1. Endangered Species Act in Danger
The Endangered Species Act (ESA) is in danger of being gutted. Passed in 1973, the ESA is credited with saving species such as our national symbol, the bald eagle. More than 1,600 plants and animals are protected under this law, with hundreds more under consideration for protection.
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3. Drilling Safeguard for National Parks at Risk
The National Park Service’s 9B rule was created in 1978 to safeguard against private oil and gas development. Arizona Congressman Paul Gosar introduced a resolution that seeks to repeal this rule and allow oil and gas drilling where the government only has surface and not sub-surface rights. If repealed, drilling could occur in National Parks with little regulation.
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4. Prince Charles Urges Consumers to Cut Down on Plastic Use
In association with the Sky Ocean Rescue campaign, Prince Charles urges consumers to cut down on plastic use. He is also asking that businesses help consumers recycle plastics and come up with “innovative solutions” to reuse plastic items. More than eight million tons of plastics are thrown out each year and much of it ends up in the ocean. Read More…
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5. Sea Otter Population Remains High, But With Increased Mortalities form Great White Sharks
California “Sea Otters have been steadily increasing in number by at least 3 percent annually in the last five years.” But the rate of increase could be more.
Great white sharks don’t usually consume sea otters, however the “accidental bites” due to low visibility and poor eyesight accounts for many sea otter deaths.
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Studies are showing that ocean acidification which has been known to cause the shells of ocean creatures to dissolve, can also promote shell formation in others. Scientists have found that foraminifera, small planktonic animals with a hard outer shell create a chemical micro-environment that favors lime formation when carbon dioxide is in the water.
Read More…
7. Tuna or Not? Sushi Study Shows Widespread Mislabeling
UCLA students found widespread mislabeling as they have collected sushi samples over the last four years. Using DNA bar-coding, where small snippets of DNA are matched against a database of known fish species to identify the fish tested, they have found many dependencies. For example what is being labeled as albacore tuna is really big-eye tuna and the list goes on. Read More…
Sea Save Foundation is committed to raising awareness of marine conservation. The Week in Review is a team effort produced by the Sea Save staff to provide a weekly summary of the latest in marine research, policy, and news.
