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Statement by Mr. Braulio Ferreira de Souza Dias, CBD Executive Secretary, on the occasion of the Wider Caribbean and Western Mid-Atlantic Regional Workshop to Facilitate the Description of Ecologically or Biologically Significant Marine Areas, Recife, Brazil, 28 February 2012

Wider Caribbean and Western Mid-Atlantic Regional Workshop to Facilitate the Description of Ecologically or Biologically Significant Marine Areas (EBSAs)

28 February - 2 March 2012, Recife, Brazil

UNEP/CBD/RW/EBSA/WCAR/1/2

Compilation of Submissions of Scientific Information to Describe EBSAS in the Wider Caribbean and Western Mid-Atlantic Region

World Bank issues SOS for oceans, backs alliance

(Reuters) - The World Bank announced on Friday a global alliance to better manage and protect the world's oceans, which are under threat from over-fishing, pollution and climate change.

Fish discarding ban shunned by MPs

Decision is a blow to Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall and other campaigners calling for end to fishermen's practice

Underwater 'Seaview' lets you explore coral reef

SINGAPORE: Finding Nemo is about to get a lot easier with the launch of a scientific survey that will allow anyone with access to the internet to take a virtual tour of Australia's Great Barrier Reef.

Iconic Marine Mammals Are 'Swimming in Sick Seas' of Terrestrial Pathogens

ScienceDaily (Feb. 21, 2012) — Parasites and pathogens infecting humans, pets and farm animals are increasingly being detected in marine mammals such as sea otters, porpoises, harbour seals and killer whales along the Pacific coast of the U.S. and Canada, and better surveillance is required to m ...

To fish or conserve: report seeks balance

THE long-awaited report from the independent scientific audit of Marine Parks in NSW has been released. Chaired by an environmental expert, associate professor Bob Beeton, the audit panel set out to determine if our marine parks strike the right balance between sustainable fishing and conservation.

Transplants offer hope to damaged reef

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla., Feb. 16 (UPI) -- U.S. marine scientists on Florida's Atlantic Coast say they're using corals grown in an onshore nursery to help restore a damaged reef.

Sea lion test to probe declines

Canadian researchers have trained sea lions to take part in an experiment designed to find out why the species is dying out.

Press Release: Atlantic seamount becomes the first case added to international repository of ecologically or biologically significant marine areas

Atlantic seamount becomes the first case added to international repository of ecologically or biologically significant marine areas

Montreal, 17 February 2012 – The Josephine Seamount, located in the Horse-shoe Seamount Group of the Atlantic Ocean has been added to the prototype online repository that scientifically describes ecologically or biologically significant marine areas (EBSAs) (available at http://ebsa.cbd.int).

New marine parks on hold while public has its say

THE O'Farrell government will continue its moratorium on the establishment of new marine parks for at least another five months as it seeks public feedback on a scientific audit released yesterday.

Sea urchin spine structure inspires idea for concrete

The precise structure of sea urchins' strong spines has been unravelled - and the find may contribute to stronger concrete in the future.

Managing oceans with sound science

Management of marine resources for sustainable development needs local capacity for science, particularly in the Pacific region.

Healthy European fish stocks would be worth £2.7bn a year – report

The restoration of fish stocks would yield more to the economy than current fishing subsidies are worth, claims New Economics Foundation

Low marine fish biodiversity studied

STONY BROOK, N.Y., Feb. 8 (UPI) -- A U.S. researcher says he's found that contrary to popular belief, there aren't plenty of fish in the sea, and he's measured surprisingly low fish biodiversity.

Tuna and Mackerel Populations Have Reduced by 60% in the Last Century

ScienceDaily (Feb. 8, 2012) — A study shows that the impact of fishing for tuna and similar species during the last 50 years has lessened the abundance of all these populations by an average of 60%. Experts add that the majority of tuna fish have been exploited to the limits of sustainability.

Whales 'stressed by ocean noise'

Noise from ships stresses whales nearby, researchers have shown

Corals inflate to escape being buried alive in sand

Coral might appear solid and inanimate, but surprising new footage of a mushroom coral inflating itself to escape a sandy burial has brought the organism to life.

World's oldest living thing studied

PERTH, Australia, Feb. 6 (UPI) -- DNA testing suggests a swathe of seagrass in the Mediterranean could be the oldest known living thing on Earth, Australian researchers say.

A Turtle Success Story in the Philipines

In 2011, green sea turtles laid a staggering 1.44 million eggs on just one island in the Philippines thanks to conservation efforts, breaking all previous records.

International Symposium on Water and Wetlands

6 - 8 February 2012, Agadir, Morocco

Stranded dolphins in Cape Cod baffle scientists

Scientists in Cape Cod are trying to determine what is causing dolphins to swim dangerously close to shore, with more than 100 becoming stranded in the last three weeks.

Survey finds jellyfish takeover exaggerated

Jellyfish might be able to shut down a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, but they are not taking over the world's oceans and turning them into slime, say scientists.

Report says science, not minister should rule Canada's fisheries

VANCOUVER - Fisheries management in Canada places too much discretion in the hands of the federal minister, conferring "czar-like" powers that have meant the country has lagged far behind others in protecting its oceans, says a study by an expert panel of some of Canada's most distinguished scie ...

Indian Ocean humpbacks singing differently

NEW YORK, Feb. 2 (UPI) -- Humpback whales on both sides of the southern Indian Ocean are singing different tunes, a totally unexpected finding, U.S. researchers say.

Global Experts Question Claims About Jellyfish Populations

ScienceDaily (Feb. 1, 2012) — Blooms, or proliferation, of jellyfish have shown a substantial, visible impact on coastal populations -- clogged nets for fishermen, stinging waters for tourists, even choked intake lines for power plants -- and recent media reports have created a perception that t ...

'Supergiant' crustacean found in deepest ocean

A huge crustacean has been found lurking 7km down in the waters off the coast of New Zealand.

Atlantic Sturgeon Declared an Endangered Species

GLOUCESTER, Mass. (January 31, 2012) — The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association today designated the Atlantic sturgeon an endangered species, providing it greater legal protections, following a petition the Natural Resources Defense Council submitted in September 2009.

Call for posters for the Sixteenth Meeting of the Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical, and Technological Advice (SBSTTA-16)

Reference: SCBD/STTM/SBSTTA15/DC/JG/78811 (2012-020)
To: CBD National Focal Points, SBSTTA Focal Points, POWPA Focal Points and relevant organizations

What Do Killer Whales Eat in the Arctic?

The increase in hunting territories available to killer whales in the Arctic due to climate change and melting sea ice could seriously affect the marine ecosystem balance.

Cooling Lagoons aim to reduce thermal discharges to marine ecosystems, improve efficiency

Gulf countries that lack freshwater resources rely deeply on seawater desalination to meet their daily needs and cool down thermal generation plants.

Where have all the fish gone?

Australia leads the way in trying to protect the world's fish population. But stocks of jack mackerel, down 90 per cent in 20 years in the once-rich southern seas, point to a wider global calamity.

Sea cucumbers may save Great Barrier Reef

Tropical sea cucumbers and their faeces could save coral reefs from the harmful impacts of climate change, scientists have found.

US Sets First Catch Limits in Caribbean Fish

The U.S. government is imposing limits on the number of fish that commercial and recreational fishermen can catch in the waters it controls in the Caribbean, saying previous types of restrictions haven't protected dwindling populations of dozens of species.

Global warming may raise risk of Pacific fish poisoning

FIJI: Rising sea temperatures caused by climate change may have contributed to a sharp increase in the incidence of a severe form of tropical fish poisoning afflicting people living on small islands around the Pacific region, a study has shown.

Singapore raises sea defences against tide of climate change

SINGAPORE: A 15-km (10 mile) stretch of crisp white beach is one of the key battlegrounds in Singapore's campaign to defend its hard-won territory against rising sea levels linked to climate change.

Marine Mammals On the Menu in Many Parts of World

The fate of the world's great whale species commands global attention as a result of heated debate between pro and anti-whaling advocates, but the fate of smaller marine mammals is less understood, specifically because the deliberate and accidental harvesting of dolphins, porpoises, manatees and ...

Clean up world seas to boost economy, U.N. body says

(Reuters) - Cleaner and better-managed seas and coasts would help boost economic growth and reduce poverty and pollution, a United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) report said on Wednesday.

87 marine mammals still eaten by people

Threats to marine mammals usually include climate change, drowning as by-catch, pollution, depletion of prey, but what about eating marine mammals?

Ningaloo manta rays under threat

Ningaloo Marine Park's manta rays are threatened by the growing worldwide demand demand for their gill rakers, according to a new report.

Marine biodiversity under threat

Abu Dhabi: Growing prosperity together with an increasing population in the Gulf states is exacting a heavy toll on coastal marine life in the Arabian Gulf, experts heard at a marine environmental conference this week.

Manta Rays Endangered by Sudden Demand from Chinese Medicine

Demand for the gills of manta and mobula rays has risen dramatically in the past 10 years for use in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), even though they were not historically used for this purpose, a team of researchers from the conservation organizations Shark Savers and WildAid has discovered.

Whales are people too

ONE OF THE MOST important features of science is that scientific progress regularly leads to important ethical questions.

Cayman vents are world's hottest

The world's deepest known volcanic vents are also the hottest, a UK-led expedition has indicated.

Fish disguised as copycat octopus

First there was the octopus that mimicked fish; now researchers say a fish is copying the octopus.

Spanish government urged to renounce plans to rubbish EU fishing reforms

Leaked document reveals former socialist government's plans to oppose planned EU ban on discarding edible fish at sea

Belgium fears for its fragile coastline

Storms and rising sea levels could wreak havoc as defences that protect beaches and dykes are overwhelmed

Request to submit scientific information in support of the objectives of the Wider Caribbean and Western Mid-Atlantic Regional Workshop to Facilitate the Description of Ecologically or Biologically Significant Marine Areas (EBSAs), 28 February to 2 March 2012 – Recife, Brazil

Reference: SCBD/STTM/JM/JLe/JG/78386 (2012-001)
To: CBD National Focal Points, SBSTTA Focal Points, and other Governments; the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO); regional seas conventions and action plans and regional fisheries management organizations (RFMOs) in the western Caribbean and Mid-Atlantic region; other competent organizations and regional initiatives