Week in Review: No Drilling in Bristol Bay, White House to Target Seafood Fraud, and More
1. Alaska’s Bristol Bay Protected from Drilling President Obama signed a Presidential Memorandum protecting the waters of Alaska’s Bristol Bay from future oil and gas drilling. Bristol Bay provides 40 percent of America’s seafood, hosts one of the world’s largest salmon runs, and is home to many threatened species, including orcas, right whales, beluga whales, […]
Week in Review: Landmark Study on Plastic Pollution, Deep Sea “Treasure Trove” Discovered, and Much More
1. 270,000 Tons of Plastic Polluting Our Oceans The most comprehensive study to date on plastic in the oceans estimates that the oceans now contain more than 5 trillion pieces of plastic, collectively weighing nearly 270,000 tons. While large pieces like plastic bags and fishing lines can kill seabirds, seals, and turtles outright, most […]
Week in Review: Warm Water Speeds Antarctic Melting, New Protections for Seals and Bluefin, and More
1. Warm Water Speeds Antarctic Melting Antarctic glaciers are melting faster than expected because of warm water washing up against the Antarctic ice sheet, which contains about 70% of the world’s fresh water. The result of this process could be the release of a vast quantity of water, triggering a significant jump in global […]
Week in Review: Invasion of the Lionfish, Sea Devil Papparazzi, $25 Billion Dollar Underwater Condominium Planned and much more! If you enjoy, please “LIKE” our page.
1. Hundreds of Lionfish, Caribbean Invasive Species, Found and Sacrificed on Wreck Lionfish are native to the Pacific and Indian Oceans. These striking fish have recently invaded the Caribbean, and without any natural predators, their numbers are exploding. A genetic study indicates that the entire displaced population originates from 8 individual fish, most likely released […]
Week in Review: Research Tags Become Dinner Bells, Beluga Birth Caught on Video, and More
1. Scientific Research Tags Placed on Fish Can Make them Vulnerable to Predators Scientists have been using sound-emitting tags to track the long-term survival of fish. Observers are now reporting an ironic twist with this methodology. Seals have learned to use the tags as their “dinner bell” or tool to locate prey, thus shortening […]
Rethinking Muir, Putting Shrimp on Treadmills, Public to Monitor Poachers from Laptops and More
1. Satellite-to-Laptop Technology to Target Fish Poachers Conears. Future versions will show near-real-time data so that immediate action can be taken if fishing is happening servationists and the general public will soon be able to track large fishing vessels anywhere in the world using a global surveillance system. A prototype of the system, which uses […]
Week In Review: Russia & China Block Protection of Antarctic Waters, Missing BP Oil Found, & More
1. Russia and China Block Proposal for World’s Largest Marine Protected Area A proposal to set up the world’s largest marine protected area in Antarctica did not earn the support of Russia or China at the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources meeting. The proposal was created to help conserve and manage […]
Week In Review: Surprising New Data on Ocean Warming, Divers Haul Trash out of Paradise, and More
1. Oceans Warmed More Than Previously Thought Due to a lack of temperature data, scientists have potentially underestimated the extent of ocean warming around the world. Before a new global temperature measuring system called Argo was implemented in 2004, few measurements existed from the Southern Hemisphere, home to three-fifths of the world’s oceans. Researchers now […]
Week In Review: The Costs of Ocean Acidification, Disney’s New Ocean Explorer Princess, and More
1.”Scientific American” Discusses Financial Implications of Ocean Acidification The oceans are becoming acidic as they absorb carbon dioxide produced by humans, and this acidification will have serious effects on the world economy, according to a report by the U.N. Convention on Biological Diversity. The costs of lost ecosystem protections alone – such as those provided […]
Week In Review: Monk Seal Recovery, Airlines Cut SeaWorld Ties, and More
1. An Optimistic Outlook for the Endangered Hawaiian Monk Seal The critically endangered Hawaiian monk seal is making a recovery! The species, which has a population of 1,200, can only be found at the Hawaiian Islands. This year, scientists recorded 121 monk seal pups, a significant increase from 103 last year. The Hawaiian monk seal […]
