In a remarkable effort to protect its waters, the Portuguese government issued a decree prohibiting deep-sea fishing in an area spanning 2,280,000 square kilometers. Even though the decree exempts longlining, which is authorized under certain conditions, it is an immensely significant step in protecting deep-sea species and ecosystems. In total, the area now closed to … Read more
Oceana in Europe and our allies are campaigning to allow overfished Baltic Sea cod the chance to recover and rebuild their population. In its recently released advice for 2015 catches in the Baltic Sea, the International Council for the Exploration of the Seas (ICES) called for the largest cuts in total allowable catches for cod … Read more
April 20 marked the four-year anniversary of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. In the process of filming a short film about the aftermath of the spill, “Drill, Spill, Repeat?” Oceana staff met Dr. Bonny Schumaker, a former physicist for NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory who now flies over the Gulf of … Read more
Actor and ocean activist Reid Scott is joining Oceana in the fight against seismic airgun use off the Atlantic Coast. Scott, who is currently appearing in season three of HBO’s Emmy-winning comedy series “VEEP,” will be in Washington D.C. on May 29 to join a panel of experts urging Congress and the Obama administration to … Read more
The giant foraminifer (Spiculosiphon oceana), a single-celled organism discovered by Oceana, has been named one of Top 10 New Species for 2014 by the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry’s International Institute for Species Exploration (SUNY-ESF IISE). Spiculosiphon oceana was found during a 2012 voyage to the Seco de Palos … Read more
Earlier this week, the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) reinstated emergency protections for sperm whales from California’s swordfish and thresher shark fishery, which protects these magnificent whales from accidentally being caught in drift gillnet gear. The agency will now require independent observers on all vessels in deep offshore waters where sperm whales are frequently observed, … Read more
Herring and sardines aren’t the typical selections you’d expect to see on a sushi menu. But in an effort to be more sustainable, one sushi chef and restaurant owner cut overfished species from the menu and replaced them with these little ones. We featured Hajime Sato and a tasty recipe in our recent issue of Oceana magazine. … Read more
Last weekend, celebrity ocean activists gathered in Santa Monica, Calif. for the second annual Nautica Oceana Beach House party, where celebs walked the blue carpet to celebrate Oceana’s victories for ocean protection and restoration. Oceana Board Member Ted Danson kicked off the night by welcoming guests and introducing Oceana champions and celebrity co-hosts Miranda Cosgrove … Read more
This story ran in the recent issue of Oceana magazine. The waters of the mid-Atlantic are alive with sound. The snaps, squeaks, bubbles, pops, and whistles of marine life ring through the water, interspersed with the low calls of North Atlantic right whales. But this chorus of sound may soon be drowned out. Already the … Read more
In April, Oceana in Chile urged Chile’s Secretary of Fisheries Raúl Súnico to protect sharks that are being adversely affected by the nation’s fishing operations. Oceana aimed their efforts at the swordfish fishing industry, which has particularly high levels of shark bycatch. To raise awareness about the issue, Oceana aired a three-minute segment on a Chilean news broadcast … Read more
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We have already protected over 4 million square miles of ocean and innumerable sea life - but there is still more to be done.