Here is a link to the English language version of the report:
SILMAR Project 2009 Report (English language)
Volunteers please note that all our marine conservation work is carried out in English.
Kenna Eco Diving is the local cooordinator for the SILMAR Project, carrying out marine conservation and research into Mediterranean coastal habitats. We need the assistance of Eco Dive Volunteers each year to gather underwater data on key species and will give you free training.
Volunteers only need to be qualified Open Water divers (or can take the PADI Open Water course in the Mediterranean with us). No prior marine biology knowledge is required as volunteers will be taught all they need to know to take part in the project.
This project presents a fantastic opportunity for marine biology students, or those considering this career, to gain invaluable fieldwork experience and to learn about the key Mediterranean species that influence EU conservation policy decisions. However, it is open to anyone with a keen interest in studying and preserving Mediterranean Sea life.
Gorgonian corals are a key Mediterranean species
This is a unique opportunity to enjoy unlimited Mediterranean scuba diving as an Eco Dive Volunteer. All necessary marine research training is also provided free of charge.
Please see the website for further details: http://marinebiology.kennaecodiving.net and contact us a.s.a.p. to book your place. As usual, slots are filling up quickly.
Posidonia pipefish, Costa Brava (Click to view video)
The home of this pipefish is the seagrass Posidonia oceanica, which is unique to the Mediterranean Sea and one of the key species being studied by Eco Dive Volunteers.
Posidonia oceanica became locked in the Mediterranean millions of years ago when the tectonic plates moved to leave only the small gateway to the Atlanitic. Other Posidonia species grow around southern Australia.
The Posidonia pipefish is perfectly adapted to its habitat, with a flattened head that resembles a Posidonia leaf. Although it is a protected species, Posidonia oceanica faces many threat to its survival due to the growing pressures placed upon Mediterranean coastal ecosystems.
There’s more info on Posidonia oceanica on my website.
I have also written in-depth articles on Posidonia oceanica for the MARBEF Wiki:
http://www.marbef.org/wiki/Mediterranean_seagrass_ecosystem
http://www.marbef.org/wiki/Posidonia_oceanica_%28Linnaeus%29_Delile
EcoDiver
This is a great opportunity to rack up your dives and spend loads of time underwater. You can also practice underwater photography during your dives.
All levels of diver welcome (or you can undertake your diver training here with us in the warm, blue Mediterranean. All scuba courses available, in English, Spanish, French or German, from PADI Open Water to Divemaster Internships).
For more info on joining in and becoming an Eco Dive volunteer visit the website
The rare Posidonia pipefish
See the website for more info on becoming an ecodive volunteer. Where else can you get free unlimited warm water diving?
Black elderberry contains an anti-viral compound termed “antivirin” which has been shown in double-blind placebo controlled trials to reduce the severity and duration viral infections.
With repeated worldwide virus scares in recent years there has never been a better time to introduce a proven natural anti-viral into your health regime so that you can stay fit and keep on diving!
Black Elderberry
Bladefish Seajet diver propulsion vehicles have a built-in propeller that pulls you along underwater at top speeds ranging from 2.5mph – 3.75mph, whilst you just relax and marvel at the wonderful underwater world.
There are 3 different models of Bladefish to choose from. The Bladefish 5000 has up to 2 hours of battery life and is rated for depths of up to 50m.
No need to stress about excess luggage charges on your way to dive with us in the Med – it weighs a mere 4.7 kg!
Whether you want fun on a budget or high speed at depth the Bladefish Seajet range represents the smallest, lightest and least expensive underwater scooter of its type.
See the promo video on our website and order through us to get your member discount.
Eco Dive volunteer
Eco Divers are needed each year from April to October to help gather data on Mediterranean key species and habitats. This data is essential for conservation planning and coastal management. Volunteers enjoy unlimited warm water diving whilst volunteering and holidaying in the Mediterranean at subsidised rates starting from ONLY 148 Euros per week.
We carry out marine reseach in Cala Montgo, near L’Escala, on the Catalan coast, as voluntary coodinators for the SILMAR Project, and conduct regular clean up activities for Project Aware.
Eco Divers
This is a great opportunity to build up your log book, practice your bouyancy and underwater photography skills, learn about marine ecology and gain fieldwork experience.
Visit our Eco Divers’ website for more information and to book your place.
Wonderful photos from the making of Ocean movie:
http://www.coml.org/comlfiles/press/GalateeBrochure_14January2010.pdf
WARNING: This invitation will be closed on February 17th 2010, 23:59:59 EST, so don’t waste any time in joining and spreading the word to build your backlinks!
You’ll be kicking yourself if you miss out on this lifetime opportunity.
Join NOW before the Official Launch on February 22nd 2010!
The new Marine Park along the coast between the Medes Islands and L’Escala has been passed by the Catalan government.
The local authority has agreed to remove the old destructive make-shift buoys in Cala Montgo, where we have been carrying out research on the Posidonia seagrass meadows for the past 5 years, and to replace them with ecological buoys.
Kenna Eco Diving and other members of OCEAN2012 sent a letter to the French President Sarkozy last month, asking that France supports a ban on global trade in bluefin tuna.
Monaco has proposed protecting bluefin tuna, much beloved by sushi fans in Japan and around the world, by listing it under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES).
The European Union has come close to supporting that move, but fishing nations Spain, Italy, France, Cyprus, Greece and Malta last September voiced their opposition.
France’s policy change could be decisive at the next CITES meeting in Qatar in March, after Italy already said last week it would back a ban.
Anchovy and sardine fishing is being regulated in Mediterranean with new catch limits and a ban on fishing over threatened Posidonia seagrass beds under the Management Plan for the Conservation of the seafood resources of the Mediterranean Sea.
In an effort to help boost recovery of the seafood resources and to guarantee sustainable activity, the ministerial order prohibits capture “with trawler nets, dredgers and purse seiner nets on the beds of Posidonia Oceanica and in coralligenous and maërl beds.”
According to the new regulations, Spanish vessels in the ports of the Balearics and Andalusia will have to limit captures of European anchovy (Engraulis encrasicholus) to 7,000 kg weekly, and those of European pilchard (Sardine pilchardus), to 5,000 kg daily.
In the rest of the ports of the Spanish Mediterranean coast, 15,000 kg of anchovy per week and 5,000 kg of sardine per day will be allowed.
Vessels with purse seiner gear will only be able to execute one landing per day, except on the Andalusian coast and the Balearics, where they are permitted a maximum of two daily landings.
Purse seiner fishing vessels in the fishing-ground of the Mediterranean will be banned from fishing between 1 October and 31 March of every year within certain coordinates and the 45-metre isobaths.
Order 143/2010 also specifies a fishing prohibition of surface longliners from 1 October to 30 November of every year, and with bottom trawlers to depths over 1,000 metres in all the outer waters of the Mediterranean coast.
MADRID (27.01.10): Representatives from the Shark Alliance, an international shark conservation coalition, today delivered to Spanish authorities a petition signed by over 90,000 citizens from 16 European countries urging Spain to end its opposition to improving the EU ban on finning – cutting off a shark’s fins and discarding its body at sea – and lead the EU toward a more effective finning regulation.
“Public sentiment is continuing to turn in favour of sharks,” said Sonja Fordham, European Shark policy director for the Pew Environment Group and the Shark Alliance. “Our petition should send a clear message to the Spanish government that citizens all across Europe urgently want better protections for these vulnerable animals.”
For many years, Spain has ranked first in Europe for shark catches and has worked to obstruct the adoption of tighter rules on shark finning. The widely supported 2009 European Community Plan of Action for Sharks includes a pledge to strengthen the EU finning regulation. Holding the EU Presidency until July 2010, Spain is likely to preside over deliberations concerning these changes.
“As Europe’s top shark fishing nation, Spain has a responsibility to lead rather than impede shark conservation,” said Àlex Bartolí, Shark Alliance policy coordinator for Spain. “We call on the Spanish government to ensure that Spain stops hindering finning ban enforcement efforts and instead supports the European Commission’s initiatives to responsibly limit shark fishing.”
The 2009 European Shark Week, held in October 2009, was sponsored by the Save Our Seas Foundation. Dive groups, aquariums and conservation organisations across Europe hosted more than 300 events to raise awareness of the sharks’ plight and collect signatures for the petition.
José María Aguilar, president of the Iberian Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AIZA) added, “All year long, we see the growing concern for sharks first hand through the visitors to our aquariums. Today, we are honoured to convey their message directly to the Spanish government, along with our hope for a better future for our magnificent sharks.”
ENDS
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ISA LEAL, isabel.lealmaldonado@gmail.com, +34647241502
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Environment Secretary Richard Lochhead today received the ‘Shark Champion Award’ in recognition of Scotland’s new ban on the removal of fins from sharks at sea which came into force on 1st January 2010.
Over a quarter of Scotland’s 25 species of shark are currently under threat. Scotland is the first country in Europe to introduce legislation to prevent permits from being issued to vessels. Scotland’s ban is currently the strongest in the European Union.
The Shark Trust Director of Conservation, Ali Hood, said:
“This award to Mr Lochhead and the Scottish Government is the first of its kind to policy makers and reflects their decisive action in addressing the issue of shark finning. It also recognises Scotland’s ongoing efforts in urging all EU Member States to follow their lead.
“An end to special fishing permits and a requirement to land sharks with their fins naturally attached greatly improves the opportunity for effective shark management. It also marks significant progress towards implementation of aspects of the EU Community Plan of Action for Sharks.”
Mr Lochhead said:
“With some shark populations teetering on the brink of extinction, I’m delighted that legislation around shark finning has been strengthened to ensure that Scottish fishermen do not remove fins.
“We have worked closely with the Shark Trust and industry representatives to lead the rest of Europe by example and introduce a complete ban on this barbaric practice, bolstering Scotland’s already impressive conservation credentials in the process.
“I have written to the European Commissioner, calling on Europe to follow Scotland’s example and am delighted that he has agreed to reconsider the effectiveness of current European Union shark finning legislation
“It is a tremendous honour to receive this award, and I also want to pay tribute to the Shark Trust for their determined campaign on this issue.”
As the population of Alaska’s Cook Inlet beluga whales plummeted from over 1,200 in 1979 to only 326 in 2009, these iconic whales were finally listed as endangered in 2008. Now, a new proposal announced by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) aims to protect more than 3,000 square miles of their aquatic home — and would give these struggling marine mammals the protections they need to survive.
Help protect Beluga Whales
Take action now: Urge NOAA to adopt this proposal to help save the Cook Inlet beluga whales. The deadline for comments is February 1, 2010.
