On 16-17 December, the Agriculture and Fisheries Council of the EU (“Agrifish”) will decide on fishing limits in EU Atlantic waters and the North Sea for 2020. For the first time, measures will be approved for Western Mediterranean waters as well. Oceana urges ministers to meet this final extension of the legal deadline to stop … Read more
The EU and Mediterranean countries have failed to protect critical fish nursery areas for commercial species that are already overfished, some of which stocks are near to collapse. Despite growing international concerns over the state and health of the Mediterranean – the sea with the most fish stocks heading towards depletion (above 80%) – the … Read more
Scientists explored areas up to 1050 metres deep and found over 200 species, including Atlantic and even polar ones. Lebanon could lead deep-sea marine conservation efforts in Middle East. The Deep-Sea Lebanon Project has concluded a one-month deep-sea expedition, in previously unstudied areas in Lebanon. In total, Oceana and Lebanese scientists documented more than 200 … Read more
The Mediterranean Sea is regarded as a biodiversity hotspot and a global priority conservation area. Despite this, it remains under serious threat (overexploited fishing stocks, pollution, habitats destruction, etc.) and y contrast, the current MPA network covers only a minimum percentage of its total surface. This MPA network is neither comprehensive nor representative, as most … Read more
Since its presentation in February 2011, Oceana MedNet has become well known in many international forums as a comprehensive and diverse proposal for a Marine Protected Area (MPA) network in the Mediterranean. This initiative would strongly promote the preservation of sea resources, as the current MPA network is poorly structured, concentrating on the Northern coast, … Read more
The proposal includes a wide variety of sites, such as seamounts, banks, canyons, slopes, trenches, ridges, mud volcanoes, gas seeps, carbonate mounts, etc. Although these habitats are less well-known than seagrass beds or coral reefs, they are equally important. The CBD considers that the proposed sites are important enough from a biological and … Read more
It’s not looking good for habitat and species protection in the Mediterranean, a big deadline is coming up and EU Member States from the region are failing to meet their obligations, despite the looming threat of financial penalties. But let me rewind a bit, to give you a bit of background. The Habitats Directive is … Read more
Oceana last week presented MedNet, a proposal for a network of 100 marine protected areas in the Mediterranean, to the scientific community at the International Conference on Marine and Coastal Ecosystems, MarCoastEcos2012. The conference addressed the protection of marine and coastal areas, and other important issues related to the preservation of ecosystem functioning, climate change, … 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.
