Marine Biology News:
Courtesy of Science Daily
A new assessment of the Arctic's biodiversity reports a 26 percent decline in species populations in the high Arctic.
Scientists have studied interactions between the loggerhead turtle (Caretta caretta) and fishing gear such as longline hooks used at the water surface, mass beachings, and the effects of climate change on these animals. In order to reduce captures of this marine species without causing economic losses for fishermen, the scientists are proposing that fishing in the summer should only be carried out by night and in areas more than 35 nautical miles from land.
Beluga sturgeon in the Caspian Sea have been reclassified as "critically endangered" placing them on IUCN's Red List, providing strong evidence that fishing and international trade should be halted and a stock-rebuilding plan should be initiated immediately. Beluga sturgeon populations have been decimated in part due to unrelenting exploitation for black caviar -- the sturgeon's unfertilized eggs -- considered the finest in the world.
In physical, as in financial growth, it's not what you make but what you keep that counts, marine biologists believe. Their study of genes associated with growth in oysters suggests that slow-growing animals waste energy in two ways: by making too much of some protein building blocks and then by having to dispose of the excess.
Tourists wanting to watch and swim with dolphins are now being urged to keep their distance in a bid to protect both the animals and the local communities whose livelihoods depend on them.
|
Click here for more Marine Biology News |
| |
Oceanography News:
Courtesy of Science Daily
Scientists are undertaking an expedition to explore the rupture site of the 8.8-magnitude Chilean earthquake.
Scientists have studied interactions between the loggerhead turtle (Caretta caretta) and fishing gear such as longline hooks used at the water surface, mass beachings, and the effects of climate change on these animals. In order to reduce captures of this marine species without causing economic losses for fishermen, the scientists are proposing that fishing in the summer should only be carried out by night and in areas more than 35 nautical miles from land.
Beluga sturgeon in the Caspian Sea have been reclassified as "critically endangered" placing them on IUCN's Red List, providing strong evidence that fishing and international trade should be halted and a stock-rebuilding plan should be initiated immediately. Beluga sturgeon populations have been decimated in part due to unrelenting exploitation for black caviar -- the sturgeon's unfertilized eggs -- considered the finest in the world.
Scientists have discovered how changes in winds blowing on the Southern Ocean drive variations in the depth of the surface layer of sea water responsible for regulating exchanges of heat and carbon dioxide between the ocean and the atmosphere.
A team of Spanish researchers has studied the diet of three species of sharks living in the deep waters in the area of El Cachucho, the first Protected Marine Area in Spain, which is located in the Cantabrian Sea off the coast of Asturias. These animals feed on the resources available in their environment, according to changes taking place in the ocean depths.
|
Click here for more Oceanography News |
| |
Ocean Conservation News:
Courtesy of Ocean Conserve
Guardian: Idiots. Morons. Blockheads. Numbskulls. Nothing quite captures the mind-withering stupidity of what has just happened in Doha. Swayed by Japan and a number of other countries, some of them doubtless bought off in traditional fashion, the members of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (Cites) have decided not to protect the Atlantic bluefin tuna. Those who opposed suspending trade in the species argued that the temporary ban proposed by Monaco would devastate ...
Independent (UK): The trade in Atlantic bluefin tuna will continue unchecked after the rejection yesterday of a proposed fishing ban that had been described by conservationists as the only way to save the critically endangered species from extinction. Japan and Canada along with scores of developing nations succeeded yesterday in preventing any restrictions being imposed on the harvest of the fish, which is highly prized in sushi restaurants, on the grounds that a ban would devastate the world's ...
Times (UK): Their sheer size and strength have made them among the most celebrated of endangered species, yet they have all been betrayed -- by vested interests at a UN meeting on wildlife protection. Proposals to ban trade in bluefin tuna and polar bears were overwhelmingly rejected yesterday at the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (Cites), meeting in Doha, Qatar. A plan for a 20-year ban on ivory sales, to protect African elephants, is also likely to fail in the ...
Reuters: Efforts to protect the Atlantic bluefin tuna suffered a blow on Thursday when dozens of countries voted against a trade ban, drawing condemnation from environmental groups. At the 175-nation meeting of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) in Doha, 68 countries, opposed a proposal from Monaco for a trade ban, while 20 governments voted in favor and 30 abstained, the environmental organization WWF said. Stocks of Atlantic bluefin tuna, prized as a ...
BBC: A proposal to ban the export of Atlantic bluefin tuna, which is a sushi mainstay in Japan, has been rejected by a UN wildlife meeting. Thursday's decision occurred after Japan, Canada and many poor nations opposed the measure on the grounds it would devastate fishing economies. Monaco tabled the plan at the meeting of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES). Stocks have fallen by about 85% since the industrial fishing era began. Monaco ...
|
Click here for more Ocean Conservation News |
| |
NOAA News:
Courtesy of NOAA
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the National Tsunami Hazard Mitigation Program have designated March 21-27 as Tsunami Awareness Week. This designation comes in the wake of last month’s tsunami in Chile and less than six months after a tsunami hit American Samoa, both events resulting in loss of life and property.
The proposal to list Atlantic bluefin tuna (Thunnus thynnus) under Appendix I of CITES was not adopted today by the Parties. The proposal, sponsored by the Principality of Monaco, and strongly supported by the United States, garnered intense debate by the Parties due to the importance of this migratory fish species for commercial purposes.
NOAA administrator Jane Lubchenco today outlined specific steps the agency has taken and will take to assure that NOAA has an effective and fair enforcement program to protect fisheries and other marine resources that sustain the jobs and economic vibrancy of America’s coastal communities, in response to a January review of the Commerce Department Inspector General.
Last month’s combined global land and ocean surface temperature made it the sixth warmest February ever recorded. Additionally, the December 2009 – February 2010 period was the fifth warmest on record averaged for any similar three-month Northern Hemisphere winter-Southern Hemisphere summer season, according to scientists at NOAA’s National Climatic Data Center in Asheville, N.C.
NOAA’s Fisheries Service said today it is listing Pacific smelt, a little fish with a big history, as threatened under the Endangered Species Act.
|
Click here for more NOAA News |
| |
|
|
|
|
