To mark the 30th anniversary in April of the designation of Cabrera national park in the Balearic islands, Oceana is presenting a proposal for better fisheries management of the enlarged area of the park to be considered in the new management plan which will be developed by the park authorities. Our proposal, which includes fisheries … Read more
If space is the ‘final frontier’, the ocean depths are no doubt the ultimate frontier. To this day it is hard to imagine, despite all our advanced technology, that we know more about the surface of the moon — hundreds of thousands of kilometers away — than of the complex ecosystems that inhabit the ocean’s deep … Read more
Visit our online viewer to explore threats in European MPAs in more detail Executive Summary In the face of intense human pressure on European seas, a network of well-managed marine protected areas (MPAs) is critical for marine biodiversity protection. In 2018, the EU (including, at the time, the United Kingdom) declared having met international targets … Read more
European Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) are mere ‘paper parks’ that provide little actual protection, a report released by NGO Oceana reveals. Seventy percent of 3449 Natura 2000 MPAs assessed were affected by at least one major threat1, with up to 12 threats found inside some sites in the Netherlands and in the UK. Only 0.07% of … Read more
Introduction Underwater seamounts are often referred to as oases of the ocean, as they are home to rich ecosystems living at various depths on their slopes, benefiting from ocean currents that increase biological productivity and attract other marine life. Used as ‘stepping stones’ for transoceanic dispersion of species, and as reproduction or feeding grounds for … Read more
To mark International Mountain Day, Oceana is drawing attention to threatened underwater mountains, known as seamounts, that are important hotspots of marine biodiversity. These submarine elevations can rise several kilometers above the seafloor and play a crucial ecological role in the functioning of deep-sea ecosystems. Just like terrestrial mountains, seamounts create highly productive areas that … Read more
Oceana welcomes the designation of four new Scottish Nature Conservation Marine Protected Areas (NCMPAs) as an important contribution to the ecological coherence of the Scottish Marine Protected Areas (MPA) network. The four sites – Southern Trench, North-east Lewis, Sea of the Hebrides and Shiant East Bank – will grant protection to a rich array of … Read more
The unrelenting overfishing and degradation of Mediterranean marine ecosystems over the last 15 years offer grounds for questioning the implementation of European Union (EU) policy responses. Not only it is the most overfished sea in the world, with 80% of its fish stocks overexploited, but the region’s unique marine biodiversity facesincreasing threats, including from climate … Read more
Italy is worst-performing Member State, allowing bottom fishing to occur over sensitive habitats and in “protected” areas Extending the current trawl ban to within 10 nm of the coast or 150 m depth would protect almost the totality of sensitive habitats under the Mediterranean Regulation Following the release of the European Court of Auditors’ marine … Read more
This factsheet is also available in French and Spanish.
Sign up today to get weekly updates and action alerts from Oceana.
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.
