The Canary Islands and their adjacent seamounts hold the most diverse elasmobranchs (sharks and rays) community of the whole European territory, with up to 79 species identified. Therefore, these islands are one of the main tourist destinations in the European Union being sharks and rays´ diving and sightings the main attraction. We can find a … Read more
Today, the hearing of Maltese Karmenu Vella, Commissioner-designate for Environment, Maritime Affairs and Fisheries took place before the joint sitting of the European Parliament’s Committee on Environment, Public Health and Food Safety and Committee on Fisheries. Karmenu Vella has been interviewed by MEPs for over three hours on his commitment to sustainability and views on … Read more
Engines registered 4910 operation hours, which means they´ve been running for 400h since we set sail 26 days ago from Burriana´s port in Castellon; therefore the engines and the diesel circuit need a complete checking. Engines are crucial in terms of propulsion and of course safety. It´s important to pay special attention to the management … Read more
Spirits renewed, we set off today to make up for the lost time, so we conducted three dives: the first two dives were done in Punta del Cascajo, and the last one in la Punta del Azufre, in the Mar de las Calmas. The first dive was at approximately 860 m deep, where we found … Read more
We set off early in the morning towards the Baja de Anacon harbor outside the Marine Reserve. It was a little earlier than usual because La Restinga was holding a swimming competition “The Voyage of las Calmas” and 400 swimmers would be taking the area. At this point, at about 850 feet deep, there is … Read more
Earlier this week, several European political and social actors met up for the second time in the European Parliament to categorically oppose Repsol’s plans for oil prospects in waters off the Canary Islands (Lanzarote and Fuerteventura), a project authorized by the Spanish government. Oceana doesn’t approve the decision of the Supreme Court that might contribute … Read more
After our early return from the Sahara Mountains, we started with the last stage of the campaign at El Hierro. The second and third points chosen on the island after La Punta del Pesquero, were Orchilla´s lighthouse and La Punta de los Mozos. The first dive was at a depth around 600 m and the … Read more
In this campaign with Oceana my work entails controlling the ROV´s HD camera and record on videotape. In addition, I control the hydraulic arm movements, with which the samples are taken for their later analysis. This is very motivating and exciting work, a little different every day. I have participated in many campaigns using sidescan … Read more
Back at sea, we start the second phase of the expedition: The Sahara Mountains. We spent the day at the Bimbache Mountain (also known as Kiel), where we made two dives at its peak, at around -850 m. This mountain reaches 2,700 m of maximum height and has a dorsal morphology of NS orientation. We … Read more
After a well spent day off, today we kept going with our campaign. First time in the morning before sailing, we hold some interviews with local media, and had the visit of Tamia Brito, who is the Restinga- Mar de las Calmas Marine Reserve of Fishing Interest coordinator. The day went by quietly with some … Read more
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We have already protected nearly 4 million square miles of ocean and innumerable sea life - but there is still more to be done.
Oceana in Europe gratefully acknowledges EU funding support.
