The previous CFP was adopted in 2002. It was at the time of a major step towards a better management of marine resources, as it established conservation as one of its objectives, but it failed to put a stop to the overexploitation of European fishing grounds. For years, Oceana in Europe worked towards reforming the … Read more
Unfortunately the Baltic is at the same time one of the most polluted seas in the world, due to exploitation and economic activities. Unsustainable fisheries are one of the most urgent threats to the Baltic fish stocks. Destructive fishing practices, like bottom trawling, high levels of by-catch and illegal, unregulated and unreported (IUU) fishing all … Read more
Oceana focused primarily on two seamounts, Nao Mound and Morrot de Formentera. In the former, we found deep gorgonian gardens and crustaceans of commercial interest, while Morrot boasted an abundance of fish and the presence of ancient cold water coral reefs. Both seamounts host habitats and species that are subject to protection under laws currently … Read more
These seamounts also harbor a variety of habitats that should be protected given their high productivity and/or degree of threat, such as coralline beds, bamboo coral beds, rhodolith beds and deep-sea sponge fields, among others. In addition, species of commercial interest like crabs and fish depend on habitats located in this area and some of … Read more
During a number of oceanographic campaigns, Oceana has focused part of its research on documenting the sea beds of the Balearic archipelago, in order to determine the importance of the habitats and species present there and request the establishment of the most adequate protection and management measures. Given the ecological and economic importance of these … Read more
Seamounts are biodiversity hotspots. Oceana’s work in Seco de Olivos confirmed that the area is home to vulnerable species like red coral, various species of black coral and the angular roughshark—which is in danger of extinction in the Mediterranean. It’s waters are also a migratory area for numerous types of cetaceans and it is a … Read more
The proposal includes a wide variety of sites, such as seamounts, banks, canyons, slopes, trenches, ridges, mud volcanoes, gas seeps, carbonate mounts, etc. Although these habitats are less well-known than seagrass beds or coral reefs, they are equally important. The CBD considers that the proposed sites are important enough from a biological and … Read more
Within the coastal region, the people inhabiting the area have had centuries of interactions with the marine environment. Persistent fisheries targeting bluefin tuna during their spawning migrations into the Mediterranean have been established since antiquity. As a result of intense fishing and large coastal populations, pollution is of particular concern in the region. Recent fish … Read more
In 2005, during Oceana’s last expedition to the area, onboard the Oceana Ranger research catamaran, the organization identified around 36 species that had never been previously documented in the seamounts of the Northeast Atlantic. The results were published in the report ‘Seamounts of the Gorringe,” which makes an initial characterization of this submarine elevation and … Read more
The waters within Portugal’s EEZ have few marine protected areas (MPAs), and those that do exist are small and cover only coastal areas and as such, many species and habitats of great ecological importance remain unprotected. Only in the case of Ilhas Berlengas, is an area further off the coast protected, but it focuses on … 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.
