Found far from shore, the oceanic whitetip shark’s range spans entire oceans. Oceanic whitetips are now rarely seen, although previously considered one of the most widespread and abundant sharks. Oceanic whitetip sharks fall victim to the longlines and gillnets of commercial fisheries in the open ocean, both as a target and bycatch. Their large fins … 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
This bottom-dwelling, docile species is found in a variety of habitats which include continental shelves, corals and rocky reefs, mangroves and sand flats. Nurse sharks are equipped with long barbells on their snout to locate benthic prey. Although their meat is not widely commercialized, nurse sharks fall victim to bycatch in gillnets and longlines. Their inshore … Read more
Our team of specialists works in the Copenhagen office to protect this unique sea, which covers 377 thousand square kilometres in the North of Europe and is almost entirely surrounded by nine different countries, from IUU fishing and improve the network of Marine Protected Areas. It is a very shallow sea of “brackish” water, water … Read more
This Oceana programme was possible thanks to a collaboration agreement with the Fundación Biodiversidad and the help of the SECAC (Society for the Study of Cetaceans in the Canarian Archipelago) and served to draw up more effective protection plans. By satellite tags that were attached to ten turtles, our scientists were able to follow their … Read more
Little is known about this typically deep-dwelling species. Like their short-finned relative, longfin makos prefer warmer water, but they are rarely encountered. This species is known to be caught as bycatch in pelagic longline fisheries, though not as often as the shortfin mako. However, catches may be underestimated, since they are commonly misidentified as shortfin … 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.
