Co-funded by the European Union

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Science, the fishing sector, and conservation organizations unite to combat ghost fishing and safeguard marine biodiversity

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LIFE OASIS: a balance between conservation and fishing

The Mediterranean, a hotspot for biodiversity and fishing activity, faces a significant challenge: each year, thousands of sea turtles get entangled in abandoned or lost fishing gear (ALDFG), an issue closely linked to Illegal, Unregulated, and Unreported (IUU) fishing practices. This crisis affects biodiversity, fisheries’ sustainability, and navigators’ maritime safety. To address this problem, LIFE OASIS has emerged as a pioneering project combining technology, research, and direct collaboration with the fishing and marine sectors.  

Pilar structure of the project

Discover the key structure of
LIFE OASIS and how this groundbreaking project transforms marine conservation and sustainable fishing in the Mediterranean.

Risk analysis

Ensuring the effectiveness of ghost gear removal, turtle rescue, and sustainable fishing initiatives.

Risk mitigation

Rescuing sea turtles and addressing Abandoned, Lost, or Discarded Fishing Gear (ALDFG).

Prevention

The project tests aFAD to reduce risks to marine life, promote sustainable fishing, and better understand the oasis effect.

Collaboration and Co-creation

Fishers, navigators, rescuers, and ports work guided by an international advisory board.

What is the oasis effect?

The open ocean ecosystem is like a “Blue Serengeti”. Surviving and finding food here is problematic. If you dive deep, between 200 and 3.000m, you can find your prey in the mysterious and food-rich deep scattering layer. However, many species depend on feeding on the surface of plankton aggregations either at upwelling or downwelling areas. Scattered around the Blue Serengeti, migrating passively with the currents, you can also find oasis in the form of logs, sargassum algae, or sea turtles during their juvenile life stage.

 

Many pelagic life forms depend on enough “oases” scattered around on the surface of the vast open ocean ecosystem. Loggerhead turtles create a very rich and biodiverse oasis.
One loggerhead in the Mediterranean can host over 120 species, from the seagulls that use it as a resting spot to pelagic crabs, plankton, fish, and even endemic algae. Tens of thousands of “turtle oasis” could answer the Mediterranean paradox of how such an oligotrophic sea can sustain a large biomass of top predators and fishing fleets.

News & events

Welcome to our blog, where we share the latest updates, insights, and stories from the LIFE OASIS project!

Mediterranean Collaboration Advances MarineConservation and Sustainable Fisheries at Guardians of the Ocean Conference

The Guardians of the Ocean conference, held on April 3 at the Xrobb l-Għaġin Park and Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre, brought together international experts, policymakers, fishers, and scientists to strengthen regional Mediterranean Collaboration Advances MarineConservation and Sustainable Fisheries at Guardians of the Ocean Conference

LIFE OASIS visita las comunidades pesqueras de Andratx y Sóller

En LIFE OASIS, reconocemos que una conservación marina eficaz debe construirse en colaboración con quienes mejor conocen el mar: los pescadores. Nuestra última visita a Mallorca nos llevó a visitar LIFE OASIS visita las comunidades pesqueras de Andratx y Sóller

Protecting loggerhead turtles

The project supports the expansion of NATURA 2000, a European Union network of protected areas.

Guardians of the Ocean – United for Marine Turtles Safety and Sustainable Fisheries

Date: April 3rdTime: 9:00 – 17:00 CESTLocation: Xrobb l-Għaġin Park and Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre. Marsaxlokk. RHV8+47W, Marsaxlokk, Malta How can we work together to safeguard marine biodiversity while ensuring sustainable Guardians of the Ocean – United for Marine Turtles Safety and Sustainable Fisheries

Fishing with FAD

Fish aggregating device (FAD) fishing is an ancient form of fishing that takes advantage of the “oasis effect” of any object adrift in the open sea ecosystem (Blue Serengeti).​​ Logs, Fishing with FAD

Our partners

Discover the partners involved in the LIFE OASIS project: