History was made today in Bangkok, when Parties to CITES (the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna) voted to protect five species of sharks and two species of manta rays under Appendix II. The seven protected species are: oceanic whitetip (Carcharhinus longimanus), porbeagle (Lamna nasus), scalloped hammerhead (Sphyrna lewini), … Read more
The Member States of the Helsinki Convention on the protection of the Baltic Sea Marine Environment gathered at the 34th Meeting of the Helsinki Commission (HELCOM) in Finland, on 5 to 6 March 2013 to decide on urgent rescue measures to halt the degradation of the Baltic marine environment. Oceana, the international marine conservation organization, … Read more
Oceana proposes multiplying by 10 the protected surface, including sensitive habitats and endangered species that lie beyond the park boundaries. Alexandra Cousteau, Jacques Cousteau’s granddaughter and an Oceana advisor, has travelled to the Balearics to support the proposal for the enlargement of the Cabrera National Park. The visit will take place 36 years after the … Read more
All eyes in the shark conservation world are on Bangkok, where one of the most important conservation meetings kicked off on Sunday. Countries that are Parties to CITES (the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species) are meeting to discuss and decide on the protection of species that are threatened by international trade – including … Read more
The dumping of the waste into the sea will affect fishing activity, human health, the quality of bathing water, and the conservation of marine ecosystems. Oceana sent today to the Paris headquarters of UNESCO, the body in charge of Biosphere Reserves, a complaint against the project of dumping into the sea the waste materials from … Read more
“The high seas” – Just the term evokes the idea of a wild and lawless ocean that spans as far as the eye can see… and pirates (or is that just me?). The truth is not so far from this. You see, the high-seas fall beyond national jurisdiction and are “governed” by a series of … Read more
What has to happen in a few months in a relatively small area – 5,000 sqkm- for 180 scientists from different organizations to sign a joint document and send it to media? Many things, and none of them good: drastic budget cuts for protected areas, redundancies that dismantle effective teams, destruction of years-long work… All … Read more
At 5000 m high, the Gorringe seamounts, located in the Atlantic, 300 km off the Portuguese shore, are on their way to becoming a new Marine Protected Area, following their nomination by the Portuguese government[i]. Oceana, which has documented this area on several occasions, is thrilled with this announcement. Since 2005, Oceana has worked to … Read more
Can a place 3,000 feet deep, dark and cold be a hot spot of biodiversity? Yes, it can! In fact, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has included four such sites in their Lebanon’s marine protected area strategy , and the reason why we’re talking about them here is because it’s a … Read more
Located between Spain, Morocco and Algeria, the Alboran Sea is to the very West of the Western Mediterranean. If the Strait of Gibraltar can be called the gate to the Med, then the Alboran Sea is a busy hall where thousands of ships and migrating cetaceans go to and fro. Such hectic activity in a … 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.
