With the support of the Biodiversity Foundation and the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and the Environment, Oceana has conducted over ten ROV dives at depths of between 80 and 1,000 meters around El Hierro Island in the Canaries, as well as several others with divers in shallower areas. Through this work, Oceana has documented large … Read more
Scientists on board the Oceana Ranger have conducted ROV transects covering the summit and slopes of these elevations which have a height of more than 2,000 metres. The seamounts to the north of the Canary Islands, Dacia and Tritón, have been documented for the first time during Oceana’s current expedition in the area. The images … Read more
The government projects that El Hierro will be made into the first marine national park in Spain Today, Oceana launched an expedition with the support of Biodiversity Foundation to document the waters around the island of El Hierro, which is expected to become the first marine national park in Spain. The one-month campaign will be … Read more
On Saturday, Oceana joined a research expedition arranged and led by the University of Örebro and Pangaea Exploration to study marine litter in the Baltic Sea, an increasing problem in the world’s oceans. During the course of a month, this expedition will visit several key areas of the Baltic Sea, all the way from Kattegat, … Read more
Marine Protected Areas will forever help to defend the islands from the threat of oil-drilling Oceana has acquired new underwater images that support the need for the expansion of protected areas in the Balearics. The international marine conservation organization has just completed an expedition to the seamounts of the Mallorca Channel and the Fort d’en … Read more
Morocco officially phased out driftnets in 2010 with funding from the EU and US Oceana today revealed that the illegal use of driftnets to capture swordfish has returned to Tangiers, Morocco. Evidence gathered by the international marine conservation organization over the past three days, shows small-scale vessels acting in coordination with larger ones with absolute … Read more
Every year, coinciding with the birthday of Linnaeus, the founder of modern taxonomy, the International Institute for Species Exploration at New York State University (IISE – SUNY) publishes a list of the 10 most interesting species discovered. The latest list, released yesterday, includes a giant foraminifer found on a seamount off Cabo de Palos (Murcia). … Read more
The Gorringe Bank, located 1600 nautical miles SW off the Portuguese coast, has been object of several studies since it was discovered in 18875 by Captain Henry Honeychurch Gorringe and his crew. After that, in the twentieth century, Prince Alberto I of Monaco developed various campaigns in the area. Ever since, several studies have taken place … Read more
Based on the findings of three expeditions, Oceana has proposed 13 areas of high ecological importance to become new marine protected areas in the Baltic Sea. Most of them host species and breeding grounds classified by HELCOM as threatened and vulnerable. Species like the rare Haploops crustacean, and the blue mussel-like horse mussel, though not … Read more
Several scientific studies provide proof of the successes of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) in enhancing biodiversity and benefiting sea life. MPAs provide threatened species and living breeding grounds a place to rebuild and flourish. For example, areas facing reduced pressure, where fisheries have been banned or restricted, have healthier communities and often host fish that … 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.
