The Balearic Island archipelago is located in the western Mediterranean Sea off Spain’s eastern coast. The archipelago consists of three major islands (Majorca, Minorca, and Ibiza) with other small islands. Inhabited from around 4000 B.C., the first real settlements developed with the arrival of the Carthaginians in 654 B.C. Currently, the Balearic Islands are home … Read more
Seco de Palos is an undersea mountain range 30 sea miles off the Murcia coast, at a depth of between 100 and 3,000 m. Many pelagic species, such as pilot whales, sea turtles, sea birds, swordfish, and sunfish live temporarily or permanently in the area. Until a few years ago, there was hardly any information … Read more
The island of Alborán is the peak of a mountain which existed prior to the birth of the Mediterranean Sea five million years ago. The island itself is a mere 550 meters long and 290 meters wide. Despite its size, the island has a long history of human use due to its strategic location midway … Read more
Less than 5 kilometers off the southern coast of Menorca island lays the Menorca Canyon. In 2006, researchers from Oceana were some of the first to have ever explored the depths of the canyon. The canyon ledge lies in 85 to 90 meters of water and quickly descends over 240 meters — the deepest Oceana’s … Read more
Oceana urges the Balearic government to prohibit bottom trawling on the continental shelf or at less than 150 meters depth. The international marine conservation organisation sent island authorities a series of comments on the new Fishing Law of the Balearic Islands that is currently being reviewed. In its analysis, Oceana also disagrees with the reduction … Read more
Oceana is satisfied with the arrest of three captains and shipowners in the Italian port of Bagnara Calabra for their use of illegal driftnets. The accused are under house arrest thanks to the proceedings begun by the Prosecutor’s Office of Calabria as a result of a documentary aired by Italian TV channel RAI 3 on … Read more
With a letter today addressed to Commissioners Dimas and Borg, Oceana, the international marine conservation organization, has called for an end to the illegal use of an Italian driftnet called ferrettara. The letter, which follows a recent formal complaint submitted by Oceana to the European Commission, provides evidence of the illegal catch of vulnerable … Read more
Oceana estimates that Spain loses seagrass prairies worth 60 million Euros every year due to trawling, the construction of ports and marinas, and dumping. The conservation organisation and the Banco Santander Foundation made this information public during a press conference to present the results of a joint project to restore seagrass prairies developed in the … Read more
In honor of World Environment Day on June 5th and to implement the European Union’s commitment with the Convention on Biological Diversity, the Spanish government announced the creation of ten new Marine Protected Areas in Spain’s Exclusive Economic Zone. Oceana has played a key role in identifying and proposing protections for marine areas of interest … Read more
The Court also formally denied France’s request to consider future exemptions for its fleet from the EU driftnet ban. In Italy, the Calabrian prosecutor formally charged several driftnetters for illegal activities and has since kept them ashore under house arrest.
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