To mark the 30th anniversary in April of the designation of Cabrera national park in the Balearic islands, Oceana is presenting a proposal for better fisheries management of the enlarged area of the park to be considered in the new management plan which will be developed by the park authorities. Our proposal, which includes fisheries … Read more
Introduction Underwater seamounts are often referred to as oases of the ocean, as they are home to rich ecosystems living at various depths on their slopes, benefiting from ocean currents that increase biological productivity and attract other marine life. Used as ‘stepping stones’ for transoceanic dispersion of species, and as reproduction or feeding grounds for … Read more
Last day of the campaign, the wind was high and we were trying to find a place to put the ROV out into the water one more time. We could do 5 new ROV dives in the bottoms around Sa Dragonera Island, as we considered the SCI (Site of Community Importance) Sa Dragonera should be … Read more
Once we reached the station, it takes the ROV around 40 to 50 minutes to reach 800 meters deep if the sea is not rough. Ses Olives is home to protected species like black corals, in addition the presence of other habitats that hold dead-corals and mollusks reefs justify its protection. We were in the north, west … Read more
We need supplies so we made a stop in Ibiza, waiting for fuel in the morning and ready to restart our work out . There´s wifi signal and we take advantage to check our mails. The Official Gazette of the Government of Spain (BOE- Boletin Oficial del Estado) has just published the protection of the … Read more
The sun rises and the sky is covered with clouds but the weather´s not cold; we can catch sight of the sun and it gets warmer. We reach Ausias March Mountain, close to Ibiza and Formentera islands; this is a fishing area for the trawler fleet. The bottom is rich in hake and Norway lobster. … Read more
The weather hasn´t improved today, we are in the immersion point but the waves are rather high. We started preparing the equipment in case the weather becomes benevolent, so we can put the ROV out into the water. It is nine o´clock in the morning and the operation starts. The way to the bottom is … Read more
In our first immersion today at more than 900 meters deep we found a group of deep-sea sharks. We explored some volcanic pinnacles near Emile Baudot. Back in 2013 we found stony sponges in a seamount in Gulf of Valencia, now we could see them here. This is the second time these sponges are ever … Read more
We spent the night in Porto Colom, surrounded by fishing boats, long liners and bottom trawlers. The atmosphere was a bit strange, as fishermen were staring at our t-shirts with the Oceana logo, and seemed to know us. Today, a reporter is on board with us from the TV show, Thalassa. We begin to head … Read more
We have finished research on the planned points of the expedition, but because the weather is so good, we are extending the area to be surveyed in order to check and know better the extent to which the protected area should be expanded. We are moving forward with work in the Fort d’en Moreu area, … 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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