Oceana discovers new areas of coral on the seamounts of the Balearic Islands

The international marine conservation organization has also documented a great biological wealth in the funds of Sa Dragonera, which should be kept The international organization of Oceana marine conservation has published a report with the results of its 2014 Balearic Islands expedition, on the seamounts of the channel of Mallorca (Ausiàs March, Emile Baudot and … Read more

Preliminary data on deep-sea benthic habitats documented in four macaronesian seamounts

Seamounts are considered biodiversity hotspots and the Macaronesian region hosts over one hundred of them. However, biological information on these underwater elevations remains scarce. In 2014, Oceana launched an at-sea campaign aimed at identifying and describing deep-sea benthic communities that inhabit several Macaronesian slopes and remote seamounts. As a preliminary outcome, the presence of Vulnerable … Read more

European Commissioner Karmenu Vella visits ‘Oceana Ranger’

Karmenu Vella, European Commissioner for the Environment, Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, visited the research catamaran Oceana Ranger last Friday to learn about the scientific expeditions carried out by the international marine conservation organisation. A Maltese native, Mr Vella had the chance to get acquainted with the underwater research currently being conducted in Malta by Oceana, … Read more

First ever database of EU fishing fleet around the world launched

Oceana and its allies launch the transparency database www.whofishesfar.org, an online database detailing 15,264 EU vessels authorised to fish outside EU waters between 2010 and 2014. The figures were made public for the first time after an access-to-information request to the European Commission. Transparency is a key element for eradicating illegal fishing and ensuring sustainable fisheries. … Read more

North-East Atlantic threatened species left in the lurch

North-East Atlantic countries have adopted recommendations for the management of four threatened species and habitats: blue mussel beds, allis shad, sea lamprey and Azorean limpet. The decisions were taken at the annual meeting of the OSPAR Commission, which closed on Friday in Ostend (Belgium), and will finally extend protection to these vulnerable animals, which have … Read more