We reach Cabrera on the 15th in the afternoon in order to continue sampling the eastern part of the National Park. Ten minutes after the robot was in the water, we saw some fog beginning to form on the camera lens, which is bad news; water was somehow getting inside. We decide to suspend the dive and lift the ROV out of the water. There must be a broken seal or connection.

To save time, the divers submerge themselves in the small island of Na Foradada while we check the robot. We don’t see many fish here, only a group of barracudas (Sphyrna viridensis), but we do spot a wall covered with sponges and corals, such as Leptosamnia pruvoti, Caryophyllia inormata, etc.

On the morning of the 16th, we return to the place we left the day before. Now it seems everything is working well. The sea bed is made up of fine sand atop a hard substrate. Sometimes, we spot concretions of red algae with numerous sponges. On the larger ones, we find greater forkbears (Phycis phycis), mullets (Mullus surmuletus), lobsters (Palinurus elephas), swallowtail seaperch (Anthias anthias), etc.

We also see some specimens of laminarians (Laminaria rodriguezii) that are plentiful in some places. Meanwhile, we spot some small-spotted catsharks (Scylyorhinus canícula) and nursehounds (Scyliorhinus stellaris), as well as a couple of John Dorys (Zedus faber).

After documenting the seiners at the entrance of the port of Mazagón, we've spent the entire day diving around those coordinates, without success. We know they’re there, we just don’t know exactly where. In the afternoon, on our way to the delta of the Guadalquivir to anchor for the night, we’ve found the rocky areas with the help of the sonar where there are possibly gorgonians like the ones we’ve already documented .

On our way, we also spotted two new trawlers illegally fishing. We immediately call the Guardia Civil, and they question whether the vessel is indeed fishing at less than six miles from the coast. With the GPS in one hand, the telephone in the other and sitting in front of the radar, I can hardly believe what I'm hearing.

Tonight, we’ll anchor in waters of Doñana National Park where we'll attempt a night dive with the ROV to see what riches these waters have to offer, attracted by the lights of our camera.

September 3, 2007

María José Cornax

That’s why, when we submerged the ROV after mapping the area with the sonar, we were completely dumbfounded when a dense forest of gorgonians appeared before our eyes. We saw gorgonians that were probably hundreds of years old and reached up to 2 meters in height, and Dendrophylla corals rooted in a rocky sediment, covered by a fine layer of mud. The area was so dense that each movement made by the ROV was a threat to some of these animals, so we cancelled the dive with the ROV and the divers will continue in the afternoon.

The divers collected all the graphic material they could during a difficult dive with such poor visibility that they had to stay close together in order to not get lost. After speaking with Ricardo Aguilar, we found out the majority of the gorgonians were different species belonging to the Leptogorgia genus.

We set sail towards Mazagón to spend the night, still impressed by what we've seen.

During the morning we tried to make our first dive but the water, which was almost opaque, didn’t allow us to document the area so our divers soon had to give up.

Navigating close to the river mouth, right on the National Park nautical mile limit, we were surprised to see 6 dragnet boats, fishing at a depth of barely 9 metres. This being such a "visible" operation, together with the fact that a Government of Andalusia vessel had passed by and that at that moment we didn’t have the corresponding legal papers to hand, kept us from lodging a complaint. Shortly afterwards, when we reached port that night, we were able to confirm that dragnetting is forbidden in the fishing Reserve at the mouth of the Guadalquivir in order to protect an important hatching area.

We woke up in Barbate. Atlantic heat, sandy shades of colour and the large, pine green dunes. We are tied at the same port and pier that received the Ranger for the first time on Spanish land after the 2005 expedition from the U.S. city of San Diego. Wow… I’m having a déjà vu!

The wind has eased up quite a bit and the typical song of the Straits is no longer in our ears. Technical stop in the land of the almadraba and plans to sail towards Gibraltar. Technical stop also in Gibraltar for permits and customs paperwork. Gibraltar, … “gibral Tarik”, “the mountain of Tarik”, the one who started the adventure that lasted a few hundred years and turned a large part of the Iberian peninsula into the land of Island, according to the stories they told me in school some time ago. Another story was recently told that began … “when the Moors invaded Spain”, but I prefer the one my school teacher told me.

We untie at mid-morning and start heading towards Tarifa. The weather is good and bad, depending on how you look at it, but the crossing will definitely be unforgettable.

I have always liked Gibraltar's exoticism. That blend of British tidiness and order with the confusion of the most extroverted and improvised immigrant communities is “attractive” to me. And to top it all off, that "ango-andalusian remix" is sure to greet us with an authentic summer fair complete with horror house, crazy worm rides, target shooting, raffles and refreshment stands offering ham sandwiches, Spanish tortilla and gazpacho. All this at the foot of the famous Waterfront wall, complete with Bobbies donning helmet and truncheon, next to Queensway Marina. Just like that. That is, well, exoticism and… certain amusing memories of a few years ago.

We spent the night at Queensway Marina and refuelled the next day. Later on, it’s back to the ocean on our way to Placer de las Bóvedas, in front of Puerto Banús. As soon as we pass Punta Europa we see a semi-sunken junk boat, another dying ghost, but that’s another story.

After sailing through the night protected by cape Espartel, south of Tangiers, we decided to cross the Straits from south to north and take refuge in Barbate. The east winds are blowing at more than 40 knots and the Tangiers netters are surely not going out to fish during the next few days. They need dark nights and relatively calm seas. They have the darkness, but there is an important storm that prevents them from setting the driftnets. We’re in the recreational port of Barbate, managed by the Autonomous Government of Andalusia and built next to the traditional fishing port. There are about twenty seiners there, dedicated to capturing small pelagic species (anchovies, sardines,…) and on the dock, we can also see a few dozen enormous anchors used to fix the nearby tuna nets. The almadraba is spectacular and ancient activity to capture tuna in a sustainable manner that is disappearing due to overexploitation caused by large seiners, deep-sea longliners and the tuna farming business. The recreational port is peaceful and organised, not overcrowded, and no foolish urban developments have been built around it yet. It is truly a pleasant place. The quality of the water could be improved; there is a lot of floating debris and occasionally, the smell of spilled fuel. But all in all, we are comfortable here, especially after having spent a week jumping around out there.

We take advantage and relax a little. We use the showers in the port instead of the buckets of salt water we normally use to wash ourselves. The showers have hot water and the facilities are quite clean. The designers, builders and managers of public bathrooms, however, -and not only those in the port of Barbate, which are not the worst we’ve seen by far-, should be forced to use them daily for at least one full week. “Let’s see, Mr. Architect, or Mr. Foreman who has pocketed all the cash: you are going to shower in these facilities that you have designed and built, and charge for their use. Where are you going to hang the clothes you’ve taken off or the clean clothes you’re going to put on? Where in this shower stall can you put the soap or the shampoo bottle? How can you manage to direct the water spray so that it’s aiming towards the centre of the shower stall and you don’t have to lean up against a wall to get wet? Then try to shave. Does it worry you that none of the lights installed over the mirrors actually work? And what are those power outlets good for if they don’t have any electricity? And what about that cheap electric hair dryer that’s been broken since the week after the grand opening? How about installing a reasonably sized toilet paper dispenser? Small inconveniences? Sure, because you don't use the facilities you designed, built or manage. . You simply pocket the money you charge for them. By the way, maybe you could inform your sector magazines about how to avoid the puddles of water, the chipping of recently applied paint, the rusting of recently installed elements… That way you would contribute to helping us feel we’re not in a third world country… and cheated”.

Once the crew is clean, we face the tons of dirty clothes we've accumulated during last week's trip. Buckets on deck and the Ranger’s cables used as improvised clothes lines for t-shirts and pants in all shades of blues and whites. Then, the rush. For a few hours, each crew member takes advantage and leaves the boat to take a stroll through the nearby town. Juan Carlos, the cook, is also off tonight and the people organise themselves to have lunch and dinner elsewhere. Only a couple of us stay onboard to rest or solve some pending matters. By the way, it’s amazing how Jesus Renedo, the captain, knows someone from his life as a sailor in each and every port visited by the Ranger.

We head towards the narrowest part of the Straits, sailing over the Tofio Bank and avoid entering the 12 miles of Moroccan territorial waters. We have everything in order and we can’t be reproached for anything we’ve done, but even so, we prefer to avoid any bureaucratic obstacles that would arise from a chance meeting with the Royal Navy. A few weeks ago, the Moroccan government approved a law that Oceana and WWF had been asking of them for years: the formalisation of a plan to eliminate driftnets, in accordance to that which is established by the UN, ICCAT, the GFCM, ACCOBAMS and other organisms of which Morocco is a member. The marine conservation organisations have applauded Moroccan authorities, even though the prohibition will not come into effect until January 2009. Meanwhile, the fleet of at least 150 driftnetters must be converted or dismantled. For this, the EU is contributing €1.25M per year and the United States is contributing with part of the $700M approved this week by their Congress as global contribution for environmental improvements in Moroccan agriculture and fishery.

If no driftnetters are to be found in the Alboran Sea and the Straits of Gibraltar within one year and a half, it is necessary for Morocco to implement a step by step deactivation plan for this fleet and to make it known to the public so it can be supervised. These things don't happen overnight. It is unthinkable that on December 31, 2008, there will be almost 200 driftnetters in operation, and the next day they will all be gone. Furthermore, those of us -from Oceana today, and using other uniforms in the past- who have been following the evolution of the driftnetter fleets in the Mediterranean for 15 years have enough experience to know how the shipowners try to take advantage of these processes, pocketing the money from subsidies and continuing to use the prohibited nets unpunished. It's not easy to forget the case of two of the EU’s founding countries: Italy (€200M swindled out of European and Italian taxpayer's hands and a fleet of driftnetters that is still largely active) or France (that has used IFOP funds for the construction of new vessels dedicated to illegally fishing young bluefin tuna, albacore and swordfish).

The Ranger crossed the Straits in the afternoon and is entering the Atlantic. The east wind is still picking up and we don’t think the driftnetters based in Tangiers will go out to fish where they usually do: directly in the area where traffic in the Straits of Gibraltar is separated and where the very long nets pose a serious threat to navigation, apart from other environmental considerations.

We pass Ceuta and turn towards the south. The crew forms on deck and salutes while laughing as we pass Perejil Island, as they wonder how two government representatives like Federico Trillo and his Moroccan counterpart could be so dim-witted and have absolutely no sense of the ridiculous. The wind is still getting stronger, but the African coast protects us from its blows. We’ll keep watch all night long, but we don’t think there are many possibilities they will go out to fish. We left Tangiers to the north and now we pass some Moroccan trawlers coming from the south, heading towards the port for shelter.

We spent the night anchored off Melilla. From here, we clearly see the entrance to the neighbouring port of Nador. No driftnetters have left there, yesterday or today. The west wind is still blowing fiercely, so much so that it has ripped off one of the blades from our wind-powered generator on the stern. But anchored here, it’s fine. A large number of seiners have gone out and after leaving the protected area of the breakwater, they head east and shelter themselves in the gulf where they will capture sardines and other small pelagic species, probably. Today, the weather forecast says the west winds will be dying down and, after a few hours of calm, a strong east wind will begin to blow. The seiners will have to quickly evacuate the area where they are working. But if there must be wind, at least let it come from the east, because that will favour the route we want to take.

While we were anchored, Carlos Pérez, Juan Carlos Calvín, Juan Carlos Ramos and Mario Conde took the rubber dingy to land, to Melilla, to buy supplies, take out the garbage and purchase other material for the Ranger. The rest of us took turns keeping watch on the port entrance, we cleaned the boat, answered mail, worked on documents or took advantage to make new plans for the following days and months.

At seven in the evening, we weighed the anchor and set sail again towards Alboran. This time, we will keep watch on the western part of the island, where the Alhucemas fleet operates. And we also get closer to the Atlantic, which is our next destination. There are less people onboard and its quite noticeable. We’ll be more comfortable, at least for a few days.

We cover the areas were we’ve registered driftnetters in the past, but there’s no one there. We reduce the watch to the two people necessary for navigation and the rest of us go to sleep while we sail along the African coast at a safe distance.

We didn’t have a good night. The westerly winds were strong enough to make a few of the new arrivals – especially some of the journalists – feel somewhat “uncomfortable”. Those of us who have been on the Ranger for days have already been through that ritual and slept like logs. In the morning, the seas were still quite rough and the winds did not lose intensity. We crossed the area where the driftnetters fish during the night and have not found anyone working there. So we decide to head towards the African coast, with the intention of reaching Melilla and resting until the weather improves. We contact the port and are informed that there is no berth available for the Ranger. The sailboats participating in the regattas this week have occupied all the slots.

While we are thinking about anchoring outside the port, the latest weather report announces an improvement in the conditions at sea. The Moroccan driftnetters must have heard the same broadcast on the radio because we immediately observe the frenetic movements of vessels in the neighbouring port of Nador, and a procession of driftnetters begins to appear at the entrance: the Bagdad II, the Kalach, the Berkani, the Hiba… and, of course, our old friend the Kamalane that, apparently not very worried about the recent incident with the Spanish patrol, defiantly sets its course for Alboran Island. Along with them, some other unidentified fishing vessels.

At four in the morning, we were awoken by the sound of the Ranger hitting the island’s dock. The effect of the tide and the undertow created by the wind that had picked up during the last few hours inside the island's tiny port had neutralised the protection of the fenders that had been shifted by the boat's movements. Now, the heavy catamaran was being transformed into a toy for the waves attempting to throw it against the concrete dock with more strength each time. With all the crew on deck, we reinforced the mooring lines and placed all the fenders we had onboard between the hull and the concrete. But the west wind and the waves were picking up strength and soon we realised we would have to untie the lines and leave the trap this dock becomes when bad weather hits the Island of Alboran, where the Ranger was the only vessel moored. At five in the morning, we were free and searching for a place, on the southeast coast of the island, where we could shelter ourselves and wait until sunrise, holding our position with the engines on, with winds over 30 knots. As soon as we found a suitable spot, Jesús Renedo, the captain, turned the ship over to the first mate, Carlos Pérez, who maintained the Ranger safely in the area during the next three hours, until we received authorisation to anchor from the military detachment.

After getting over that scare, we continued working and hauled up the robot afterwards. In the afternoon, our new photographer, biologist Juan Carlos Calvín, along with the rest of the usual divers (Jorge Candan, Pilar Barros and Thierry Lannoy), accompanied by sailor Cristina Pérez and the captain, headed towards the island with the rubber dinghy to a shallow area to do some snorkelling. Scuba diving is not allowed in the Alboran reserve (or at least we were not allowed to do it this time). So we managed to obtain images of the sea floors of Alboran not only with the ROV, but also by snorkelling.

It wasn’t a good day to do much more than that. When the divers returned two hours later, the cook, Juan Carlos Ramos, prepared dinner and, after the usual video session, we went to sleep. We are still anchored off the northern coast of the island, almost in front of the lighthouse.

After being away from the Ranger for five weeks, it's now time to be reinstated onboard and relieve Ricardo Aguilar. One is never too sorry to leave the busy streets of Madrid, and after the small dose of the usual airport torture that any citizen must face in order to calm their nerves and mood, I arrive at Almerimar. That is where the boat finally docked two days before to carry out some maintenance work and changes to the crew. The reunion with co-workers from the crew is always a good time to get up to date, to share stories, anecdotes and some laughs about last month's events. We coincided at the same port with the Toftevaag, the sailboat from the early XX century from which Ricardo Sagarminaga and his co-workers from the Alnitak Project and the Spanish Cetacean Society (SEC) have been researching the Alboran Sea for two decades, and they are now an international reference on this sea’s environmental situation. Ricardo and Ana are also good, faithful friends and it is always a pleasure when we're able to get together and comment on the environment, politics and even logistics...

We began our work with the ROV two hours late, on the edge of the continental shelf of the eastern side of Alboran. It’s the first dive since the robot’s propellers got caught in the lines of an illegal “recreational” longlinger in the Seco de los Olivos seamount, and which almost made us lose the propellers. Although the robot was thoroughly inspected by Manuel and Mauro, you always worry about how it's going to behave after last week's incident. Everything goes smoothly. For four hours, the ROV climbed the sandy slopes speckled with rocks from the 200 meters depth we had submerged it, up to 80 meters. Along the way, it registers fields of sea pens, holothurians, some star fish, colonies of ascidians hydrozoans, sponges, gorgonians, corals, polychaetes, hermit crabs, shamefaced crabs, caprellids and even a few lobsters. Amongst the fish we spot greater forkbeards, scorpionfish, monkfish, small-spotted catsharks, mullets, streaked gurnards, John Dory’s, perch, mackerel, flat fish… and all of these amongst shreds of laminaria ripped from some sea bottom not far from here (we still haven't found any fixed to the sea floor) and some cone-shaped sandy hillocks at regular intervals that we must interpret. The effect of human action can be seen even in this landscape. We spot what look like scars from trawling, a few coke bottles, a bit of cable, a mooring line thrown away at sea and a lost longline… from which the ROV, operated by Manuel from the Ranger’s bridge, runs away terrified.

It’s getting late. We haul in the ROV and sail the few miles that separate us from the island’s dock, where we were authorised by the military to moor after receiving a warning: “the army is not responsible for the damage your vessel may suffer”. Later on, we will understand why this warning is more than justified. We are warmly received when we reach the dock. Various military personnel pick up the lines and help us tie up. Another one comes to collect the information about the crew. Finally, we receive a visit from the detachment’s captain, who comes onboard and we explain the details of the work we are carrying out. We are authorised to be on the dock, but for now we can’t visit the island. After dinner and a video, we go to sleep around midnight.

Today has been an exciting day.

We had a good scare. The little seamount we went to sample turned out to be the most complicated one of all. The lines, nets, ropes and other fishing tackle abandoned here have transformed this seamount into a spider web. And to top it all off, the robot got tangled in a longline at 170 meters depth.

After a lot of hard work, and a good measure of luck, we were able to haul the equipment onboard. It was, however, covered in lines, buoys and hooks. Now we have to verify that nothing has been damaged.

The positive part of the day was some of the species we've found here. Some large specimens of grey grouper (Epinephelus caninus), rugose squat lobsters (Munida rugosa), solitary corals (Caryophyllia spp.), yellow tree corals (Dendrophyllia cornigera) -many of them quite thin and with few polyps), brachipods and crinoids hidden amongst the rocks, various sponges and gorgonians and, best of all: carnivorous sponges (Asbestopluma hypogea). These animals are very rare and are usually found in caves or at great depths. Unlike other sponges, instead of filtering water to trap plankton, the carnivorous sponges feed like a carnivorous plant. They have long filaments in which small crustaceans and other organisms get caught.

More surprises in this area. We continue investigating the area around Seco de los Olivos. Near the main seamount, there is a group of smaller elevations that almost surround it as if they were a crown. All of them are proving to be quite interesting.

Today, we’ve decided to use the ROV to go down to 200-210 meters on the seamount closest to the coast. The summit is located at 120 meters depth and it plunges to more than 350 meters from there. It is very rocky and, like all the ones we’ve seen, is plagued by fishing tackle and abandoned ropes. There is not one single place we’ve sampled that is untouched by human hands.

During the second dive with the ROV, we return to the main seamount to take a look at the area we haven’t seen. The landscape we find here is similar to the other areas we’ve sampled. Sandy bottoms with small and medium-sized rocks, many gorgonians and other anthozoans (Eunicella verrucosa, Swiftia pallida, Bebryce mollis, Viminella flagellum, Paramuricea clavata, Elisella paraplexauroides, Callogorgia verticillata, Dendrophyllia cornigera, Caryophyllia spp., etc.). As far as fish are concerned, we spot a large monkfish (Lophius sp.) and amongst the rocks, seabass (Serranus cabrilla), rainbow wrasse (Cois julis), scale-rayed wrasse (Acantholabrus palloni), greater forkbeards (Phycis phycis), etc.

The divers take their turn in the afternoon. We continue to collect data about the mixed seagrass prairies (Posidonia oceanica and Cymodocea nodosa) in front of Punta Sabinal. The Mesophyllum alternans reef occurring amongst the rhizomes where we’ve been today is more deteriorated. Even so, it is still rich in fauna and flora.

We continue diving in Almeria in the area of Seco de los Olivos. We have not seen any cetaceans in this area this year, quite the contrary to last year, and we have been here two days with calm seas and excellent visibility. In general, the sightings during the last month and a half can be counted with one hand. We’ve almost seen more swordfish jumping out of the water than dolphins. Each year the situation gets worse. And not many turtles, either.

We search for an unfamiliar area with the ROV. At the surface, we see there is a large concentration of ctenophores and various chains of giant salps (Salpa maxima). As we descend, the quantity of organisms in suspension worsens our visibility. When we reach the sea floor at approximately 120 meters depth, we find a detritic sandy bottom and some small rocks. There are gorgonians present on all of these, especially pink gorgonians (Eunicella verrucosa), although we have also spotted some specimens of Elisella paraplexauroides, tree corals (Dendrophyllia cornigera), red gorgonians (Paramuricea clavata) and whip gorgonians (Viminella flagellum). Many pink gorgonians have anemones (Amphianthus dohrni), wing shells (Pteria hirundo), ophiuroids (Ophiotrix fragilis) or basket stars (Astropartus mediterraneus).

All of a sudden, we must cancel the dive. A few meters away from us, we see a small buoy that leads us to suspect we are headed straight for fishing tackle on which we can get caught. Further away we see another buoy, and another, and another.

It’s a surface longline. In the distance, we see the longliner hauling in the tackle, but they are still far from our position. So we decide to haul up the robot and find a safer location.

Once in Almeria, we’ve made the port of Almerimar our base for operations in order to work in Seco de los Olivos between Punta Entinas and Punta Elena.

On the first day, we head out to Seco to see one of the small elevations there are towards the east and to look around the top of the main seamount in the afternoon.

The summit of the small elevation east of Seco is at approximately 90 meters. From there, an area of rockfalls extends to 130 meters and then we reach the sandy sea floors.

We analyse the two slopes and while whip gorgonians occur frequently on one side (Viminella flagellum), on the other side the deep-sea gorgonians Callogorgia verticillata are more frequent. But what is most abundant in the area are remnants of abandoned fishing tackle that make the place look like a cemetery of nets, lines, ropes, etc., and a very difficult place in which to move the undersea robot without getting tangled.

This place harbours some grey groupers (Epinephelus caninus) that are in the habit following the robot. A few of these have battle scars from numerous battles they've fought. Sometimes it's a cloud of swallowtail seaperch (Anthias anthias) and mackerel (Trachurus trachurus), along with some scale-rayed wrasse (Acantolabrus palloni), that swim around the robot.

During the afternoon dive on the main seamount, the surface between 80 and 129 meters depth is mainly uniform. The slope is not pronounced and has sandy areas with small and medium-sized rocks where a multitude of gorgonians can be found (Eunicella verrucosa, Paramuricea clavata, Bebryce mollis, Viminella flagellum, Elisella paraplexauroides, and we believe we have identified some Villogorgia brebycoides) and yellow tree corals (Dendrophyllia cornigera). The solitary coral Caryophyllia cyathus appears on some rocks.

The next day, we concentrate on the area in front of the immense sea of plastics in Almeria, between Roquetas de Mar and El Ejido. The developments are surrounding this natural spot little by little, but there is still a stretch that is undeveloped. Here, on the sea floors, there is an area of high ecological value that harbours mixed meadows of Posidonia oceanica and Cymodocea nodosa, maerl beds and Mesophyllum alternans reefs. Some of these areas are plagued by violet sea urchins (Sphaerechinus granularis).

Today we were going to take a look at the seamounts that appear in the charts approximately 20 miles east of Cabo de Gata. According to the charts we have, the three summits are between 180-2000 meters depth and are located atop a small platform at 900 meters, from here they fall to over 2,000 meters.

That was the plan, but we had a bit of a surprise. The seamounts don’t exist. After various hours looking for them, we have reached the conclusion that there must be some mistake. While we sail over the area, the sonar gives us two different echoes, one at 900 meters, which is the true sea floor, and another at 180 meters. This second echo is false and may be due to some oceanographic phenomenon, such as changes in the density of bodies of water, giving a false appearance of an elevation. Strangely enough, we've also had false echoes (or more like secondary echoes) in 3 different points, almost coinciding with the places that appear on the chart.

The fact that these mistakes have been repeatedly published has led us here confused.

So, we decide to change our plans and head towards Cabo de Gata. There, we carry out a dive in the area of Punta de la Polacra and we use the ROV to try to see the canyon located in front of Puerto de Genoveses.

The sea floor is mostly muddy in deeper areas. All of a sudden, we spot a rocky area with heavy sedimentation and quite a few sponges (all from the Axinella genus) and gorgonians. These include the two species of Mediterranean gorgonians (Leptogorgia sarmentosa and Leptogorgia lusitanica), pink gorgonians (Eunicella verrucosa), yellow gorgonians from the Paramuricea genus and whip gorgonians (Spinimuricea sp.).

As far as the ichthyic community is concerned, the flat fish and the searobins are the most common, although we also spot some banks of mullets (Mullus sp.). Other frequently occurring fauna include the comb stars (mainly Astropecten aranciacus), hermit crabs (Dardanus sp., Pagurus sp.), auger shells (Turritella sp.). We also spotted a solitary mantis shrimp (Squila mantis).

We set sail for Cartagena in the afternoon.

We're now back in Cabo de Palos and we’re going to continue our dives in Islas Hormigas.

Within the Reserve, the divers are finding a large variety of fish, including barracuda (Sphyraena viridensis) and the three species of grouper (Epinephelus marginatus, Epinephelus costae and Mycteroperca rubra). Today, some of the divers told us they saw manta rays (Mobula mobular) in this area.

There is scant presence of gorgonians, except starting at 40 meters depth where the red gorgonians occur (Paramuricea clavata). The white gorgonian occurs more frequently in shallower areas (Eunicella singularis).

We’re sampling the borders of the reserve with the ROV. The area is mainly comprised of detritic sand, with some small rocks. There are many ascidians of all types here. There are also many sponges, some of which are quite spectacular, including the Hemimycale columella as well as polychaete worms, especially Filograna implexa.

The wind picked up in the afternoon making our work with the ROV difficult. So we decided to finish for today. As a last minute surprise, when we anchor just north of the lighthouse to take a swim, José Manuel and Juan spot a shovelnose shark or guitarfish (Rhinobatos sp.) underneath the Ranger When we reached for our cameras to film it, the fish had already disappeared. I have to check with the people from around here, but as far as I know, it’s been a long time since anyone has seen a guitarfish in this area.

We’re almost done here, so tomorrow we’ll try to finish our sampling south of Cartagena then we’ll rest for a couple of days to wash clothes, clean up, buy supplies and other necessities without which the living conditions on board would be a little more uncomfortable.

Today we are really sweating. It’s the hottest day since we began the expedition. But at least the sea is calm and this makes our work much easier.

We continue to work with the ROV in the Seco de Palos. We find remnants of fishing tackle every 20 meters; lines, hooks, nets, etc.

We’re taking advantage of the day and that’s why we woke up even earlier today, in order to get to Cabo de Palo early and make some crew changes.

After three dives at between 100 and 180 meters, now it's time to study the tapes patiently and identify the species.

Today we must wake up a bit earlier. It will take us more than three hours to reach our destination. As soon as we set sail, we begin seeing the trawlers carrying out their activities. We see them all over for a long time, until the sea floors become deeper, reaching 700-800 meters depth.

The ocean is quite calm and there is barely any wind; the perfect conditions for turtle sighting. The first three appear in front of us and we only have to turn a little to see them up close.

The conditions are also excellent for cetacean sighting but, although we have great visibility, these don’t seem to want to appear. In the past, it was much easier to see dolphins in this area than now.

When we have less than 3 miles to reach the seamount, we sight a group of long-finned pilot whales (Globicephala melas). We accompany each other for a while until they decide to stay a little further away from the seamount, at 600-700 meters depth, while we head towards the shallower areas of the seamount, at approximately 100 meters depth.

We decide to go a bit deeper and soon spot whip gorgonians (Viminela flagellum) and a sharpnose seven-gill shark (Heptranchias perlo) who doesn’t seem to mind our presence. There are also greater forkbeard (Phycis phycis) and scale-rayed wrasse (Acantolabrus palloni) around us.

The long-finned pilot whales come visit us as we watch the screens intently to see what lies 140 meters below us. We are surrounded on all sides by a spectacular show.

Today was an eventful day. At night we’ll relax in this area, and we trust we’ll have good weather tomorrow that will allow us to continue our work here. Now, it’s time to set up the night watch while we see the pilot whales in the distance, staying quite close to us.

Early in the morning we leave Cartagena and set sail towards Cabo de Palos; we will meet with the marine reserve guards there to comment on our plans. The paperwork is quick and we’re wailing towards Bajo de Fuera in no time. The top is located at only 4 meters depth and the northern slope plunges to 35-45 meters depth, while the southern slope plunges to greater depths.

It’s impressive to see how this area has recovered since it was designated a reserve. The amount of fish is spectacular, especially due to the presence of large groupers (Epinephelus marginatus), brown meagres (Sciaena umbra), barracudas (Sphyraena viridensis), dentex (Dentex dentex), etc.

It looks better this morning, but swells are expected in Cabo de Palos after easterly winds (Levante) have been blowing these past few days. So we won't risk it and we’ll take advantage of the day by concentrating our work in the area between Cabo Tiñoso and La Azohia. This coastal area is still magnificent thanks to its spectacular topography but, above all, because it has not yet been destroyed by property development like most of the Spanish coast. Actually, it’s strange to see the coastline without one building or crane nearby.

It’s almost dead calm, although a light breeze is blowing that will pick up during the afternoon. But, in general, winds are blowing at only 5-10 knots.

Fish are not abundant in this area, although we did come across some beautiful scenes, such as a Mediterranean moray eel (Muraena helena) and a brown eel (Gymnothorax unicolor) sharing cleaner shrimp (Lysmata seticaudata) like good cave neighbours.

Nudibranchs are also present here, such as Platydoris argo. and starfish are commonly found (Ophidiaster ophidianus, echinaster sepositus, etc.), substituted by comb sea stars (Astropecten sp.)in muddy areas.

The slicks are not far from the coast and the winds push them to the beach area of d'En Bossa, on the southeast coast of Ibiza.

During the day, new oil slicks reach the coast forcing the local government to close 3 beaches.

Although we still see some areas and animals stained by fuel, the impact does not seem too serious. We hope it will not get any worse and, above all, that the fuel does not settle on the sea floor where it would be very difficult, if not impossible, to remove it, directly affecting the species present there.

Yesterday, we continued to study the sea floors around Cabo de La Nao.

We carried out a couple of dives with the divers between Isla de Portixol and Cape San Martin. Again, we spotted gorgonians including the white sea fan (Eunicella singularis) and the yellow sea fan (Leptogorgia sarmentosa), many nudibranchs, cardinalfish (Apogon imberbis) with their eggs in their mouths, eels (Muraena helena), conger eels (Conger conger) and many other fish.

Posidonia oceanica was present on the sea floor, along with large banks of salema fish (Salpa sarpa).

We used the ROV for only one dive, because when we were preparing the second dive, we heard the news about the "Don Pedro" in Ibiza.

We decided to pick up and head towards Denia to fill up the tanks and sail to the Balearic Islands.

We reached the area in the morning, at approximately 07:00. The first thing we noticed was the strong smell of fuel and then we saw the oil slick, and amongst it a group of bottlenose dolphin appeared (Tursiops truncatus).

We were surprised that no beacons had been installed and there were barely any anti-contamination barriers. The truth is everything was strangely calm, as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened there.

Only the divers seem to be taking it seriously as they work to seal the cracks so no more fuel leaks out into the ocean. They are the ones who are working on site at the wreck trying to remove as much fuel as they can.

Soon after, the oil slicks started to appear on the coast and the first radio alerts were given about the closing off of beaches.

After sailing a few miles around the affected area, we anchor and wait for a response, but 12 hours later, we’re still waiting.

We’ve gone to see the beaches, rocks and coves in the area, where the oil slick was beginning to pile up and some workers start to remove it. We spot the first oil-stained animals: cormorants stained with fuel, crabs, barnacles and coastal algae completely smothered in oil and fish swimming between the slicks. As the day went on, new oil slicks reached the coast.

Luckily, it wasn’t a large tanker that wrecked, although in isolated cases, the contamination is serious. We are, however, feeling quite discouraged. We realize no lessons have been learned, that the same mistakes are made over and over again.

Today we start the day with a dive in the Cabo de San Antonio. Here, the marine reserve guards provide us with information about the area.

It is a rocky wall with one rock descending to approximately 20 meters depth. Like other places in this area, there are few gorgonians, including some dispersed white sea fans (Eunicella singularis) and yellow sea fans (Leptogorgia sarmentosa).

Nudibranchs are abundant and include sea slugs (Discodoris atromaculata), as well as Hypselodoris sp. and Thurridilla hopei.

We find moray eels amongst the rocks(Muraena helena) along with cleaner shrimp(Lysmata seticaudata), scorpionfish (Scorpaena spp.), etc., as well as the popular damselfish (Chromis chromis), rainbow wrasse (Coris julis), some slender gobies (geniporus) and some striped blennies (Parablennius rouxi).

The diversity of the area is complemented by sponges such as Agelas oroides, Cliona viridis and Crambe crambe, some anemones (Aiptasia mutabilis) and various red algae including Mesophyllum alternans, Peyssonnelia spp, Acrosymphyton purpuriferum or Galaxaura oblongata.

We’re still in Cabo de la Nao. We’ve done two more dives with the ROV on this sea floor and one dive with the divers in Cabo Negro.

Today it was the Audouin gulls (Larus audounini) that have accompanied us this morning. We continue to study these mostly muddy sea floors with the ROV where we spot crabs, gobies, sole, cuttlefish and a few octopus. The small anthozoan Epizoanthus arenaceus also frequently occurs here.

We have also spotted a few abandoned nets and a strange, unidentifiable object covered in algae, hydrozoans and other marine creatures.

Yesterday, Sunday, this area was teeming with recreational boats and jet skis. Since most of the people on those watercrafts are unfamiliar with marine signals and signs, we have to be on guard so they don't come near the area where we are working and damage the ROV or endanger the divers when they are underwater.

Here, scars from trawl fishing are frequently seen but since the mud is more compact, the doors penetrate less in the substrate and the marks are not as deep.

At dawn, we reach the coast facing Gandía and the first thing we see is a group of trawlers fishing in the area. As we head south, more trawlers appear. Some of them are fishing within the forbidden area at less than 50 meters depth, others are just on the border, while a few others are further away in deeper waters.

Flocks of shearwaters and gulls follow them, taking advantage of the discards.

We begin working with the ROV to study the sea floor and see if we spot the marks left by the trawlers. It’s a muddy area with few species on the surface since most of them live within the substrate, except for some sole (they look like Arnoglossus sp.) that take off when they see the ROV lights and a multitude of small fish larvae that position themselves in front of the camera lens like an army of eyes with transparent bodies.

Mud crabs (Goneplax rhomboides) and small gobies are hiding within the holes that cover a large part of the surface.

After sleeping in Columbretes where, by the way, we were the only boat anchored, we’ve gone to Placer de la Barra Alta to continue working with the ROV in the northeastern area. The depression we found last year is located there.

The sea floor is similar throughout the entire area. At first, there is maerl at approximately 60-70 meters, although it’s chopped up by the continuous passing of the trawlers. After that, it’s muddy.

In the hollow that drops 50 meters, towards the northeast, the sea floor is also muddy. Everything is covered by a thin slime, except some small rocks at approximately 130 meters depth. These rocks harbor lobsters (Palinurus elephas), rugose squat lobsters (Munida rugosa), bluemouth rockfish (Helicolenus dactylopterus), largescaled scorpionfish (Scorpaena scrofa) and poor cod (Trisopterus minutus).

The divers have explored el Placer between 15 and 35 meters depth. The sea floor is rocky and harbors various algae (Halimeda tuna, Sargassum sp., Dictyopteris membranacea, Peyssonnelia spp., Mesophyllum sp., etc.) with numerous small anthozoans, such as Maasella erdwardsii, and species of sponges including Dysidea, Crambe, Ircinia, etc.

On the night of 7th–8th June we went to the north of Salina Island. The preceding few days we had seen several fishing boats with driftnets in Lipari and we suspected that they would be casting them in this area.

That’s exactly how it was. Before sunset, we had been able to verify that many of them were fishing in the area. We observed and documented them casting their nets and later sent the information to the Oceana office in Madrid, who set about alerting the Italian authorities.

At about one o’clock in the morning, the lights of the “Coast Guard” patrol boats came into sight. We could see them drawing alongside several of the fishing boats to check their nets.

Even so, at dawn several of them were taking in their nets and we were able to photograph and film the presence of protected species in some of the nets that exceeded the maximum permitted length.

The scenery surrounding us is stunningly beautiful. I sailed in these islands seven years ago and everything is still the same. They are just as tranquil, little exploited, and with unique natural landscapes. There are two active volcanoes, particularly Stromboli, from whose main crater we can see emissions every half hour; and there in the distance is Etna, standing at over three thousand metres.

We spent the 8th sailing for Sicily, and in the afternoon we anchored off the entrance to Porticello. We didn’t see any netters, although there were a lot of trawlers and longliners. We took the opportunity to go for a swim and at nightfall we set sail again for the south of Sardinia.

After navigating along the Italian coast for two days, on the morning of 5th June we arrived at the Aeolian Islands in the Tyrrhenian Sea, off the north-east coast of Sicily. The objectives at this point of the campaign were: on one hand to continue with the search for and documentation of illegal netters; and, on the other, to make a number of dives to document the formation of underwater fumaroles. This interesting phenomenon is very characteristic of the area due to the volcanic activity of the archipelago.

On arriving in Panarea we contacted a diving centre on the island, which collected us on the Ranger and took us to the study area. As we approached, the air was filled with a strong smell of sulphur from the volcanic activity.

On the morning of the following day we entered the port of Lipari and here we found the proof that we hadn’t been able to find on the high seas; a fleet of more than 15 netters is evidence of the illegal fishing in the area. After the respective documentation work we got ready for another dive with the objective of adding to the fumarole film archive, but this time at the foot of the “Vulcano” volcano. Underwater we discovered emissions of hot thermal currents, which produce strong thermoclines. We also observed large yellow patches on the rocks, caused by the sulphur emissions.

The following day we returned to Panarea, where the Oceana documentation team were able to travel around part of the archipelago by helicopter. The intention was to record the volcanic activity, record the Ranger during its research activities and attempt to locate the netters. From the air it was also possible to record the distribution of tuna fattening cages in the Mediterranean.

In the evening, with all the crew on board the Ranger, we left again in search of the netters. This time we had more luck than on the previous nights, as on the edge of the shallows at a thousand metres, although just a few miles off the coast, we found a large number of netters dotting the horizon. One by one we documented their activity and position, later advising the Coast Guard.

After the adventures of the last few weeks in France, we are going to devote ourselves to diving in this marine reserve. On this expedition, the divers are: Jorge Candan, underwater videographer; his assistant and support diver, Maria Moyano; the underwater photographer, Carlos Suárez; and his assistant and dive master, Thierry Lannoy.

It was up to me to organise the coming dives with the local diving centre. We planned these with Marco Ferrazza, of the AREAMARE diving centre. Marco has a wealth of knowledge of the area, having dived in these waters for the last 20 years. He will be the perfect guide for exploring and helping us to document La Maddalena marine reserve.

As well as the red and yellow gorgonia, we encounter walls covered in parazoanthus, a coral with a very bright orange colour, and various anemones and sponges.

I’m surprised at the number of nudibranchs we’ve found in the reefs of this reserve, especially the dotted sea slug, so called because of the black spots that cover its white body. Flabellina affinis is another nudibranch, of some 4 centimetres, displaying elegant colours.

On reaching the shallower area, we see various groupers of a good size and an impressive conger eel in its cave, keeping watch over its territory. The size of these animals demonstrates that these reefs are well protected, and this was confirmed by our later dives.

The deep blue of the Sardinian waters has once again offered us some splendid views of the Mediterranean Sea, motivating us still further to devote ourselves to its conservation.

Later we looked at the recordings that Jorge had been able to make of the altercation with the fishermen. I felt as if I was watching something on TV, something that I hadn’t been involved in, and yet it really happened. They say a picture paints a thousand words, but in this case the full fury of the fishermen couldn’t be captured by the camera.

At about 7.30 we crossed the border, and finally we were in Italy, gradually approaching Sardinia, in the Gulf of Arzachena. I don’t know if the rest of the island is as lovely as what we’ve seen so far but I’m astonished by its beauty. We’ve moored the boat in a charming place called Cannigione and that’s where we are up to now.

We continued our routine for another day, checking the Cavalaire area. We recovered a life raft for 30 people that we found drifting, fortunately with no sign of having been occupied by the survivors of a shipwreck, and reported the finding to the maritime authorities via the radio. On 20th May we docked in Port Frejus to take on fuel, as we were running low. After leaving the raft at the fuel wharf, so that the authorities could pick it up, we stationed ourselves off the port of San Raphael to wait for possible driftnetters setting sail for their fishing grounds. They didn’t take long to appear and we returned to following their activity.

We again filmed some of them at work, casting their illegal nets, and when it was getting dark we withdrew a few miles to remain in the area until daybreak and then to try to document them taking in their net. We had seen dolphins in the area and believed that more of them would be caught today. When this happens they usually delay in taking in their nets and it’s possible to film the fishing in daylight. After two weeks of doing the same thing with no incident to report between the driftnetters and the Ranger, today we were in for a shock.

Well, that’s what happened, at least at the beginning, and so we documented two more trawlers. With the last of these, the “Santa II”, things changed radically. We believe that the trigger was a catch that the driftnetters particularly fear, especially when they are being filmed. Several members of our crew sensed at a particular time, when just the last few metres of the net were left in the water, that there was a cetacean (probably a dolphin) in the catch that they had begun to lift from the water . The fishermen reacted immediately and in a second threw the net back into the water, preventing us from filming the catch. After a moment of indecision, and while we could see that the trawlers that had already finished gathering their nets were closing in, we saw the crew of the Santa II rush to their net and begin to cut it away, leaving a buoy attached to it so they would be able to pick up the last few metres later, which we assumed contained the trapped dead dolphin that we had almost managed to film.

When we saw how things were developing, we decided to call the French authorities to let them know was happening and request their intervention. As was bound to happen (… seven against one, we can’t perform miracles!) they entangled our propellers. Then, with the Ranger immobilised, they began to hurl rays with poisonous stings (this was extremely dangerous for those on board the Ranger, as one of these can put you in hospital, at the very least), other “discarded” fish that they had on board, plastic bottles filled with water, … in all, they were giving the vessel a real lashing. Some were trying, boat hooks in hand, to board the Ranger to take our cameras and tapes.

That was the situation when the first helicopter sent by the French authorities, from the coastguard, arrived, and the result was devastating. After a moment of being disconcerted, the attacking fleet began to disconnect itself from the ropes they’d been able to attach to the Ranger and took flight in a display of clean conscience and exemplary citizenship. Minutes later a Navy helicopter appeared.

When we woke up we were finally sailing in French waters. We headed for Le Grau du Roi where our colleagues on land had informed us there was some Thonailles activity. We waited opposite the entrance to the port and started keeping watch.

We didn’t have to wait long until we saw some of these craft sailing out. We quickly set off and followed them to their fishing zones. We waited a safe distance from them and before sunset started to record their activity. Without bothering them, we took photographs and they simply continued casting their long nets. We spent the night moored in the area, hoping to be able to take a picture of their catches. However, they started taking in the nets in pitch dark and I couldn’t take good pictures.