With the Oceana Marviva Med stationed off the coast of Sicily we launched the Grey Rigid Inflatable Boat (RIB) to photograph tuna farms along the Bay of Milazzo. On this expedition, Xavier Pastor, Expedition Leader and Carlos Perez, Operations / Logistics Manager informed the underwater photography/videograhy team that if the opportunity presents itself we will … Read more
Submerged beneath the Tyrrhenian Sea is a seamount Seca Del Capo — that is 25ft/5m short of clearing the surface and becoming an island. The seamount descends to a maximum depth at the seafloor of 330ft/100m. This seamount is well known as a fishing ground and the Oceana team of underwater explorers set out this … Read more
At 4 am with only the stars and the moon illuminating the darkness of the sea — our expedition team Carlos Perez, Cesar Fuertes, Maria Jose Cornax,Gorka Leclercq, and Keith Ellenbogen rapidly descended down a vertical ladder from the Oceana Marviva Med into the Rigid Inflatable Boat (RIB) underway at 8 nautical miles per hour. … Read more
Anchored 15 minutes outside the Harbor of Lipari Island, this morning with a crew of five team members we launched the grey Rigid Inflatable Boat (RIB) from the Oceana Marviva Med to discreetly document fishing boats and the equipment within the harbor. On assignment, we noted at least 10-15 fishing boats potentially masked as longliners … Read more
In an abstract artistic expression, this evening with the moon over Stromboli, Italy — I enjoyed painting using the light of the sun reflecting off the moons surface into my camera’s lens and onto the image sensor.
Early this morning, expedition leader Xavier Pastor instructed the dive team — left to right: Gorka Leclercq, Underwater Videographer; Josiean, Dive Master; Alberto Iglesias, Dive Master; Keith Ellenbogen, Underwater Photographer — to prepare for underwater exploration of two small Italian Islands Lipari and Stromboli. These islands were selected as they offered an opportunity to photograph … Read more
Once the ‘larvae-net’ has been raised out of the water, the microscopic larvae and small animals are sifted through a fine 500-micrometer mesh net and placed into ethanol containers. The larvae samples are reviewed onboard the Marviva Med by scientist Patricia Lastra. The larvae samples will be sent to the Spanish Oceanic Institute in the … Read more
Oceana is collaborating with Oceanographic Institute researchers, conducting essential research to sample targeted areas within the Southern Tyrrhenian Sea for larvae of the Atlantic Bluefin Tuna and other pelagic species such as swordfish. One of the many goals for Oceana is to utilize this data to confirm these are fertile breeding waters for The Atlantic … Read more
Naples, spelled Napoli in Italian is the second largest city in Italy and the origin of the margarita pizza. Traditionally the pizza is made with mozzarella cheese, pomodoro (tomatos) and basil – each representing the red, white, and green of the Italian flag. The pizza was named after it was served to Queen Margherita when … Read more
The Oceana Marviva Med research vessel docked in Pontile Falavio Gioia the cargo shipping center of Napoli, Italy — due to the size of our ship (86ft) and status as a scientific research vessel — we were unable to dock in a less industrial harbor. Napoli is a large hub for shipping containers — and … 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.
