The observation of high energy cosmic neutrinos can shed light on the astrophysical sites and mechanisms involved in the acceleration of protons and nuclei to the high energies observed at Earth by cosmic ray detectors. More generally, high energy neutrinos can be a key instrument in the multimessenger study of the high energy sky. Several neutrino telescopes of different sizes and capabilities are presently taking data and projects to further increase their size and sensitivity are underway.In this contribution we review the present status of neutrino telescopes based on the cherenkov ligh detection technique, their recent results and the plans to increase their sensitivity. ; Comment: 6 pages, 7 figures