Kelp are large brown algae (1) that form a habitat very similar to a terrestrial forest. In Europe, their place is taken by other Laminaria forests that can be found in both the Atlantic and the Mediterranean. The most common species to be found in these ecosystems are Saccorhiza and Laminaria. Despite their great biological importance, kelp … Read more
Sea turtles are a migratory species which, no sooner have they broken out of their eggs on the laying beaches of Florida, Yucatan and other locations on the east coast of the Americas, embark on a frenzied race towards the sea. At the water’s edge, hundreds of tiny turtles barely 15 centimetres long meet the … Read more
This screensaver contains pictures of fishes, corals, jellyfishes, algae, etc. and it’s a small part of our image collection that we share with you to help you get closer to the underwater depths. Select resolution* to download** : 1024×768 | 1280×800 | 1280×1024 | 1440×900 | 1680×1050 | 1920×1080 | 1920×1200 (*) To find … Read more
The EU Habitats Directive is the most important legislation on environmental matters in Europe. This Directive establishes, amongst others, a list of species for which each Member State must create Special Areas of Conservation with specific protection objectives and measures. These areas set up a global European network of protected areas, called the Natura 2000 … Read more
Hydrocarbon spills in the marine environment continue to be one of the major threats to ecosystems and the species that comprise them. They cause direct impacts that can last up to 100 years, and they bring about a bioaccumulation of pollutants in organisms. Spills on the high seas can affect cetaceans, turtles and birds as … Read more
Did you know that the climate change is the main cause of the disappearance of corals and gorgonians in the Mediterranean? Increased global temperature is causing a series of significant changes around the world. Melting ice caps and glaciers cause the sea level to rise, hurricanes are stronger and more frequent, droughts alternate with floods … Read more
In the last 10 years, bluefin tuna fishing grounds have become highly profitable due to the big demand by the sushi and sashimi market. According to the last evaluation of the bluefin tuna stock in the East Atlantic and the Mediterranean, the increase in fishing pressure has caused a sharp decline in the population and … Read more
As land animals, the marine ecosystem is strange to us, and furthermore, the animals that inhabit that ecosystem behave in strange ways. Not everything anchored to the ground is vegetable nor everything that moves is animal. The “grass” walks and the animals “sprout roots.”
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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.
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