Environment

July, 2008

• 26 July

  Mississippi River Reopened after Oil Spill

  

  (From nytimes.com) New Orleans – A sheen of oil coated the Mississippi River for nearly 100 miles from the center of this city to the Gulf of Mexico on Friday following the worst oil spill here in nearly a decade. Around noon, after two days with no ship traffic, the …
• 26 July

  UN Envoy Decries Illegal fishing, Waste Dumping Off Somalia

  

  (From afp.google.com) United Nations – The UN special envoy for Somalia on Friday sounded the alarm about rampant illegal fishing and the dumping of toxic waste off the coast of the lawless African nation. Foreign trawlers reportedly use prohibited fishing equipment, including nets with very small mesh sizes and sophisticated …
• 26 July

  Moorpark Councilman Seeks Ban Of Plastic Bags

  

  (From venturacountystar.com) Ventura County, CA – Moorpark could be the first city in Ventura County to ban plastic bags if the City Council agrees to a proposal by Councilman Keith Millhouse. According to Californians Against Waste, 19 billion plastic grocery and store bags are used each year in California, and …
• 25 July

  Oahu Residents Offer $1,200 Reward For Information On Turtle Killing

  

  (From kpua.net) Honolulu – Oahu North Shore residents are offering a $1,200 reward for information on who killed a protected green sea turtle last week. A 200-pound, 30-year-old female turtle called Honey Girl was discovered buried in the sand on Laniakea Beach last weekend. Her breast shell had been removed …
• 25 July

  Valuable Seagrasses Face Global Warming Threat

  

  (From reuters.com) Genova – Seagrass meadows, which are vital for the survival of much marine life and a source of household materials in Europe and Africa, face a mounting threat from global warming, a report said on Friday. If much of it were to disappear, a wide range of species …
• 24 July

  Can Our Oceans Survive?

  

  (From parade.com)- As director of The Marine Mammal Center in Sausalito, Calif., Frances Gulland sees firsthand the effects of the oceans’ deteriorating state. Her patients have included cancer-stricken sea lions whose tumors are thought to be associated with PCBs, sea otters infected by a parasite linked to run-off, and fur …
• 24 July

  Faroe Whales Show New Pollutant Spreads Worldwide

  

  (From reuters.com) Oslo – People who eat whale meat in the remote Faroe Islands in the North Atlantic have high levels of an industrial toxin in their blood in a worrying sign that the pollutant has spread worldwide, scientists said on Thursday. A study with scientists in the Faroe Islands, …
• 24 July

  Out of the Pan and into the Fire…

  

  (From scienceblogs.com) – After becoming entangled in a fishing net off the coast of Nobeoka, Miyazaki Prefrecture in Japan, a wounded and exhausted young dolphin was taken to Umitamago Aquarium, also known as Oita Marine Palace Aquarium. This is where the story gets less cute. According to this Reuters article, …
• 24 July

  Poachers Target The Summer’s Breeding Birds

  

  (From maltamedia.com) – BirdLife Malta announced that a young Audouin’s Gull, a threatened species, was found with serious gun shot injuries at the Valletta Breakwater early this week.The juvenile bird was taken to a veterinary but had to be euthanized due to the extent of its injuries. Europe holds 75% …
• 24 July

  Whale Playground Offers Glimpse Into Melting Arctic

  

  (From khaleejtimes.com) Solovetsky Islands, Russia – Scientists have recorded a small drop in the whale population that they attribute in part to human activity in Arctic regions. ‘As global warming continues, the threats are going to grow dramatically,’ Belkovich said. ‘They can play here because there is no danger,’ said …
• 24 July

  Brussels Plans To Ban Seal Trading

  

  (From ft.com)- Brussels on Wednesday proposed to outlaw trading in seal products which breach animal welfare standards. The move brought cheers from animal rights campaigners but risks triggering tensions with Canada. “Seal products coming from countries which practice cruel hunting methods must not be allowed to enter the EU,” said …
• 23 July

  Chile Joins Latam Whale And Dolphin Watching Tourism

  

  (From mercopress.com) – The whale-watching craze really started in 1998 in Argentina, when whale research and observation activities began to develop in the southern province of Chubut. Argentina, Brazil and Mexico are the Latin American countries which have most profited from whale tourism, and Chile has now decided to join …