News

February, 2019

• 4 February

  Bacteria glues plastic together posing even deadlier threat to sea life, scientists find

  

  Plastic in the oceans is being turned into an even greater threat to small sea creatures than previously thought because bacteria are sticking particles of it together, scientists have discovered.  
• 4 February

  Charcoal trade a threat to Myanmar’s vital mangrove forests

  

  In the 1970s it was the most densely forested area on Earth. Since then, a third of that tree cover has been lost. Another third is expected to disappear by 2030.  
• 4 February

  600 dead Olive Ridleys wash ashore in two days in Odisha

  

  Carcasses of around 600 Olive Ridley turtles and two dolphins washed ashore have been recovered by forest officials in the last two days.  It is suspected that the turtles were killed after being hit by fishing trawlers or entangled in nets in the sea. 
• 4 February

  Microplastics in ‘every animal’ in marine study

  

  Microplastics have been found in the guts of every marine mammal examined in a new study of animals washed up on Britain’s shores, say scientists.
• 1 February

  Four penguins dead on Tassie beach

  

  “Without adequate protection from dogs, cats and human intervention, there is a risk that Little Penguins may become extinct on mainland Tasmania.”  
• 1 February

  Industrial fishing ushers the albatross closer to extinction, say researchers

  

  Industrial fishing vessels that accidentally kill tens of thousands of albatrosses each year routinely ignore regulations designed to save the birds from extinction, according to research.  
• 1 February

  Shock at fish and chip shop menu item

  

  Endangered sharks are being sold as food in the United Kingdom, according to experts, with the marine animals even turning up in fish and chip shops.

January, 2019

• 31 January

  Fourth right whale calf of season spotted off the coast of Georgia

  

  The latest baby born to one of the state’s official marine mammals was seen near Jekyll Island. 
• 31 January

  ‘This is shocking.’ An undersea plague is obliterating a key ocean species

  

  An “underwater zombie apocalypse.” That’s how wildlife veterinarian Joe Gaydos of the University of California (UC), Davis, describes “sea star wasting disease,” a blight that has decimated more than 20 species of sea stars from Mexico to Alaska since 2013.   
• 30 January

  Taiji dolphin brutality continues

  

  After two hours of searching for dolphins this morning, the hunters began driving a pot of 20 Risso’s dolphins towards the Cove. This frantic chase lasted about two hours. Trainers arrived with the hunters and selected two dolphins for a life in captivity.
• 30 January

  For some whales sonar provokes suicidal behaviour, finds major scientific study

  

  A major study by 21 scientists has shined a light on the heartbreaking reason certain whales show suicidal behaviour, washing up on our beaches.  
• 30 January

  Plastic pollution causes mussels to lose grip

  

  The researchers found that blue mussels exposed to doses of non-biodegradable microplastics over a period of 52 days produced significantly fewer byssal threads, which are thin fibres that help mussels attach themselves to rocks and ropes.