Trawls A trawl is a large net that is pulled through the water column or along the seabed, catching anything that is not small enough to pass through the net’s mesh openings. This fishing gear is typically used to catch fish or shrimp. Catching unwanted species is a problem for trawlers because it is a … 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
Located just over 50 kilometers off the coast of Castellón, the Columbretes archipelago is truly a special place. Designated as one of the first Spanish marine protected areas in 1991, the Columbretes archipelago contains 4,400 hectares of protected marine habitat. On land, the Columbretes serve as an important colony site for Audouin’s gulls shag, Cory’s … Read more
Over 90 percent of world trade is carried across the world’s oceans by some 90,000 marine vessels. Like all modes of transportation that use fossil fuels, ships produce carbon dioxide emissions that significantly contribute to global climate change and acidification. Besides carbon dioxide ships also release a handful of other pollutants that contribute to the … Read more
There are seven species of sea turtles swimming the world’s oceans. Six of the species can be found in EU waters: greens, hawksbills, loggerheads, leatherbacks, olive ridleys and Kemp’s ridleys. (link to our species content) A seventh species, the flatback, only inhabits the waters around Australia. Female sea turtles, like all other reptiles, lay eggs. Most … 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
Seco de Palos is an undersea mountain range 30 sea miles off the Murcia coast, at a depth of between 100 and 3,000 m. Many pelagic species, such as pilot whales, sea turtles, sea birds, swordfish, and sunfish live temporarily or permanently in the area. Until a few years ago, there was hardly any information … Read more
Lophelia is a reef-forming coral that provides a highly complex habitat supporting as diverse an array of life as some shallow water reef communities. It is found in every ocean except in Polar regions. Most Lophelia reefs are found at depths of 650 to 3,300 feet, though the deepest so far discovered is nearly two … Read more
Sign up today to get weekly updates and action alerts from Oceana.
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.
