What is acidification? Apart from being a powerful greenhouse gas, CO2 is also dissolved in large quantities in seawater and produces a phenomenon known as Acidification. Generally, when CO2 comes into contact with a water molecule, there is an increase in the concentration of H+ ions, which leads to a decrease of the pH levels … Read more
Oceana works to make acidification known as a serious consequence related to the impacts caused by climate change. The necessary measures should be implemented to halt and counteract this phenomenon. It is in fact essential that acidification be included in both EU policies and international climate conventions, for example the United Nations Conventions on climate change. … Read more
Changes in legislation. Oceana works to eradicate “finning ”, cutting off fins and throwing the body overboard while the shark is still alive. This practice has increased as Asian countries demand more fins for “shark fin soup”, while also raising the price of the fins. Oceana is focused on changing European legislation to prohibit finning … Read more
The Canary Island government compiled a list of species whose catch is prohibited, including crustaceans like the brown spiny lobster (Palinurus echinatus), molluscs from the genus Charonia spp., fish species like the Gorean snapper (Lutjanus goreensis), the goldentail moray eel (Gymnothorax miliaris), etc., although this list was created only for commercial reasons. In addition, the … Read more
The proposal made by Oceana and Fundación Biodiversidad (Spanish) includes 42 measures that address the EU’s requirements. The initiative aims to create a coherent network of marine protected areas (MPA) that also protects a variety of species and habitats that are currently not included in management plans for conservation. As such, many threatened species are … Read more
European fisheries are managed through the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP), which is a set of regulations covering all aspects of fisheries management from technical measures to Total Allowable Catches and fishing subsidies. The current CFP was adopted in 2002 but has failed to put a stop to the overexploitation of European fishing grounds. Since 2009, … Read more
The Canary Island archipelago is located in front of the coasts of the western Sahara, north of the Cape Verde Islands. Thanks to this location, the subtropical climate leads to the development of unique species and habitats with presence of tropical and southern species as well as a variety of autochthonous species. Studies concerning marine … Read more
Mercury is a dangerous chemical, finding its way into the oceans and the seafood we eat. Mercury released to the environment from industrial sources ends up in our oceans, contaminating seafood. Because it builds up in wildlife through a process called bioaccumulation, animals high on the food chain carry the most mercury. Many of the … Read more
The serious effects of Climate Change on our planet, ecosystems and populations make this one a particularly important moment: it is the end of fossil fuel and the beginning of a new era of renewable energies. Renewable energies play an important role to mitigate the effects of climate change which is endorsed by the international … Read more
The oceans play an important role in regulating the Earth’s temperature. As the levels of carbon dioxide and heat rise in the atmosphere, so do their levels in the oceans. Since the Industrial Revolution, we have added close to 1.5 trillion metric tons of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere and the oceans have absorbed about … 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.
