Habitat Protection Archives

MedFish4Ever summit: NGOs call on fisheries ministers to take action to end illegal bottom trawling in Mediterranean

Ministers meeting for MedFish4Ever high level conference on Mediterranean protection in Malta As fisheries ministers gather in Malta today for the high level MedFish4Ever conference, NGOs call on them to end the illegal bottom trawling that is driving destruction of protected areas in the Mediterranean, by strengthening compliance and enforcement ahead of November’s General Fisheries … Read more

Time is running out to protect the Mediterranean, says Oceana

Mediterranean countries must speed up designation of fisheries closures to protect deep-sea ecosystems With four years remaining of their 10-year pledge to save Mediterranean fish stocks, fisheries ministers are gathering in Malta from 3-4 October to take stock of the progress made in delivering their commitments in the 2017 Malta MedFish4Ever Ministerial Declaration. Oceana’s analysis … Read more

EU Nature Restoration Law will lack teeth if it fails to address fisheries impacts

As final discussions between the European institutions recommence on the hotly contested EU Nature Restoration Law (NRL), environmental organisations warn that parts of the law essential to restoring marine life and ecosystems are at risk of being crushed. Nature restoration at sea is impossible unless fishing activities are adequately managed. In recognition of this fact, … Read more

Beaked whales!

Finally sailing! We couldn’t leave the harbour yesterday evening because there was a very strong wind, and we had to wait until early morning. Once the wind calmed down, we started sailing towards the west of Alboran Island. Heading towards Alboran Island we passed through the Chella Bank. We were looking for dolphins, which are … Read more

Oceana launches expedition to research the destructive impacts of bottom trawling in Spanish waters

Today, Oceana is launching an expedition to the Alboran Sea to document fisheries and gather evidence of the impact caused by bottom trawling on vulnerable seabed habitats and iconic species. The data gathered will serve as evidence to show EU decision-makers that bottom trawling in marine protected areas must be prohibited. Pascale Moehrle, Executive Director … Read more

Mapping of different benthic habitat components in the Basque continental shelf (NE Bay of Biscay) and its application within the MSFD

Abstract To properly apply European directives (mainly Habitat and Marine Strategy) Member States and the European Commission require information about the marine environment, of which seabed habitats are an integral part. Within this context, in 2005, a seafloor mapping programme, funded by the Basque government, commenced with the aim of seafloor characterisation and benthic habitat … Read more

Living in the deep sea

Our lack of knowledge about the deep seas is immense, almost as great as the surface area of these regions. To begin to understand this other world and its mysteries, we must take certain facts into consideration: The average depth of the oceans is about 3,800 metres (almost 12 times the height of the Eiffel … Read more

Vulnerable habitats and species in the deep-sea Emile Baudot escarpment (South Balearic Islands) surveyed by ROV

Abstract Geological features like seamounts and canyons are known to be potential biodiversity hotspots due to the variety of bathymetric ranges, substrata, habitats and species that they can host. Escarpments share these characteristics and new findings show they can be considered as important biological hotspots. Remotely operated vehicle (ROV) dives between 100 and 1000 m … Read more

Marine litter in the upper São Vicente submarine canyon (SW Portugal): Abundance, distribution, composition and fauna interactions

Abstract Marine litter has become a worldwide environmental problem, tainting all ocean habitats. The abundance, distribution and composition of litter and its interactions with fauna were evaluated in the upper S. Vicente canyon using video images from 3 remote operated vehicle exploratory dives. Litter was present in all dives and the abundance was as high … Read more

Cold-water coral and hydroids as Essential Fish Habitat for Lappanella fasciata and Benthocometes robustus

Abstract Fish-habitat association is of paramount importance in ecosystem-based approaches to fisheries management. “Essential Fish Habitats” (EFH) include areas that are either spawning and nursery grounds, provide specific feeding resources, shelter from predators and form part of a mitigation route (Benaka, 1999). The term was incited by the illegal requirement in the US to consider … Read more