What is an Essential Fish Habitat? An Essential Fish Habitat (EFH) is a habitat identifi ed as crucial to the ecological and biological requirements for the critical life cycle of exploited fi sh species, and which may require special protection to improve stock status and long-term sustainability. In particular, EFH refers to the waters and … Read more
A short distance offshore, the seabed drops by 3,000 metres, and this wide bathymetric range gives rise to a great variety of habitats and species in a relatively small space. Many of these creatures are extremely fragile or difficult to find elsewhere. In the waters of El Hierro we find animals such as the loggerhead … Read more
UPDATE 17/11-2020 – Victory: Spanish Supreme Court ruled in favour of Oceana regarding the appeal from fishermen against Cabrera National Park enlargement. The expansion by 10 times of the National Marine Park of Cabrera, in the Balearic Islands (Spain) was approved in February 2019 by the Council of Ministers. It was however immediately appealed by a fishermen’s … Read more
Today, the European Court of Auditors (ECA) published a damning report on fisheries compliance by EU Member States. Auditors visited Spain, France, Italy and the UK (Scotland), which represent more than half of the EU fishing fleet and almost half of the total fish catches in the Union. The results reveal a lack of control … Read more
According to the Law on National Parks, a total of 13 natural marine systems should be represented in the network to ensure an adequate legacy for future generations. However, although 2016 was the one hundredth anniversary of the establishment of the network, some of these systems are still under-represented, while others are totally absent from the … Read more
EU fisheries ministers continue to disregard science and to overfish stocks on the basis of short-sighted socio-economic arguments. It is undeniable that the Union’s Member States must act immediately to stop overfishing and to recover all stock above healthy levels by 2020, at the latest. To achieve this objective, an effective protection of Essential Fish … Read more
The forest was discovered at a depth of 400 meters between Mallorca and Ibiza, an area Oceana has campaigned to protect Scientists from Oceana, the Spanish Institute of Oceanography, and the University of Bari (Italy) have described and listed the biodiversity associated to a bamboo coral (Isidella elongata) forest for the first time. The colony … Read more
New report exposes unique biodiversity suffering long-term effects of human activity Copenhagen, Denmark – Today, Oceana has released an extensive report proposing the creation of a joint Danish/Swedish marine protected area covering the entire Sound. The report presents the findings of Oceana’s 2016 at-sea research expedition, which was made possible by a grant from the … Read more
The waters of the Sound – the shared strait that lies between Denmark and Sweden – host a high level of biodiversity, and a unique mosaic of marine communities and habitats, including stone reefs, seagrass beds, horse mussel beds, and kelp forests. This diversity is due to the specific characteristics of the area, the combined … Read more
Today, ministers and high-level representatives from Mediterranean countries have signed a historic declaration to address the fisheries crisis in the region. The ministerial declaration, Malta MedFish4Ever, will be the blueprint for cooperation and sustainable development of fisheries for all coastal states in the Mediterranean over the next 10 years. The agreement comes just months before … 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.
