Oceana intercepts a moroccan driftnetter fishing inside the Alboran Island reserve

Last Thursday, at seven in the evening, the Oceana Ranger research catamaran, property of the international marine conservation organisation Oceana, detected a Moroccan fishing vessel nine miles east of Alboran Island, setting an illegal driftnet measuring over five meters in length in Spanish waters and within the Alboran fishing reserve. The Ranger was in the … Read more

Oceana discovers a carnivorous sponge in Andalusia, Spain

The project carried out by Oceana in collaboration with the Fundación Biodiversidad contributes new data to marine research. A small yet interesting carnivorous sponge has been discovered by Oceana on a seamount located 10 miles from the coast of Almeria (Spain), known as “Seco de los Olivos”. It is the first time this species, scientifically … Read more

Oceana identifies 84 italian driftnetters during its 2007 campaign

Based on the preliminary results, Oceana is asking for the repeal of the Italian decree authorising the use of the driftnets known as ferrettara. Driftnets, banned by the European Union since 2002, continue to pose a threat to the conservation of marine mammals and fish stocks in the waters of the Tyrrhenian Sea. The international … Read more

The last day of the campaign

We begin the last day with calm seas and practically no wind. We are east of Columbretes at seven in the morning, profiling the canyon that is located there with the sonar. The surface is at approximately 120 meters depth, falling to 600-700 meters from there, and the walls are almost vertical in some parts. … Read more