ORGANISATION

The marine conservation services of OceanCare – a Swiss based NGO
 
OceanCare has been working for 20 years for the conservation of marine biodiversity, in partnership with governmental, non-governmental and scientific institutions. OceanCare has a strong commitment to realistic and cooperative initiatives. Its activities include education and awareness programmes, initiatives to promote institutional awareness and effective conservation-oriented legislation, direct involvement in international fora concerned with nature protection, and research projects.
 
OceanCare has contributed relevant expertise to the new European Union Maritime Strategy and offers its continuous services to the European Commission, drawing attention on emerging issues such as ocean noise and overfishing, and their adverse impacts on the marine environment.
 
OceanCare is part of the International Ocean Noise Coalition  working together to bring about an international regulation of noise pollution. Noise can travel long distances underwater, potentially preventing marine animals such as cetaceans and fish from detecting their prey or predators, finding their way, or connecting with mates, group members, or their young. Since ocean noise is a transboundary pollutant, it must be managed both nationally and internationally using a precautionary approach before irreversible damage occurs.
 
OceanCare strives to promote a better management of Mediterranean fisheries and come to a complete ban of the most detrimental fishing means. Excessive and/or illegal fishing is resulting in widespread loss of biodiversity and is thought to be one of the main reasons behind the decline of once-abundant cetacean populations. In particular, OceanCare has been committing to the conservation of Mediterranean common dolphins (a population classifed as ‘Endangered’ in the IUCN Red List) in parts of the region where the survival of these animals is threatened by prey depletion and incidental mortality caused by industrial fisheries.
 
OceanCare is the main driving force behind the Cetacean Alliance, a network of ten non-governmental organizations committed to preserving marine biodiversity and reducing human impact on cetacean populations.