Ocean Citizen 2024

Ocean Citizen 2024

Scientific research to restore degraded habitats – 8 June 2024

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Overview

Oceana, in collaboration with the University of Salento and Underwater Gardens International (UGI), is leading research to identify the most suitable areas for regenerating the seabed and recovering benthic biodiversity around Punta Blanca (Tenerife, Canary Islands). This research is key to the restoration activities included in the OCEAN CITIZEN project.  

In June 2024, Oceana carried out more than 50 dives with a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) operated from our research catamaran Ranger. These surveys provided data from depths of 25-150 metres and indicated sites where seabed communities are in good condition and could act as ‘donors’ for the restoration work. 

The ROV dives provided the coordinates and depth of the observed habitats. The data also indicated which species can benefit most from restoring the seabed to a good environmental status. In combination with the ROV dives, we collected grab samples inside the main target restoration area. This sampling allowed us to identify more than 100 species that would otherwise go unnoticed, as they are too small to be identified from the ROV videos alone.  

Alongside the ecological data, we also gathered information on anthropogenic impacts, like lost fishing gear and marine litter. These data also further our ecological understanding of the sites. 

OCEAN CITIZEN aims at developing an innovative and sustainable protocol for coastal restoration and conservation, replicable and specifically designed for different ecozones. The project is co-funded by the European Union.

2024 Ranger Ocean Citizen Expedition

The Crew

Isabel Petersen

Underwater Gardens International

Silvia Fraissinet

Salento University

Susana Domingo

Cook

Xavier Valls

Deckhand

Marco Antonio Panosian

Captain

Jorge Blanco

Senior GIS Analyst and Logistics Coordinator

Nicolas Arau

First mate

Alejandro Blanco

Deckhand

JOSÉ MANUEL SÁEZ

ROV's Technician (Spain)

Ricardo Aguilar

Senior Advisor & Expedition Leader

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Oceana in Europe gratefully acknowledges EU funding support.

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