ICCAT leaves high seas mako fishing unregulated, porbeagles under-protected, and finning ban weak.

The IUCN World Parks Congress 2014, which will take place in Sydney, Australia, from 12 to 19 November, is a landmark global forum on protected areas. The Congress will share knowledge and innovation, setting the agenda for protected areas conservation for the decade to come.
Building on the theme “Parks, people, planet: inspiring solutions”, it will present, discuss and create original approaches for conservation and development, helping to address the gap in the conservation and sustainable development agenda.

Quito, Ecuador, 5 November 2014 - A series of reports on the impact of marine debris on migratory marine species and ways to address this growing threat, are being presented at a major international wildlife conference taking place in Quito, Ecuador this week.

Quito, Ecuador, 4 November 2014 - Sharks are swimming in troubled waters.

Seas At Risk will host an event in the European Parliament on the 4th of November to discuss the upcoming review of EU waste legislation and new proposals for a circular economy. The event will consist of two panel discussions and question and answer sessions with the audience.

US President Barack Obama has signed a memorandum to expand a vast marine reserve in the Pacific Ocean.
The Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument will become the largest network of oceanic protected areas in the world.
The memorandum bans commercial fishing, deep-sea mining and other extraction of underwater resources in the area.

The setting of Total Allowable Catch for NAFO fish stocks will take centre stage at the 36th Annual Meeting to be held in Vigo, Galicia from 22-26 September 2014.
The meeting, hosted by Spain with support from the European Commission, will see the representatives of 12 NAFO Contracting Parties discuss the setting of catch limits based on the best scientific advice.

New CITES trade controls come into effect on 14 September. Most comprehensive global effort seen in CITES’ 40-year history to give sharks and manta rays a better chance of surviving in the wild through robust regulation of international trade.

Following rigorous examination of the proposal, Chairman Dr Paul Vogel said there remains a high degree of scientific uncertainty about impacts on the viability of the south-western white shark population.
“At this stage, the available information and evidence does not provide the EPA with a high level of confidence. In view of these uncertainties, the EPA has adopted a cautious approach by recommending against the proposal,” Dr Vogel said.

Researchers have created a new model that could help determine what area of the world is to blame for each ocean garbage patch of floating debris – a difficult task for a system as complex and massive as the ocean.