Oceana regrets the decision of the Supreme Court to approve the permits that have been granted to Repsol to prospect for hydrocarbons on the eastern coastline of Fuerteventura and Lanzarote. This decision will help to destroy up to 25 marine areas and 82 protected species that were documented by Oceana during its expedition in this … Read more
EU citizens are urged to participate in the Public consultation before June 16th Oceana denounces the European Commission plan to develop deep-sea mining operations, and appeals to EU citizens to oppose this destructive activity by participating in the public consultation, which is open until June 16th, 2014. Deep-sea mining is one of the most extreme … Read more
Oceana calls for the ban to be extended to other fisheries in Portugal and the rest of the EU The Portuguese government has issued a decree prohibiting all deep-sea fishing – with the exception of longlining, which is authorized under certain conditions – in an area spanning 2,280,000 km2, to promote sustainable fisheries and the … Read more
Today, the International Council for the Exploration of the Seas (ICES) delivered its advice for 2015 catches in the Baltic Sea, including the largest cuts in total allowable catches for cod in years. This move comes after ICES scientists reported a particularly worrying development for eastern Baltic cod: While over the past few years, the … Read more
Every year, coinciding with the birthday of Linnaeus, the founder of modern taxonomy, the International Institute for Species Exploration at New York State University (IISE – SUNY) publishes a list of the 10 most interesting species discovered. The latest list, released yesterday, includes a giant foraminifer found on a seamount off Cabo de Palos (Murcia). … Read more
Oceana applauds yesterday’s decision by Spain’s Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Environment, to protect the Émile Baudot and Ausiàs March seamounts as well as the Fort d’en Moreu coral reef. The international marine conservation organization spent years documenting these seabeds and actively campaigning for the Spanish and Balearic governments to protect these highly ecologically valuable … Read more
Almost 80% of fish stocks in the Mediterranean Sea are overfished Rome – Today, high-level officials representing Mediterranean countries, including Maria Damanaki, EU Commissioner for Fisheries and Maritime Affairs, expressed their commitment to put an end to overfishing in the Mediterranean Sea while considering marine ecosystems and preserving fragile habitats. This historical step has been … Read more
In reality, business carries on as usual inside so-called protected areas. While the number of marine protected areas (MPAs) in the Baltic Sea and Kattegat continues to increase, the number of areas with actual protection measures unfortunately, isn’t growing at the same rate. Many MPAs completely lack plans that regulate the activities within them. Oceana’s … Read more
Fish, squids and corals full of organisms whose names you can’t even begin to pronounce – our oceans are brimming with life. Yet sometimes it seems that many on land have forgotten that life once began in the ocean and still plays a big role in maintaining the balance on this planet. Even in this … Read more
The combined size of the world’s MPAs exceeds the size of Europe. While that might sound like a very large area, the MPAs in fact cover less than 3 percent of the world’s oceans according to IUCN (The International Union for Conservation of Nature). Only around 1 percent of the world’s oceans are closed to fishing … 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.
