Oceana | Protecting the World's Oceans

Destructive Fishing Gear Kills 400K+ Seabirds per Year

Posted Mon, Jun 17, 2013 by Justine Sullivan to albatross, bycatch, destructive, drift gillnet, endangered, fishing gear, gillnet, longline, penguin, responsible fishing, seabird

Hundreds of thousands of seabirds like this critically endangered waved albatross chick are snared and drowned by gillnets around the world every year. Photo: Wikimedia Commons

“Walls of death.” Gillnets have often been described in this haunting way due to their devastating ability to catch all kinds of fish, as well as sea turtles, seals, dolphins, and even whales. Marine creatures of all sizes and species are indiscriminately snared and drowned in these death traps, and a recent report reveals that even birds are being killed by these sea nets. A study in the journal Biological Conservation reported that fishing vessels that deploy gillnets snare and drown at least 400,000 sea birds around the world every year. The actual figure could be even higher.

Oceana Testifies in Support of MA Seafood Labeling Bills

Posted Fri, Jun 14, 2013 by Beckie Zisser to massachusetts, seafood fraud, seafood labeling, testify

Do you really know what you're ordering? Oceana's Beckie Zisser testifies in support of stronger seafood labeling bills in Massachusetts. Photo: Jenn Hueting

The Massachusetts Legislature is currently considering three bills relating to seafood mislabeling, following in the footsteps of Washington state, which just last month enacted its own legislation on seafood mislabeling.  I traveled to Boston earlier this week to testify before the Joint Committee on Public Health in support of these bills, which are important for giving consumers fuller and more accurate information about the seafood they buy. 

Puffins Are Struggling with Warming Waters

Posted Thu, Jun 13, 2013 by Matt Huelsenbeck to climate change, offshore drilling, puffin, warming oceans

Puffins like this one have become the "canary in the coal mine," showing us the real threat that climate change poses to the oceans and to the creatures that call it home. Photo: Andreas Trepte

Puffins are rightfully dubbed the “clowns of the ocean” from their animated appearance, but sadly, they might instead serve as the “canary in a coal mine” warning us about climate change threats to the ocean. 

The ocean is warming up in the Gulf of Maine from Massachusetts to Nova Scotia where ocean temperatures have hit a 150-year high, and these abnormally warm waters are altering marine food webs. Many fish species are moving into deeper and colder waters, and some are being replaced by fish from the south.

Oceana Explores the Baltic!

Posted Tue, Jun 11, 2013 by Justine Sullivan to baltic, denmark, destructive fishing practices, discarding, expedition, finland, first, oceana, overfishing, poland, pollution, sweden

20130607 - Trip Madrid - Malmö from Oceana on Vimeo.

On World Oceans Day this past Saturday, Oceana launched its first ever Baltic Sea coastal expedition. We’ve dedicated this mission to studying the Baltic coastline, and particularly Sweden, Denmark, Poland and Finland, where a number of unique and incredible areas will be explored