Ocean currents and turtles: the “Oasis Program” for marine conservation
The Oasis Program for the conservation of marine biodiversity in the Mediterranean undertakes research to unveil a new perspective on the role of sea turtles in marine ecosystems and deliver solutions for the conservation of North Atlantic and Mediterranean loggerhead turtles.
SOCIB participates actively in this program providing state-of-the-art tools ocean currents (from a variety of SOCIB observing systems and numerical models) in the Western Mediterranean Sea. This is a useful information for the Oasis Program, because it helps tracking activities of loggerhead turtles.
The Oasis Program for the Conservation of Marine Biodiversity of Western Mediterranean, also, aims to increase the survivorship of east coast US nesting loggerhead turtles where they are known to be most vulnerable, with their interactions with European Union fishing vessels, and more specifically the Spanish long-lining fleet. The program is financed by the US Fish and Wild Life Service and engages a wide array of stakeholders, including public administrations such as US NOAA and Fundación Biodiversidad of the Ministry for Agriculture, Food and Environment of Spain, NGOs and research centers such as Alnitak, SOCIB, Hydra and Mission Blue and private companies such as KAI Marine Services and SIMRAD.
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