The Mediterranean Sea, or Mare Nostrum, is one of the world’s most important seas. Located between Africa, Asia and Europe, it is also a primary trade route given its strategic — and geopolitically — important location. Within the coastal region, the people inhabiting the area have had centuries of interactions with the marine environment. Extensive … Read more
High habitat diversity was observed on the Seco de los Olivos Seamount (SW Mediterranean Sea), a Site of Community Importance belonging to the Spanish marine Natura 2000 Network. Thirteen epibenthic habitats were identified by analysing 55 Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) transects from 76 m to 700 m depth and derived data from multibeam bathymetry and … Read more
Oceana lancia un appello all’UE per aumentare la profondità del divieto di pesca a strascico a 150 m durante tutto l’anno per invertire l’allarmante situazione di un mare sovrasfruttato.Il consiglio dell’UE inizia a dibattere oggi una nova proposta per un piano di gestione pluriennale degli stock ittici nel mar Mediterraneo occidentale. La nuova proposta della … Read more
The European Commission published yesterday a new proposal for a multi-annual management plan for fish stocks in the Western Mediterranean Sea. The Commission’s proposal to ensure the recovery of crucial species, such as hake, mullet and shrimps, is a direct follow-up to the #MedFish4Ever ministerial Declaration from 2017. However, in its current state, the proposal … Read more
Fisheries Restricted Areas (FRAs) are spatial management measures adopted under the General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean and Black Sea (GFCM) to regulate or restrict demersal fisheries in the high seas. Since 2006, a total of six FRAs have been established in the GFCM area, each under different management objectives. Three were established to protect … Read more
According to FAO, a marine ecosystem should be classified as vulnerable based on the following characteristics: uniqueness or rarity, functional significance, fragility, life-history traits of species that make its recovery difficult and structural complexity. However, a VME is also described by its vulnerability, which is dependent upon the nature of the fishery and hence region … Read more
Book: Marine Animal Forests Oceana chapter: Sponge Grounds as Key Marine Habitats: A Synthetic Review of Types, Structure, Functional Roles, and Conservation Concerns This chapter reviews the major known monospecific and multispecific sponge aggregations in the world’s oceans. They are shown to occur from the intertidal to abyssal depths, in tropical, temperate, and high latitudes … Read more
As a result of Oceana’s advocacy, four deep-sea coral species will now be protected in the Mediterranean. The UN’s Barcelona Convention, a multi-country regional sea convention, voted in favor of adding four additional coral species – cockscomb cup coral, yellow-tree coral, yellow coral and bamboo coral – to the list of endangered or threatened species … Read more
Mediterranean countries agreed today to legally protect endangered cold-water corals in the Mediterranean Sea from harmful human activity at a UN Environment meeting in Albania. The 22 members of the Barcelona Convention voted in favour of including four additional coral species – cockscomb cup coral, yellow-tree coral, yellow coral and bamboo coral – to the … Read more
As the Contracting Parties of the Barcelona Convention are due to meet in Tirana, Oceana calls on the Mediterranean countries to approve a proposal to protect four threatened deep-sea corals. Despite not being of any commercial interest, these corals are vulnerable to the impact of human activity, in particular destructive fishing practices. Particularly noteworthy among … 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.
