Spain is the first EU country to prohibit hammerhead and thresher shark fisheries

Oceana congratulates the Spanish Ministry of Environment and Rural and Marine Affairs today for publishing in the Official State Bulletin a total prohibition on the catch of hammerhead and thresher sharks[1]. With this highly awaited Ministerial Order, Spain has become a pioneering country within the European Unión by regulating its shark fisheries. It is the … Read more

The European Union should lead shark conservation and management in ICCAT

Oceana, the international marine conservation organization, is calling on the European Union to present effective proposals to regulate sharks that are caught in the Atlantic Ocean during the upcoming meeting of the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) in Recife, Brazil, 6-15 November. Regarding the innovative shark proposals the European Union presented … Read more

ICCAT’s last chance to prove capable of controlling fisheries

The International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) will meet in Recife, Brazil, next week to determine the future of commercially valuable bluefin tuna, whose populations have plummeted over recent decades. ICCAT is also expected to take up the issue of controlling shark catches and finning as agreed upon at the Second Joint … Read more

Spain loses seagrass prairies worth €60M every year

Oceana estimates that Spain loses seagrass prairies worth 60 million Euros every year due to trawling, the construction of ports and marinas, and dumping. The conservation organisation and the Banco Santander Foundation made this information public during a press conference to present the results of a joint project to restore seagrass prairies developed in the … Read more

Oceana warns that CO2 emissions will cause extinction of coral and crustaceans due to higher water acidity

Oceana is calling for an urgent reduction of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions to stop acidification of oceans. Acidification jeopardizes the survival of coral reefs and numerous marine species, and with them, the sustenance for millions of people worldwide. The international marine preservation organization is asking governments to introduce the acidification problems in the COP15 debates. … Read more

Marine Wildlife

Many marine species are at risk from overfishing, climate change and harmful fishing methods. Endangered sea turtles are caught unintentionally, as bycatch, by fishing boats around the world. Shark populations are plummeting as they are killed for their meat, fins and liver oil. Coveted seafood species including tuna and salmon are threatened by overfishing, and … Read more