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
The Gorringe Bank, located 1600 nautical miles SW off the Portuguese coast, has been object of several studies since it was discovered in 18875 by Captain Henry Honeychurch Gorringe and his crew. After that, in the twentieth century, Prince Alberto I of Monaco developed various campaigns in the area. Ever since, several studies have taken place … Read more
Thessaloniki, Greece – Today, a joint statement committing to adopt measures to tackle global fleet overcapacity was signed by the EU and major fishing nations including the United States, Colombia, Japan, Philippines and Indonesia. This initiative revives and strengthens the international commitment to address this problem, which was signed in 1999 but has since been … Read more
The lack of meetings hampers the control and monitoring of the decisions taken and the prevention of illegal fishing activities that affect the park. Oceana requests the convening, without further delay, of the meeting of the Board of Trustees of the Cabrera National Park which was scheduled for December 2013. The international marine conservation organisation … Read more
Based on the findings of three expeditions, Oceana has proposed 13 areas of high ecological importance to become new marine protected areas in the Baltic Sea. Most of them host species and breeding grounds classified by HELCOM as threatened and vulnerable. Species like the rare Haploops crustacean, and the blue mussel-like horse mussel, though not … Read more
Several scientific studies provide proof of the successes of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) in enhancing biodiversity and benefiting sea life. MPAs provide threatened species and living breeding grounds a place to rebuild and flourish. For example, areas facing reduced pressure, where fisheries have been banned or restricted, have healthier communities and often host fish that … Read more
Oceana has created an interactive viewer with the most interesting pictures it has taken in the Gorringe Bank, a group of seamounts south-west of Portugal. The display, available in Google Earth, includes nearly fifty photographs and videos taken by submarine robot (ROV), obtained at depths of up to 500 metres and mostly unpublished. The project … Read more
Is there anything we can learn from all the animals that we share the planet with? I think most people would say a definitive yes, but when quizzed about exactly what, I’m not so sure all of us could come up with a well thought-out answer. Personally, I think we can learn something about behaviour. … Read more
The dumping of mercury-contaminated dredged material from the port of Maó into the sea would be an irresponsible act that is a hazard to health and fishing activity. Oceana has detected mercury contamination in samples of monkfish and scorpion fish fished in the island of Menorca (Balearic Islands), in the Maó area. In the case … 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.
