The International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tuna (ICCAT) meets once again to decide the future of large pelagic species like sharks, swordfish, bluefin tuna and albacore, among others. ICCAT manages the so-called Highly Migratory Species in the Atlantic Ocean. These fish are commercially exploitable species that develop their life cycles in waters around the world, … Read more
For decades, EU fisheries subsidies have fuelled the growth of the EU fleet to a level estimated to be two to three times higher than what the ocean can sustainably provide and then artificially maintained the overcapacity of the fleet, driving the overfishing of our seas. Yet the vast majority of Europe’s fishing fleets is … Read more
Discards and bycatch are two problems that are closely related. Bycatch is the portion of the catch that is not comprised of the fishery’s target species and the FAO defines discards as the portion of the catch that is thrown back into the sea. In fact, bycatch is usually discarded. This happens when: – the species … Read more
Total Allowable Catch (TAC) is the tool used to establish maximum fishing limits during a certain timeframe and for each one of the species controlled by management plans. Scientific recommendations for each marine area specified by the FAO (ICES fishing areas) are used to establish catch possibilities. Currently, the TAC system is not working correctly because … Read more
The largest Posidonia reef that can be found throughout Spain and the Mediterranean is located in Baleares, in the Ses Salines d’Eivissa i Formentera protected area. It is considered the world’s oldest organism, around 100,000 years old, as its origin dates from the Pleistocene epoch. Erroneously considered a type of seaweed, Posidonia (Posidonia oceanica) is a seagrass … Read more
The seamounts of the Ibiza Channel are virtually unexplored. Until very recently only geological data existed of these elevations, which are distributed between the Balearic Islands and the Valencian coast. Oceana captured the first images of life on these seamounts, and contributed data to the Spanish Inventory of Natural Heritage and Biodiversity, in collaboration with Fundación … Read more
Oceana also completed studies on the most important seamounts in the Mallorca Channel, known as Emile Baudot, Ses Olives and Ausias March. These seamounts form the border between the Algerian and Balearic sub-basins, which are very different from each other, making this an area of characteristic oceanographic, geological and ecological conditions that constitutes a habitat … Read more
The Balearic Island archipelago is located in the western Mediterranean Sea off Spain’s eastern coast. The archipelago consists of three major islands (Majorca, Minorca, and Ibiza) with other small islands such as Cabrera and Formentera. Inhabited from around 4000 B.C., the first real settlements developed with the arrival of the Carthaginians in 654 B.C. Currently, … Read more
Located in front of the coast of Almeria (southeast Spain), the Chella Bank (Seco de los Olivos in Spanish) is a seamount whose top is found at a depth of 80 metres. It is a set of elevations that houses a very rich biodiversity, including deep-sea coral reefs, cetaceans, sharks and lots of fish. Oceana … Read more
The marine environment of the Doñana site is, as occurs in the terrestrial domain, an exceptional site for biodiversity. Situated in the Gulf of Cadiz, at the confluence of special geographic, oceanographic and environmental characteristics, the marine area of Doñana is a place of enormous strategic and biological productivity. It is of great importance for … 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.
