Coral gardens are vulnerable and sensitive habitats protected by the OSPAR Commission. Knowledge on their distribution is essential to provide protection and integration in marine protected areas and also for marine spatial planning actions. In the southwest coast of Portugal deep water coral gardens (50-80m) are characterized by several gorgonians species such as Paramuricea clavata … Read more
If you still dont know how to dress up for this weekend’s Halloween-party, how about this soft coral. Dead man’s fingers (Alcyonium digitatum) may have scared at least a diver or two. The conspicuous name reveals that the animal looks a bit like the swollen hand of a dead person. Dead man’s fingers is a … Read more
A international delegation passed new conservation measures that will protect more than 16.1 million square miles of seafloor habitat in the North Pacific Ocean from bottom trawling and other bottom contact gear. Participating nations, including the U.S., Canada, Japan, Russia, China, Korea and Taiwan, PoC (Chinese Taipei), acted on a commitment they made at the United Nations … Read more
New report details proposal based on four years of undersea research in the Mallorca channel. Oceana has submitted a proposal to protect the main seamounts in the Mallorca channel (known as Ausias March, Ses Olives and Emile Baudot). The document was presented during the 11th session of the Sub-Committee on Marine Environment and Ecosystems of … Read more
The crew aboard the oceanographic ship “Gago Coutinho” weighed anchor yesterday to study the “Condor” and “Voador” seamounts. The Condor seamount, located along the island of Faial, is the first stop for the scientific mission that set sail yesterday from Horta aboard the oceanographic ship Gago Coutinho, of the Portuguese Navy. There, 22 miles from … Read more
Deep-sea coral reefs have already disappeared from most of the Mediterranean. Oceana has discovered large colonies of white coral and a wealth of associated fauna in Spanish waters of the Alboran Sea (Western Mediterranean), with greater abundance at depths between 300 and 500 meters. The finding took place during the 2010 expedition of the research … Read more
Did you know that the climate change is the main cause of the disappearance of corals and gorgonians in the Mediterranean? Increased global temperature is causing a series of significant changes around the world. Melting ice caps and glaciers cause the sea level to rise, hurricanes are stronger and more frequent, droughts alternate with floods … Read more
Oregon is home to a magnificent underwater environment, producing valuable fisheries and diverse seafloor habitats. Deep underwater canyons like Astoria Canyon where the Columbia River meets the ocean are home to a variety of coral and sponge habitats (links). Heceta Bank off the Oregon Coast is a hotspot for black corals. Their complex branches … Read more
Deep-sea corals and sponges, some of the oldest animals on Earth, grow at the rate of just a few millimeters each year and can live for thousands of years. In recent years, scientists worldwide have discovered that the majority of the coral species found in the world’s oceans live in deep or cold waters. Deep-sea … Read more
The gorgonia Primnoa sp., also known as red tree corals or sea corn, and the bubblegum gorgonia Paragorgia arborea can form great branching trees that reach many feet from the seabed. Red tree corals 7 feet tall and 25 feet wide have been observed by scientists in submersibles, and fishermen have reported bubblegum trees over … 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.
