The Environmental Justice Foundation (EJF), Oceana, The Pew Charitable Trusts and WWF are working together to secure the harmonised and effective implementation of the European Union’s (EU) Regulation to end illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing. The EU has been active in fighting IUU fishing at a global level through its innovative and ambitious IUU … Read more
La situación geográfica de El Hierro hace que en ella recalen especies migratorias como numerosos cetáceos, tortugas y tiburones. Pero, además, tiene características propias frente a otras islas del archipiélago canario. Sus aguas son más cálidas y atraen a especies como manos de muerto, ctenóforos, y gorgonia árbol naranja. Sin embargo, aún queda mucho por … Read more
La zona acantilada costera cubre casi el 90% del litoral guipuzcoano. En la actualidad, en el medio marino, sólo la rasa intermareal Deba-Zumaia se encuentra bajo una figura de protección, en este caso como Biotopo Protegido, dado su interés geológico y naturalístico. Los acantilados de Jaizkibel y Ulia son áreas costeras guipuzcoanas declaradas como Lugares … Read more
The North-East Atlantic Ocean is characterised by a variety of topographical features, ranging from ocean basins of around 5000 meters in depth near the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, to waters less than 200m deep on the continental shelf along the European coast. In some places, seamounts occur as submerged single mountains or chains of mountains along the … Read more
The protection of vulnerable marine ecosystems (VMEs) has been a legal obligation for RFMOs since 2008, with specific requirements laid out under United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) Resolutions 59/25, 61/105 and 64/72. However, GFCM lags far behind other RFMOs in fulfilling these obligations. GFCM measures to protect VMEs are limited to three fisheries restricted areas … Read more
Recent scientific studies have demonstrated that vulnerable marine ecosystems (VMEs) such as cold water coral reefs, gardens of soft corals, and deep-sea sponge aggregations are found in many areas of the Mediterranean Sea, and are unique. These ecosystems are frequently associated with high levels of biodiversity, and provide habitat for very specific assemblages of species, … Read more
The 40th meeting of the General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean and Black Sea (GFCM) represents an opportunity for its Contracting Parties to consolidate the role of this Regional Fisheries Management Organisation, by translating the recently reformed Agreement into effective fisheries management. In recent years, GFCM has made progress in its approach to fisheries management, … Read more
Protecting cetaceans is an important part of protecting marine ecosystems in general. The Habitat Directive advises to create marine protected areas for these species, and consequently, Spanish laws state the presence of cetaceans as one of the reasons for creating National Parks. These marine animals’ social nature and their distribution near the coast, and in shallow … Read more
The superabundance of jellyfish does not happen by chance but rather it is a symptom of the fact that the characteristics of the water have changed due to variations in the oceanographic parameters (temperature, salinity). The causes of the existence of great masses of jellyfish are not local, as has been verified by researchers from … Read more
This Oceana programme was possible thanks to a collaboration agreement with the Fundación Biodiversidad and the help of the SECAC (Society for the Study of Cetaceans in the Canarian Archipelago) and served to draw up more effective protection plans. By satellite tags that were attached to ten turtles, our scientists were able to follow their … 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.
