Deep-sea corals and sponges , some of the oldest animals on Earth, grow at the rate of just a few millimeters each year and live for thousands of years. In recent years, NOAA and other scientific organizations worldwide have discovered that the majority of the coral species found in the world’s oceans live in deep … 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. Inhabited from around 4000 B.C., the first real settlements developed with the arrival of the Carthaginians in 654 B.C. Currently, the Balearic Islands are home … Read more
Loggerhead Habitat In November 2007, Oceana and the Center for Biological Diversity petitioned the U.S. federal government to up list Atlantic loggerhead sea turtles from threatened to endangered under the Endangered Species Act and to protect the key habitat areas for these sea turtles from human impacts. Currently, the loggerhead is listed as threatened and … Read more
Not so long ago, many scientists assumed the ocean floor was a vast plain, lifeless and without currents. In the 1960s, scientists using early submersibles discovered that the ocean bottom is made up of familiar landscape features including great plains, deep canyons, mountain ridges and large seafloor hills, known as seamounts. Like land-based environments, life … Read more
The fishing sector requires comprehensive regulation based on the environment’s capacity to produce resources in order to prevent overexploitation and foster long-term responsible fishing activities. The creation of marine protected areas facilitates the adoption of measures to manage the fishing sector by establishing fisheries, quotas and fishing gear adapted to the physical and biological characteristics … Read more
Oceana’s campaign focuses primarily on one of the biggest human-provoked threats to sea turtle survival: bycatch (link) in commercial fisheries. Oceana works to reduce sea turtle (link) bycatch in EU fisheries through gear modification (link 5) and by advocating for the closure of fisheries at times and in areas where sea turtles are likely to … Read more
Drift nets are made of nylon and they have a mesh size between 18 and 24 centimetres (although they can exceed 40 cm in some cases), a height of 35 meters and a length of up to 20 kms (the nets are comprised of panels that are attached to each other to reach the desired … Read more
Historically, protected areas have had a strong terrestrial component. Currently, the European Commission fosters the protection of marine areas, in keeping with the Habitats Directive (92/43/CEE) and the Birds Directive (79/409/CEE). The Marine Strategy Framework Directive (9388/2/2007 – C6-0261/2007 – 2005/0211(COD)) includes the need to create new marine protected areas from an ecosystem perspective. In … Read more
The following effects of climate change will have critical implications for sea turtles: Severe Storms More severe storms, such as hurricanes and tropical cyclones, could increase beach erosion rates, endangering sea turtle nesting habitat. Often severe storms could increase the chance that sea turtle nests will flood, decreasing nesting success rates. Hotter Sands The sex … Read more
During the last few years, Oceana has carried out campaigns to control and report the use of illegal drift nets, both through our observers in ports and through our high-seas campaigns on board the Oceana Ranger and the Marviva Med. During this time, we have located and reported French and Italian netters that continue fishing … 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.
