https://feeds.thelocal.com/ Read the latest news and views from Spain in English en-us news@thelocal.com (TheLocal) webmaster@thelocal.com (TheLocal) TheLocal RSS Feed Spain has temporarily banned sailboats from a stretch of its northwestern coast after several vessels were damaged in attacks by orcas, or killer whales, in recent weeks. https://www.thelocal.es/20200924/spain-bans-sailing-after-spate-of-rogue-killer-whale-attacks-on-boats Thu, 24 Sep 2020 11:51:28 +0200 spain-bans-sailing-after-spate-of-rogue-killer-whale-attacks-on-boats Loggerhead sea turtles hatched on Barcelona’s Mar Bella beach over the weekend from what is being hailed by conservationists as the first ever recorded nesting site on one of Barcelona’s city beaches. https://www.thelocal.es/20200831/loggerhead-turtles-hatch-on-barcelona-beach-for-the-first-time Mon, 31 Aug 2020 16:47:21 +0200 loggerhead-turtles-hatch-on-barcelona-beach-for-the-first-time Thousands of weird looking gelatinous see-through creatures have been washing up on the beaches on Andalusia. https://www.thelocal.es/20190618/strange-transparent-jelly-bean-creatures-invade-spanish-beaches Tue, 18 Jun 2019 16:15:14 +0200 strange-transparent-jelly-bean-creatures-invade-spanish-beaches For years, the tiny British territory at the foot of Spain was among the worst culprits. https://www.thelocal.es/20190322/gibraltar-just-banned-balloons-in-bid-to-save-marine-life Fri, 22 Mar 2019 12:39:29 +0100 gibraltar-just-banned-balloons-in-bid-to-save-marine-life Scientists have long known that some beaked whales beach themselves and die in agony after exposure to naval sonar, and now they know why: the giant sea mammals suffer decompression sickness, just like scuba divers. https://www.thelocal.es/20190130/spanish-scientists-discover-sonar-may-provoke-suicide-in-whales Wed, 30 Jan 2019 10:00:03 +0100 spanish-scientists-discover-sonar-may-provoke-suicide-in-whales With wing-shaped shells lined with iridescent mother-of-pearl and producing the fibres of rare and delicate sea silk, the noble pen shell clam is one of the most emblematic species in the Mediterranean and a bellwether for marine environmental health. https://www.thelocal.es/20190125/tiny-killer-threatens-giant-clam-aquatic-emblem-of-the-med Fri, 25 Jan 2019 11:06:11 +0100 tiny-killer-threatens-giant-clam-aquatic-emblem-of-the-med A 71-year-old Frenchman set sail across the Atlantic on Wednesday in a barrel-shaped orange capsule, hoping to reach the Caribbean within three months thanks to ocean currents alone. https://www.thelocal.es/20181227/seventy-one-year-old-man-in-a-barrel-aims-to-drift-across-atlantic-from-spain Thu, 27 Dec 2018 10:22:50 +0100 seventy-one-year-old-man-in-a-barrel-aims-to-drift-across-atlantic-from-spain Madrileños crossing the Puente de Segovia on Friday morning might well have blinked their bleary eyes when faced with the extraordinary sight of a beached sperm whale grounded on the banks of the River Manzanares. https://www.thelocal.es/20180914/how-a-sperm-whale-washed-up-on-the-banks-of-madrids-rio Fri, 14 Sep 2018 13:19:56 +0200 how-a-sperm-whale-washed-up-on-the-banks-of-madrids-rio When a giant devil ray was caught in a net just off shore a Playa de la Mata in Torrevieja on Sunday, the rescue services knew exactly what to do. https://www.thelocal.es/20180731/video-amazing-rescue-of-giant-devil-ray-off-costa-del-sol-beach Tue, 31 Jul 2018 13:42:02 +0200 video-amazing-rescue-of-giant-devil-ray-off-costa-del-sol-beach Marine biologists have released remarkable video footage of the first sighting of a great white shark in Spanish waters for three decades. https://www.thelocal.es/20180703/video-watch-the-first-footage-of-great-white-shark-spotted-in-spanish-waters Tue, 03 Jul 2018 14:29:47 +0200 video-watch-the-first-footage-of-great-white-shark-spotted-in-spanish-waters Marine biologists have photographed a great white shark in Spanish waters for what is believed to be the first time in three decades. https://www.thelocal.es/20180629/jaws-great-white-shark-spotted-off-balearic-islands Fri, 29 Jun 2018 12:32:59 +0200 jaws-great-white-shark-spotted-off-balearic-islands Toxic portuguese man o’war are washing up along Costa Blanca beaches forcing authorities to raise red flags and ban swimming. https://www.thelocal.es/20180522/portuguese-man-of-war-stingers-close-down-costa-blanca-beaches Tue, 22 May 2018 12:50:55 +0200 portuguese-man-of-war-stingers-close-down-costa-blanca-beaches Thousands of small jellyfish-like creatures have washed up on beaches around Barcelona leaving a blue carpet of slime at the shoreline… but they are totally harmless. https://www.thelocal.es/20180430/barcelona-beaches-invaded-by-swarms-of-strange-blue-sea-creatures Mon, 30 Apr 2018 15:27:13 +0200 barcelona-beaches-invaded-by-swarms-of-strange-blue-sea-creatures Extraordinary footage of fin whales feeding at the surface have been captured for the first time by conservationist using a drone camera off the Catalan coast. https://www.thelocal.es/20180406/video-drone-captures-incredible-footage-of-whales-off-barcelona-coast Fri, 06 Apr 2018 14:51:24 +0200 video-drone-captures-incredible-footage-of-whales-off-barcelona-coast The storm that swept across Spain’s southern tip last weekend not only caused damage to boats, cars and buildings along the coast but also brought devastation to the starfish population. https://www.thelocal.es/20180307/thousands-of-starfish-wash-up-in-andalusia-after-beast-of-the-east Wed, 07 Mar 2018 13:02:26 +0100 thousands-of-starfish-wash-up-in-andalusia-after-beast-of-the-east Marine rescuers have slammed misguided bathers after the death of a stranded infant dolphin off a beach in southern Spain, blaming them for hastening its death with their quest for the ultimate holiday snap. https://www.thelocal.es/20170816/baby-dolphin-dies-after-being-mobbed-by-selfie-seeking-beachgoers Wed, 16 Aug 2017 11:22:44 +0200 baby-dolphin-dies-after-being-mobbed-by-selfie-seeking-beachgoers Scientists are using drone technology to track and record endangered marine mammals in the Mediterranean. https://www.thelocal.es/20170505/drones-capture-stunning-images-of-rare-whales-in-the-med Fri, 05 May 2017 14:32:26 +0200 drones-capture-stunning-images-of-rare-whales-in-the-med The first ever seahorse living around the Cíes Islands off the coast of Galicia has just been discovered. Now the little fellow needs a name. https://www.thelocal.es/20160211/spain-discovered-sea-horse-nature Thu, 11 Feb 2016 16:13:43 +0100 spain-discovered-sea-horse-nature A horrible accident inspired one Spanish woman to follow her lifelong dream... to become a mermaid and help others follow in her wake. https://www.thelocal.es/20160108/mermaid-school-making-splash-in-spain Fri, 08 Jan 2016 14:08:25 +0100 mermaid-school-making-splash-in-spain A giant squid measuring 10 meters long and weighing in at a whooping 150 kgs has been caught off the coast of Asturias. https://www.thelocal.es/20151125/calamari-anyone-giant-squid-caught-by-fishermen-off-northern-spain Wed, 25 Nov 2015 13:06:01 +0100 calamari-anyone-giant-squid-caught-by-fishermen-off-northern-spain