership project run by Scottish Wildlife Trust (SWT), the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS), and host partner Forestry Commission Scotland (FCS), launched officially on May 29.

Three European beaver families of eleven animals were released at carefully selected sites in Scotland's Knapdale Forest. The beavers, originally from Norway, were chosen because they are considered to be the closest type to those once found in the UK and have all completed a six-month statutory quarantine period, according to a news statement published on the Scottish Beaver Trial Web site.

Beaver-in-crate-picture.jpgPhoto of beaver waiting for release courtesy Scottish Wildlife Trust

"Welcoming beavers back to Scotland marks a historic day for conservation," said Scotland's Minister for the Environment, Roseanna Cunningham. "These charismatic creatures are not only likely to create interest in Scotland from further afield but crucially can play a key role in providing good habitat for a wide range of wetland species.

"And while a great deal of research has already gone into the reintroduction this work is far from over. Observations and data collection over the next five years will play a crucial role in assessing the long-term future for beavers in the Scottish landscape."

The release is for a limited trial period and comes after years of lobbying by ecologists and conservation experts who believe that the beaver has been a missing part of Scotland's wetland ecosystems since being hunted to extinction in the 16th Century, the news statement said.

The project, funded mostly by private donations and grants, has popular support. Public consultation showed that 73 percent of respondents were in favour of the trial.

"Our critics worry that beavers might pose a risk to migratory fish numbers, including salmon. This has not been found to be the case anywhere else in Europe."

-- Allan Bantick, chairman of the Scottish Beaver Trial partnership

But not everyone is happy about the reintroduction of beavers.

"Our critics worry that beavers might pose a risk to migratory fish numbers, including salmon," said Allan Bantick, chairman of both SWT of the Scottish Beaver Trial partnership. "This has not been found to be the case anywhere else in Europe.

"However, the notion cannot be tested with this trial because there is no Atlantic salmon present in the trial site. Our beavers will be released within a designated trial area, which should be large enough to sustain the natural expansion of their population over the next five years."

Watch this Scottish Government video about the reintroduction of beavers to Scotland:

Beavers are a species worth having in any ecosystem as their presence is known to bring a vast number of benefits to other native Scottish wildlife as well as wetland and waterside habitats, Bantick elaborated. "Our reintroduction follows in the footsteps of 24 other European countries, who have already reintroduced beavers to over 150 different sites."

It is vital that the project is recognised as a time-limited trial with the purpose of assessing the effect beavers have on the local environment and how well they settle into their new habitat here in Scotland, Bantick stressed.

Release Went "Extremely Well"

The release of the beaver families went extremely well, said Scottish Beaver Trial Project Manager Simon Jones. "They were placed into purpose-built artificial lodges at carefully selected points around the trial site. They will now gradually gnaw their way out of the lodge at a pace that is comfortable for them before exploring their new surroundings.

"Now that our beavers have been released into the wild, the real work of our trial can begin. First and foremost, this is a scientific study of how the beavers cope naturally in the Scottish environment and what effect they have upon it. We will be closely tracking the beavers' activities and collecting data over the next five years to help inform the independent scientific monitoring, co-ordinated by Scottish Natural Heritage. This will help the Scottish Government in making any final decisions on the future of beavers in Knapdale Forest or elsewhere in Scotland.

"We will also be continuing to engage with the local community as well as trying to inspire Scots to support this exciting conservation project. We hope to see many people visiting the trial site over time, but the beavers do need time to settle in before meeting the neighbours."

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