Ocean Sentry
Officials at Ecuador’s Galapagos National Park say they have collected 22 tonnes of garbage since January off the coasts of the pristine archipelago, some of it from as far away as Asia.
March, 2018
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18 March
Marching for endangered Māui and Hectors Dolphins
Protestors marched in Auckland today, calling for stronger protections for endangered Māui and Hector dolphins and to change to selective, sustainable fishing methods that don’t catch dolphins – in areas where NZ dolphins and other vulnerable species are found.
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16 March
Agriculture ministry to take steps to protect sea caves: Cyprus
Agriculture Minister Costas Kadis is set to announce 20 measures to resolve an ongoing debate over developments near the environmentally sensitive sea caves area in Peyia, it emerged on Friday.
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16 March
Coral reefs suffering in Philippines despite outlawing damaging fishing practices
In particular, the study found that about a quarter of the fishers in the region use destructive fishing methods including explosives and poison, which were both outlawed by the Philippine government in 1932.
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16 March
Kelp forests are vital to marine biodiversity, just as Darwin predicted
Kelp forests are vital to a diversity of marine species, new research shows, just as Charles Darwin predicted during his initial visit to the Galapagos Islands.
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16 March
Ending overfishing would stop the population declines of endangered bycatch species about half the time
According to the research group’s analysis, ending overfishing would also promote population recoveries for many endangered species ensnared accidentally as bycatch — the unwanted fish and other marine creatures caught during commercial fishing for a different species. The team’s findings appear in the journal Science.
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15 March
Endangered sharks, dolphins and rays killed by shark net trial
Only one target shark caught in NSW nets in two months, while 55 other marine creatures killed or trapped.
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15 March
Caribbean fish stocks dwindling as illegal fishing intensifies
Biodiversity in the Caribbean Sea is at serious risk, scientists are warning, with illegal fishing reducing fish stocks and placing the marine environment under increasing strain.
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15 March
Reefs help protect vulnerable Caribbean fish from climate change
New research from UBC’s Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries suggests that larger reef areas may help protect the Caribbean’s coral reef fish communities from the impacts of ocean warming.
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15 March
Top bottled water brands contaminated with plastic particles: report
The world’s leading brands of bottled water are contaminated with tiny plastic particles that are likely seeping in during the packaging process, according to a major study across nine countries published Wednesday.
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15 March
Acidification from carbon dioxide slows growth
Ocean acidification will severely impair coral reef growth before the end of the century if carbon dioxide emissions continue unchecked.
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14 March
Warm summers could weaken ocean circulation
As the researchers write now in the journal Nature Climate Change, enhanced surface freshening and warmer winters have shortened the duration of ocean convection in the last decade.