A flaw in the ROV´s HD dive filming system meant a day off for part of the crew: we had to wait for the replacement parts so it could be repaired. I was hesitating whether going walking through the beautiful forest that crowns the island, or swimming in the no less stunning coast of La … Read more
We woke up at the foot of el Hierro´s cliffs and we launched the ROV into the water. Despite being at just 600 meters away from the coast, the depth recorded reached over one thousand meters. In fact, this was the maximum depth (1006 m) ever reached in a campaign conducted by Oceana. During the … Read more
The short-finned pilot whale (Globicephala macrorhynchus) finds its northern limit of distribution in the Canary Islands. This is one of the few places where its habitat overlaps with that of its close relative, the long-finned pilot whale (Globicephala melas). They are social animals that travel in pods, looking for food and warm temperate waters without … Read more
We woke up in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, where we made a stop to stock and fix some problems with our satellite communications. We were quick as we were really looking forward to get to El Hierro and discover its depths. Still, we had to stay a whole day, which we took in advantage by … Read more
Today we begin the day quite satisfied after leaving behind a spectacular first part of the campaign. During the past five days we have worked intensively on two productive seamounts that rise from depths greater than 3000-4000 m. We unveiled part of the secrets hold by the unexplored Atlantic seamounts of Dacia and Triton located … Read more
The glass sponges or hexactinellids are quite impressive. They consist of siliceous spicules, which draw many different geometric shapes, creating some of the most beautiful and unknown creatures on Earth. From the nearly 500 documented species a set of ten can be observed in the valley between the two peaks of the Triton seamount (around … Read more
Last Monday, the countries around the Baltic Sea invited stakeholders to discuss fisheries management issues at the Baltic Sea Fisheries Forum, known as BALTFISH. BALTFISH is an informal group established by the fisheries administrations around the Baltic Sea, where they discuss fisheries management issues that only concern the Baltic Sea area in order to facilitate … Read more
Tonight we finally were hit by the trail of the storm so the sea was quite rough. We tried to make bathymetry at night to get an idea of where to sample the next day, but heavy swells reaching up to two meters and 15-knot winds, made it hard to use the ROV, so we … Read more
Yesterday, the entry of 5 new species of sharks and all manta rays to the CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species) Appendix II went into effect, as agreed on in the CITES meeting last year in Bangkok, Thailand. The shark species that are now included in this list are the Oceanic Whitetip, the … Read more
This morning we woke up to the cry of: Whales!!! The sea was quite calm, and two northern or Rudolph whales (Balaenoptera borealis) were spotted from the Ranger while feeding at dawn. This time we set off to the second destination of this phase of the campaign, comprising the northern mountains of the Canary Islands. … 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.
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