Environment

December, 2009

• 2 December

  Fish populations reveal shocking declines

  

  Populations of numerous migratory fish species in the North Atlantic have declined by more than 95 percent, threatening not only food supplies and economic systems, but also the way humans perceive the health of the planet”s ecosystems, according to a paper published today (Dec. 1) in the journal BioScience. “It”s …

November, 2009

• 27 November

  ‘Ghost’ traps, long lost, keep catching lobsters

  

  Beneath the cold ocean waters off the coast of Maine, the nation”s lobster breadbasket, lie hundreds of thousands, perhaps millions, of old wire lobster “ghost traps.” Lost over the years to storms, boats — even the knives of fishermen who”ve cut them from their buoys to settle scores — many …
• 25 November

  DNA scanner proves that NYC sushi contains endangered Bluefin Tuna

  

  For a study that came out in PLoS One, researchers ordered sushi at restaurants across New York City and Denver, Colorado, and found that an alarming percentage wasn’t made from the fish it was advertised to be. More than half of the eateries weren’t completely clear and honest about the …
• 20 November

  Cigarette butts toxic to fish, say researchers

  

  Cigarette butts are toxic to fish and should be labeled as toxic hazardous waste, U.S. researchers say. Scientists at San Diego State University say that a single cigarette butt containing a small amount of unburnt tobacco is enough to contaminate a litre of water and kill half of the fish …
• 18 November

  Save half the Planet, or lose it all

  

  At least half the planet must be protected if humanity is to survive the next century, declared conservationists at the conclusion of 9th World Wilderness Congress on Friday, Nov. 13. The enormous challenges humanity faces this century – like a warming planet, freshwater shortages, pollution, declining fisheries, desertification and unsustainable …
• 17 November

  Oceans may trap more carbon than forests

  

  Marine ecosystems including seagrass meadows, mangroves and salt marshes have a much greater capacity to trap carbon than land carbon sinks such as forests, according to a report from the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). The organization believes ocean ecosystems are essential to combating global warming. The IUCN …
• 17 November

  Alternative animal feed part of global fisheries crisis fix: UBC study

  

  Finding alternative feed sources for chickens, pigs and other farm animals will significantly reduce pressure on the world’s dwindling fisheries while contributing positively to climate change, according to University of British Columbia researchers. “Thirty million tons – or 36 per cent – of the world’s total fisheries catch each year …
• 16 November

  ICCAT fails to protect critically endangered tuna—again

  

  The International Commissions for the Conservation of Atlantic Tuna (ICCAT) ignored the advice of its scientists to end fishing of the Atlantic bluefin tuna. Instead ICAAT set a quota of 13,500 tons of fish. This is not the first time ICCAT has flouted its own researchers” advice: it has repeatedly …
• 11 November

  Toxic chemicals in freshwater fish widespread

  

  Nearly half of lakes and reservoirs nationwide contain fish with potentially harmful levels of the toxic metal mercury, according to a federal study released Tuesday. The Environmental Protection Agency found mercury — a pollutant primarily released from coal-fired power plants — and polychlorinated biphenyls in all fish samples it collected …
• 10 November

  Scientists Call For ‘Global Cooling’ To Save Coral Reefs

  

  Australian marine scientists have issued an urgent call for massive and rapid worldwide cuts in carbon emissions, deep enough to prevent atmospheric CO2 levels rising to 450 parts per million (ppm). In the lead up to United Nations Copenhagen Climate Change Conference Professors Charlie Veron (former Chief Scientist, Australian Institute …
• 6 November

  Bluefin tuna on edge of extinction, environmentalists warn

  

  An international fisheries group set up to protect Atlantic tuna has done the opposite and driven one species of the fish, the bluefin, to the edge of extinction, environmentalists said Thursday. On the eve of a 10-day meeting in Brazil of the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas …
• 3 November

  Warming puts little fish at risk

  

  Small fish are at risk of being bullied to death by big ones as coral reef resources are hit by climate change. In the battle to survive on severely bleached corals, large damselfish push smaller ones further from the limited shelter and resources, exposing them to predators that snap them …