Zone of Shame

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

A fleeting Moment at Sea

A MEMORY, lost in time, and a crimson gleam on the volcano’s summit while rocks crash down the slope of Stromboli island. A PRESENT, living an experience privy to few, seeking out the strange creatures used to living in the dark, hundreds of meters below the sea’s surface. A PRIVELAGE, to be part of a … Read more

Oceana launches expedition to survey underwater volcanoes in the Aeolian Islands

Today, Oceana launched an expedition to the Aeolian Islands, a volcanic archipelago north of Sicily whose depths remain mostly unexplored. The month-long research voyage aims at compiling footage and data from deep-sea areas. This information will be used to support the designation of a marine protected area (MPA) to safeguard this remarkable region of the … Read more

Oceana completes 5400-mile underwater study in the North Sea

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

Passing to England

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

Oceana begins exploration of North Sea marine life in waters of five nations

Oceana is launching today its two-month expedition in the North Sea to survey important areas of marine life in the waters of Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, and the United Kingdom, on board the vessel Neptune. The organisation’s second research project in the North Sea is generously funded by the Dutch Postcode Lottery and will … Read more

The Sound: Biodiversity, threats, and transboundary protection

The waters of the Sound – the shared strait that lies between Denmark and Sweden – host a high level of biodiversity, and a unique mosaic of marine communities and habitats, including stone reefs, seagrass beds, horse mussel beds, and kelp forests. This diversity is due to the specific characteristics of the area, the combined … Read more

Dutch Postcode Lottery funds 2-month Oceana research expedition in the North Sea

Oceana extends its gratitude to the Dutch Postcode Lottery for a generous 2.25 million euro grant to fund a 2-month research expedition in the North Sea. The at-sea work will be carried out in summer this year and will include the filming and photography of deep-sea areas with an underwater robot and professional divers, and … Read more

Starfish with 10 to 11 arms spotted in the Mediterranean

Marine scientists have discovered a population of a species of starfish with 10 and 11 arms living more than 200 m below the surface in waters off Malta (central Mediterranean). These starfish were spotted using an underwater robot during an at-sea survey as part the Life Ba?AR for N2K project, which aims to identify new … Read more