Brussels — The European Commission released today its annual proposal on catch limits (TACs) for the North East Atlantic waters in 2017. Oceana considers the Commission’s proposal a step in the right direction but stresses more effort and political will is needed to eradicate overfishing. The proposal covers over 70 fish stocks, including commercially important … Read more
Oceana in Europe campaigned with our colleagues in the Deep Sea Conservation Coalition for the prohibition of deep sea bottom trawling in the North East Atlantic waters. This victory provides increased protection for vulnerable marine ecosystems and deep-sea sharks. The European Parliament, Council and Commission reached an agreement that bans all trawling below 800m depth … Read more
The most striking feature of the Atlantic seabed is a large underwater mountain chain that crosses it from north to south, called the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, which forms in the limit of four tectonic plates: Eurasian, North American, South American and African. The ocean floor is believed to be quite flat, generally speaking, although there are … Read more
Stately kelp forests and rainbow-colored coral reefs are known for the amazing amount of life that calls these habitats home. But don’t count out the muddy seafloor, especially if it harbors a tiny crustacean called a haploops. These animals, related to the sandhoppers often found on beaches, build small mud tunnel homes that litter the … Read more
Tomorrow, in Trondheim, Norway, representatives from 15 governments and the EU will convene under the OSPAR Convention to discuss the protection of threatened marine species and habitats in the North-East Atlantic. Oceana urges them to expand the list of threatened and declining species. The list has not been updated since 2008 and does not include … Read more
Despite its name, the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) is in in charge of ensuring the sustainable management of many fish species including sharks. Over the last few decades, catches of commercially fished sharks have continually increased, however no proper management measures have been put in place and catches continue to … Read more
Today, the European Commission released its annual proposal of total allowable catches (TACs) for the main commercial fish species in North East Atlantic waters for 2016. Oceana has welcomed the proposal that sets a key milestone towards ending overfishing by 2020, but is disappointed that the Commission has failed to fully meet catch reductions advised by scientists … Read more
In advance of the next EU Council decision on fishing opportunities for stocks in the North East Atlantic in 2014, Oceana would like to provide a constructive opinion on how fishing opportunities should be set. It is our hope that the Council takes into account the recommendations contained in this document and proposes Total Allowable … Read more
Last week, Oceana attended an international meeting on blue sharks that was held in Tenerife, Spain, by ICCAT (the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas). The meeting was the first of two for this year’s assessment of blue sharks in the Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea – the first ICCAT assessment that has … Read more
Marine cave communities have been a continued source of ecological surprises, among other things because of their close ecological and evolutionary ties with the deep sea. The discovery of cladorhizid sponges, the deepest occurring poriferan family, in shallow Mediterranean caves in the 1990s was one such surprise, leading to the generally accepted hypothesis that the … 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.
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