Legacy: On Board the Marviva Med

María José Cornax is twenty-seven years old. She has a Bachelor of Science degree in Marine Science, and she has worked at Oceana for almost three years. She has led several campaigns to eradicate illegal fishing with drift nets in the Mediterranean. This has made her an expert on the topic. Why did you choose … Read more

Yesterday we anchored off the Greek island of Patmos. It is a small island, but from the ship it looks like your typical postcard of a Greek holiday to us. There are several craft of different sizes anchored like us. Since Thursday, we have been getting strong winds again. At times, they have reached force … Read more

Taking advantage of a few moments of sailing time, Patricia Lastra, one of Oceana’s scientists aboard the Marviva Med, has agreed to a short interview in which she tells us about her work. Patricia is a thirty year old Sevillian who has been working with Oceana’s crew since may. Here, she is one of the … Read more

We continued in the Aegean Sea. The weather is great. The wind has died down and the sea is quite calm. This allows us to continue with our campaign plan without major changes. Yesterday, at dusk, Patricia Lastra, the marine scientist who is who is working on the red tuna habitat conservation campaign in the … Read more

As I had already told Keith, on July 30, the Marviva Med was arriving in the port of Athens and the little changes in the Oceana’s crew that were planned for that port were made. In Athens, we said goodbye to Alberto Iglesias, one of the safety divers, as well as Keith Ellenbogen, the onboard … Read more

Riding along the waves of the Marviva Med research boat at 10 nautical miles per hour, looking seaward towards Athens, Greece — time momentarily paused as the air grew still and the sea turned clear as glass. Within the stillness arrived a pod of dolphins that surfed the waves along the boat. Looking down from … Read more

“There are no passengers on Spaceship Earth. We are all crew.” ~ Marshall McLuhan, writer, philosopher and communicator As I reflect over the past sixty days at sea, on a campaign to protect the Atlantic Bluefin Tuna — our expedition has taken us to new frontiers and depths that have not often been seen. Under … Read more

Off the coast of Sicily are fleets of traditional “Harpoon Fishing Boats” with cables connected to ladders connected to lookout stations — 100ft/33m above sea level — that tower over the city and mountain peeks. Defying gravity 3ft/1m above sea level with a feeling of ‘walking on water’ is a horizontal ladder extending 150ft/50m from … Read more

“Many go fishing all their lives without knowing that it is not fish they are after.”— Henry David Thoreau The swordfish,the only member of the family Xiphiidae, are one of the most beautiful marine animals living in our oceans — with big blue eyes, a long bill and brilliant sail — its spectacular. It’s a … Read more

With mooring lines securely fastened to the bollard, the Oceana Marviva Med was docked in the Sicilian Harbor of Porto Di Messina, Banchina G. Marconi. From the ‘porto’ our expedition team of Maria Jose Cornax, Gorka Leclercq, and Keith Ellenbogen departed in a rental car, driving north, along the coast of Sicily to photograph fishing … Read more