A few days ago, in the coastal town of Cascais, Portugal, the OSPAR Commission marked their 2014 meeting with a decision to protect 11 vulnerable marine species and five habitats in the North-East Atlantic. European eels, cod, spotted rays and seamounts are among those that will receive protection.
A few days ago, the Internet was abuzz with news about the Chilean Devil Ray’s ability to reach previously unknown depths. What a perfect excuse to introduce this species to our readers!
Despite its intimidating name, this mostly solitary creature (though it can be found in groups) is harmless to humans and feeds on small fish and plankton. It can grow to reach 4 meters across and weigh up to 350kgs!
“I’m going to use my authority to protect some of our nation’s most precious marine landscapes”, announced President Obama during the international summit “Our Ocean”, which took place last week at the US State Department.
Blue Growth is a new strategy recently launched in the EU, wherein seas and oceans are seen as drivers of the European economy. It represents about 5.4 million jobs and is expected to generate a gross added value of almost €500 billion a year. Shipping, coastal and cruise tourism, offshore wind, shipbuilding, aquaculture and blue biotechnologies are considered to be some of the most promising sectors of the Baltic Sea maritime economy.
Commercial deep-sea mining operations are set to become a reality by 2016 in the Pacific Ocean, and will have a negative impact on our planet that we cannot even begin to measure. According to official statistics, only 3 % of the oceans are protected (IUCN), and we have only explored about 1% of ocean floor (NOAA).