Oceana calls on Denmark and Sweden to take concrete steps to protect the Sound

Oceana urges the Danish and Swedish governments to jointly manage and protect the Sound from damaging human activities that are causing the decline of key marine habitats such as horse mussel beds and Haploops communities. The exceptional value of this shared strait underscores the need for cooperative management, so that economic activities go hand in … Read more

Oceana proposal for a Marine Protected Area. The Sound – 2016

The Sound is located between Sweden and Denmark, and forms, together with Little Belt and Great Belt, a connection between the brackish Baltic Sea and the saltier North Sea via Kattegat and Skagerrak. In 1932, a bottom trawling ban was established in the Sound because of heavy traffic in the narrow strait. The ban, which … Read more

Diving in the night

One of the interesting facts that we came across when we pinned our expeditions on this story map was at what time of the day we usually dive. We found out that at least one sixth of the immersions took place between 9 p.m. and 10 a.m., both with divers or with an underwater robot … Read more

A thousand beams of light in the darkness

It was in 2005 that Oceana in Europe received a very special gift: the Oceana Ranger, the catamaran that was to become our research vessel enabling us to get first-hand information about the situation of the seas and the creatures living in them. But we wanted more in-depth intelligence on what was going on down … Read more

2005-2015: Twenty expeditions in just one decade

What is the best month to go on an expedition? Well, that depends on where you want to go and what you want to see. If you check Oceana in Europe’s website or our recently launched story map, you’ll discover the answer is actually any month – apart from December. Since 2005, we have organised … Read more

Baltic cod loses sustainable certification

Today, the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) has suspended its certificates for all Eastern Baltic cod fisheries. Oceana, having previously warned about the bad condition of Baltic cod stocks, supports the decision and urges EU member states to react appropriately and adopt a sustainable long-term management plan consistent with the objectives of the Common Fisheries Policy. … Read more

Oceana proposals for Baltic Sea and Kattegat

Several scientific studies provide proof of the successes of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) in enhancing biodiversity and benefiting sea life and habitats (e.g. FAO 2012 and references therein). MPAs provide species and habitats a place to rebuild and flourish; and they are also needed to maintain and restore (when possible) the damaged ecosystems. The areas … Read more