Ocean Sentry
A new worldwide study shows marine protected areas (MPAs), underwater parks where fishing and other potentially harmful activities are regulated, provide an added bonus – helping coral reef ecosystems ward off and recover from threats to their health. Researchers also found the protective effects of MPAs generally strengthen over time. …
February, 2010
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16 February
Vampire Squid threatened by human activity
The vampire squid is one of many unheard of creatures living in the deep sea. The species, which is technically not a squid, but a cephalopod, had been living fairly anonymously since it first appeared 300 million years ago, even before dinosaurs existed, according to National Geographic. Only now is …
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15 February
Rate of ocean acidification the fastest in 65 million years
A new model, capable of assessing the rate at which the oceans are acidifying, suggests that changes in the carbonate chemistry of the deep ocean may exceed anything seen in the past 65 million years. The model also predicts much higher rates of environmental change at the ocean’s surface in …
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10 February
Conservationists launch official objection to eco-certification of troubled canadian salmon fisheries
Last month the U.K.-based Marine Stewardship Council announced their intent to award their coveted eco-label to BC”s contentious Fraser River sockeye salmon fishery. MSC is a global eco-label program which enables certified fisheries to brand themselves as a sustainable source of seafood. Sustainable seafood is generally defined as species with …
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10 February
Tests show top tuna brands have high mercury levels
Tests on more than 300 samples of canned tuna from the top three brands in the United States revealed that more than half contained mercury levels above what”s considered safe by the Environmental Protection Agency. Researchers from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV), found that 55 percent of the …
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7 February
Doha meet to take up ban on Bluefin Tuna
Setting European Union’s (EU) agenda on the forthcoming Doha International meet on endangered species, France has called for a ban on international trade in bluefin tuna. Amid reports that the ban on the over-fished species would emerge as a major point of discussion at the two-week Doha Convention on International …
January, 2010
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29 January
New species moving into Chilean waters because of climate change
The swordfish is just one of several species that have migrated from afar to Chile due to global climate change. Spanish marine experts have been tracking the sudden southward migration of swordfish from tropical seas since June 2009. This summer has seen an unusually high number of unfamiliar wildlife sightings …
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27 January
Understanding human threats to the Earth’s largest habitat — the deep sea
When most people think about the deep sea, they picture broad expanses of muddy seafloor. However, the majority of deep-sea animals, and perhaps the majority of all animals on Earth, live in the “deep pelagic zone”–the dark waters between the ocean surface and the seafloor. An important research paper by …
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26 January
Invasive species threat growing globally, experts warn
Hundreds of invasive species – from rats to diseases – are posing one of the greatest threats to wildlife around the world, conservationists warned today. A study of 57 countries coordinated by the Global Invasive Species programme (pdf) found 542 types of animals and plants were putting native wildlife at …
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26 January
Blobfish: world’s most ‘miserable looking’ marine animal facing exinction
Scientists fear the blobfish, which can grow up to 12 inches, is in danger of being wiped out by over-fishing in its south eastern Australian habitat. The fish, which lives at depths of up to 800m, is rarely seen by humans but it lives at the same depths as other …
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26 January
State biologists report record number of cold-weather manatee deaths
The cold weather stretch earlier this month had a devastating impact on the state”s manatee population, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission reports. From the beginning of the year through Jan. 23, biologists documented more than 100 manatee carcasses in state waters, an unprecedented number.
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25 January
Last decade warmest ever: NASA
The past decade was the warmest ever on Earth, a new analysis of global surface temperatures released by NASA showed Thursday. The US space agency also found that 2009 was the second-warmest year on record since modern temperature measurements began in 1880. According to James Hansen, who heads NASA”s Goddard …