I’ve been living in Australia for a while now. Obviously, it’s impossible to not compare one region with the other. There are so many differences: the seabed, the coast, the people, culture, food…Unfortunately, we found a sad similarity today, something that all seabeds share. Ever since I joined Oceana in 2010, the only thing that … Read more
Oceana scientists have wrapped up an eight-week, at-sea research cruise in the North Sea, surveying 15 areas of special conservation interest across the waters of the UK, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, and Norway, covering 5400 miles (8700km). Oceana will now study the data collected at-sea to identify key areas that should be protected from human … Read more
Today we were visited by the media here at the boat, ITV News Tyne Tees and BBC local TV (Look North) as well as Newcastle BBC radio. We got to tell and show them about this expedition and the work we do. After the media left, we started also to do the packing and cleaning. The days … Read more
Today is the last day at sea for the crew of the Neptune, since we’re scheduled to dock in Newcastle tonight, putting an end to this expedition, the second by Oceana in the North Sea. We have a lot of nautical miles along five countries at our back, we’ve dredged the seabed 138 times, taken … Read more
After a few dry days, today was the last dive of the expedition and Scotland has left its mark. It is the kingdom of the crustaceans: velvet crabs, brown crabs, lobsters…we find a pair of claws guarding the entrance to almost every crack, every hole. The interesting thing we came across was a velvet crab … Read more
If I was forced to choose one of the dives that we have had the pleasure of enjoying up until today, I’d pick the Farne Islands, a National Nature Reserve on the border between English and Scottish water. The region teams with lobsters, brown crabs, lion’s mane jellyfish, black wrasse, and opulent shoals of pollack, … Read more
Another time zone, another UTM zone, and the circle closes. Numerous X mark the zones already conquered. The last stronghold is Newcastle: the siege begins. The multi-beam gives us intel about the terrain. A flat zone, muddy, no rocks or slopes that would indicate something of interest. The scientists confirm the substrate and the type … Read more
Today we set out from IJmunden in the Netherlands heading out for British waters and the last leg of the expedition. The forecast predicts a hard crossing and indeed the waves are hitting the ship hard coming sideways from the south. We are passing the time reviewing the details for the last part of the … Read more
Some of our expedition members are leaving today, so we help them unload and say our goodbyes, wishing them good luck, as it is customary to do on the sea. We took advantage of the delivery of supplies in the afternoon to visit Amsterdam, just a few kilometers away. What can I say about this … Read more
We were on our way back to port this afternoon after a regular day of dredging/ROV/CTD/dredging/ROV/dredging when we spotted the enormous corpse of a whale (or most likely Balaenoptera spp.) floating on the surface. It’s ironic that we haven’t seen even one of the giants in the almost 50 days of the expedition and now … 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.
