Fish, birds and gorgonian gardens

We spent the night in Porto Colom, surrounded by fishing boats, long liners and bottom trawlers. The atmosphere was a bit strange, as fishermen were staring at our t-shirts with the Oceana logo, and seemed to know us. Today, a reporter is on board with us from the TV show, Thalassa. We begin to head … Read more

Oceana launches an expedition to Cabrera and the Balearic seamounts

This morning, Oceana launched an expedition to document three seamounts that lie between the islands of Mallorca, Ibiza and Formentera, as well as the Fort d’en Moreu which is a coralligenous reef to the East of the Cabrera archipelago; all of which belong to the Balearic Islands. The international marine conservation organization will capture footage … Read more

Signs of trawling in a habitat that should be protected

We have finished research on the planned points of the expedition, but because the weather is so good, we are extending the area to be surveyed in order to check and know better the extent to which the protected area should be expanded. We are moving forward with work in the Fort d’en Moreu area, … Read more

A problem with the camera

The first light of day passes through the porthole; the sea is calm and quiet. Several seabirds are welcoming the day. We are already in the next diving station.  The first time we put the ROV in the water we had a problem with the high definition camera, and had to abort the immersion. After … Read more

Nine ROV dives for the first day

After ten years of expeditions, once again another Oceana campaign kicks off. This time, the goal is to document the seamounts in the Mallorca Channel through video and bionomic mapping.  It is now eight o’clock sharp, and the Cathedral of Palma is disappearing from view, and the bow of the ship is pointing towards the Cabrera … Read more

Oceana congratulates the Spanish Ministry for the protection of the first 4 INDEMARES areas

The ministerial order should make reference to the Mediterranean Regulation, which defines fundamental fisheries regulations affecting two of the areas protected today. Oceana congratulates the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Environment (MAGRAMA) for the publication of the order, which approves the proposal to include four areas of the LIFE+ INDEMARES project in the list of … Read more

Unexpected records of ‘deep-sea’ carnivorous sponges Asbestopluma hypogea in the shallow NE Atlantic shed light on new conservation issues

Marine cave communities have been a continued source of ecological surprises, among other things because of their close ecological and evolutionary ties with the deep sea. The discovery of cladorhizid sponges, the deepest occurring poriferan family, in shallow Mediterranean caves in the 1990s was one such surprise, leading to the generally accepted hypothesis that the … Read more

PORTUGAL PROÍBE A PESCA COM ARRASTE EM MAIS DE 2 MILHÕES DE KM2

A SUPERFÍCIE INTERDITA ÀS ARTES DE PESCA DESTRUTIVAS EM ÁGUAS PROFUNDAS QUADRUPLICA EM AREA O TAMANHO DA PENÍNSULA IBÉRICA A OCEANA PEDE QUE ESTA PROIBIÇÃO SEJA ESTENDIDA PARA O RESTO DAS PESQUERÍAS DE PORTUGAL E DA UE O Governo português proibiu por decreto de lei todas as artes de pesca de fundo –exceptuando o palangre, … Read more

Deep sea fisheries: the truth is revealed

France’s position on the reform of European deep-sea fishing regulations is even less justifiable in the light of this new information. On 2 July 2014, the French Institute for the Exploitation of the Sea (Ifremer) released data on the activities of French deep-sea bottom trawlers that non-government organizations (NGOs) have been demanding since national multi-stakeholder … Read more

OSPAR Commission Protects 16 new vulnerable species and habitats in the North-East Atlantic

A few days ago, in the coastal town of Cascais, Portugal, the OSPAR Commission marked their 2014 meeting with a decision to  protect 11 vulnerable marine species and five habitats in the North-East Atlantic. European eels, cod, spotted rays and seamounts are among those that will receive protection. The OSPAR Commission, which was set up … Read more