Located just over 50 kilometers off the coast of Castellón, the Columbretes archipelago is truly a special place. Designated as one of the first Spanish marine protected areas in 1991, the Columbretes archipelago contains 4,400 hectares of protected marine habitat. On land, the Columbretes serve as an important colony site for Audouin’s gulls shag, Cory’s … Read more
Loggerhead Habitat In November 2007, Oceana and the Center for Biological Diversity petitioned the U.S. federal government to up list Atlantic loggerhead sea turtles from threatened to endangered under the Endangered Species Act and to protect the key habitat areas for these sea turtles from human impacts. Currently, the loggerhead is listed as threatened and … Read more
Seco de Palos is an undersea mountain range 30 sea miles off the Murcia coast, at a depth of between 100 and 3,000 m. Many pelagic species, such as pilot whales, sea turtles, sea birds, swordfish, and sunfish live temporarily or permanently in the area. Until a few years ago, there was hardly any information … Read more
Oceana’s campaign focuses primarily on one of the biggest human-provoked threats to sea turtle survival: bycatch (link) in commercial fisheries. Oceana works to reduce sea turtle (link) bycatch in EU fisheries through gear modification (link 5) and by advocating for the closure of fisheries at times and in areas where sea turtles are likely to … Read more
The island of Alborán is the peak of a mountain which existed prior to the birth of the Mediterranean Sea five million years ago. The island itself is a mere 550 meters long and 290 meters wide. Despite its size, the island has a long history of human use due to its strategic location midway … Read more
The following effects of climate change will have critical implications for sea turtles: Severe Storms More severe storms, such as hurricanes and tropical cyclones, could increase beach erosion rates, endangering sea turtle nesting habitat. Often severe storms could increase the chance that sea turtle nests will flood, decreasing nesting success rates. Hotter Sands The sex … Read more
Less than 5 kilometers off the southern coast of Menorca island lays the Menorca Canyon. In 2006, researchers from Oceana were some of the first to have ever explored the depths of the canyon. The canyon ledge lies in 85 to 90 meters of water and quickly descends over 240 meters — the deepest Oceana’s … Read more
Along with fishing gear and climate change, there are numerous human activity threats to sea turtles. These threats include coastal development, pollution, direct harvest, invasive species and vessel strikes. Coastal Development With the encroachment of hotels, parking lots and housing along nesting beaches, female turtles are forced to use suboptimal nesting habitats. After emerging from their … Read more
The Balearic Island archipelago is located in the western Mediterranean Sea off Spain’s eastern coast. The archipelago consists of three major islands (Majorca, Minorca, and Ibiza) with other small islands. Inhabited from around 4000 B.C., the first real settlements developed with the arrival of the Carthaginians in 654 B.C. Currently, the Balearic Islands are home … Read more
Trawls A trawl is a large net that is pulled through the water column or along the seabed, catching anything that is not small enough to pass through the net’s mesh openings. This fishing gear is typically used to catch fish or shrimp. Catching unwanted species is a problem for trawlers because it is 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.
