Ocean Sentry
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is urging ambitious, coordinated and “unprecedented” action to address the crisis facing the Earth’s oceans and cryosphere – the areas of frozen water on the planet.
September, 2019
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17 September
‘Heartbreaking’ video shows calf isolated as hunters move in to slaughter whales
Tim Burns from Ric O’Barry’s Dolphin Project has been visiting the Japanese village of Taiji in Wakayama prefecture for 10 years, documenting the annual hunt. This year has proved particularly tough on the activist.
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14 September
Four billion particles of microplastics discovered in waters of Tampa Bay
A new study from the University of South Florida St. Petersburg and Eckerd College estimates the waters of Tampa Bay contain four billion particles of microplastics, raising new questions about the impact of pollution on marine life in this vital ecosystem.
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7 September
Cabinet announces new allowable seal harvesting quota
Cabinet has endorsed a submission by the Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources to reduce the total allowable catch of seal pups and increase in seal bulls for the 2019 Namibian seal hunting season running from 1 July to 15 November.
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5 September
African penguins at risk from shipping oil
The African Penguin is in serious trouble. Its population has fallen by more than 95% over the last century and, despite ongoing conservation efforts, its numbers continue to fall. There are now barely 20 000 breeding pairs in the world – and the largest colony is in South Africa, on islands around Algoa …
July, 2019
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14 July
Manatee deaths by watercraft rising at record pace in Florida
From the beginning of this year through June 21, 81 manatees have been killed by watercraft in Florida’s waters, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
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11 July
Add krill and mussels to the list of unusual marine deaths in Alaska
Residents from two Northwest Alaska villages say they found large numbers of dead mussels and krill washed up along shores in June, contributing to fears in the region that record warm waters may be causing a wide range of ecosystem changes, including unusual wildlife deaths.
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3 July
Cozumel coral reef is dying, damage increases to 40%
The white syndrome, which in February this year, affected 30% of the coral in the Arrecifes de Cozumel National Park, continues to advance and has damaged 40% of the reef now, with Paradise being the most critical spot, with an approximate 50% mortality.
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1 July
Woman captures disturbing photos of seabird feeding its chick a cigarette
According to Cigarette Butt Pollution Project, a campaign by San Diego State University Graduate School of Public Health, most of the 5.5 trillion cigarettes made with filters each year end up being thrown away somewhere in the environment.
June, 2019
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11 June
Plastic pollution found at every depth of the ocean by deep-sea survey
There could be more tiny particles of plastic drifting deep below the surface of the oceans than floating at the surface, according to a survey of the Pacific. The highest levels of plastic were found between 200 and 600 metres below the surface.
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7 June
Angel shark stocks nearing extinction in Irish waters
A study published in ‘Endangered Species Research’ which analyzed angling data over a 40 year period from two angel shark hotspots in Irish waters, Tralee Bay and Clew Bay, revealed that there has been a sharp decline of at least 95% since the 1990s.
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5 June
Dead North Atlantic right whale found in Gulf of St. Lawrence
A dead North Atlantic right whale has been found drifting in the Gulf of St. Lawrence. A report released late last year said there were only 411 right whales left alive.