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Scientists Find 'Bipolar' Marine Bacteria, Refuting 'Everything Is Everywhere' Idea

Jan. 14, 2013 — In another blow to the "Everything is Everywhere" tenet of bacterial distribution in the ocean, scientists at the Marine Biological Laboratory (MBL) have found "bipolar" species of bacteria that occur in the Arctic and Antarctic, but nowhere else.

Saving manta rays from the fin trade

Tens of millions of sharks and rays are killed each year to meet demand for shark fin, a delicacy across East Asia.

'Ghost nets' said threat to marine life

CANBERRA, Australia, Jan. 14 (UPI) -- Fishing nets left or lost by fishermen, known as "ghost nets," are threatening wildlife -- especially sea turtles -- in the sea off Australia, scientists say.

The Kraken wakes: first images of giant squid filmed in deep ocean

TOKYO, Jan. 8, 2013 (Reuters) — A Japanese-led team of scientists has captured on film the world's first live images of a giant squid, journeying to the depths of the ocean in search of the mysterious creature thought to have inspired the myth of the "kraken", a tentacled monster.

Overfishing causes Pacific bluefin tuna numbers to drop 96%

Conservationists also warned that the vast majority caught were juveniles and had never reproduced

Genetics clues to survival of coral reef

PALO ALTO, Calif., Jan. 8 (UPI) -- A genetic process that lets some corals withstand high temperatures may hold a key to species survival for organisms around the world, U.S. researchers say.

'Extinction threat' for UK orcas

The UK's only known resident population of killer whales is at risk of becoming extinct, marine life experts fear.

Press Release: The 67th session of the United Nations General Assembly has recognized the importance of recent decisions adopted by the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), including those dealing with implementation of the global oceans agenda and realization of the outcomes of the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development “Rio + 20” - “the future we want.”

United Nations General Assembly resolutions highlight contribution of the Convention on Biological Diversity for oceans agenda and implementation of Rio + 20 outcomes

Montreal 21 December 2012. The 67th session of the United Nations General Assembly has recognized the importance of recent decisions adopted by the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), including those dealing with implementation of the global oceans agen ...

Environmental Uncertainties Halt PNG Deep Sea Mining

The world’s first deep sea mineral (DSM) mining venture in the Bismarck Sea off the northern coast of Papua New Guinea in the southwest Pacific has come to a halt after two years of development.

Obama administration to expand marine sanctuary off northern California

The administration of President Barack Obama plans to more than double the size of two marine sanctuaries off the northern California coast to guard the near pristine waters from oil drilling in a move that sidesteps potential hurdles in Congress, federal officials said on Thursday.

EU fishing quotas defy scientific advice, say conservationists

Campaigners say agreement after two days of talks in Brussels allows for more fish to be caught than is sustainable

Request for scientific information in support of the objectives of upcoming CBD regional workshops to facilitate the description of ecologically or biologically significant marine areas (EBSAs) in: i) North Pacific (Moscow, Russia – 25 February to 1 March 2013); and ii) South-Eastern Atlantic (Namibia – 8 to 12 April 2013)

Reference: SCBD/STTM/JM/JL/JG/81106 (2012-152)
To: CBD National Focal Points, SBSTTA Focal Points; FAO; regional seas conventions and action plans and RFMOs in the North Pacific and South-Eastern Atlantic regions; Abidjan Convention Secretariat, IOC–UNESCO, IOC–WESTPAC, NOWPAP, PICES, OBIS, ISA, UNEP-WCMC, GOBI, other competent organizations and regional initiatives, and ILCs

Request for scientific information in support of the objectives of upcoming CBD regional workshops to facilitate the description of ecologically or biologically significant marine areas (EBSAs) in: i) North Pacific (Moscow, Russia – 25 February to 1 March 2013); and ii) South-Eastern Atlantic (Namibia – 8 to 12 April 2013)

Reference: SCBD/STTM/JM/JL/JG/81106 (2012-153)
To: CBD National Focal Points, SBSTTA Focal Points; FAO; regional seas conventions and action plans and RFMOs in the North Pacific and South-Eastern Atlantic regions; Abidjan Convention Secretariat, IOC–UNESCO, IOC–WESTPAC, NOWPAP, PICES, OBIS, ISA, UNEP-WCMC, GOBI, other competent organizations and regional initiatives, and ILCs

Overfishing is a solvable environmental challenge for the EU

Ministers should honour their commitment to restore Europe's fisheries by 2015 by making catch reductions this year

Argentina Making Strides in Protection of Ocean Areas

Argentina is creating protected marine areas at a rate of knots. In the last 10 years, the preservation of saltwater areas has expanded, and for the first time an Atlantic ocean zone is being added to the list.

Hagfish Slime Makes Super-Clothes

One of the world’s creepiest creatures may be the source of new kinds of petroleum-free plastics and super-strong fabrics, according to research by scientists in Canada studying the hagfish, a bottom-dwelling creature that hasn’t evolved for 300 million years and produces a sticky slime when thr ...

Fish Have Enormous Nutrient Impacts On Marine Ecosystems, Study Finds

Dec. 11, 2012 — Fish play a far more important role as contributors of nutrients to marine ecosystems than previously thought, according to researchers at the University of Georgia and Florida International University.

Global Warming Responsible For Coral Shrinking Around Equator

As the clamoring for a more comprehensive strategy to battle climate change continues, scientists are producing more and more research that suggests incremental changes in global temperature can have a massive effect on ecosystems.

A Rising Tide of Noise Is Now Easy to See

When a hurricane forced the Nautilus to dive in Jules Verne’s “Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea,” Captain Nemo took the submarine down to a depth of 25 fathoms, or 150 feet. There, to the amazement of the novel’s protagonist, Prof. Pierre Aronnax, no whisper of the howling turmoil could be ...

New fishing techniques urged to save birds

WELLINGTON, New Zealand, Dec. 7 (UPI) -- A New Zealand conservation group says an international fisheries agreement could help save the albatross, among the largest seabird species, from extinction.

South Korea drops plans to resume whaling

Proposals to conduct 'scientific' whale hunts similar to those carried out by Japan provoked storm of international criticism

U.S. Proposes Federal Protection for 66 Coral Species

Sixty-six species of coral in U.S. waters should be protected under the Endangered Species Act because global warming, disease and ocean acidification are pushing them toward extinction, the federal government proposed today.

Cannibalism key to seaweed evolution

Photosynthetic seaweed evolved from microscopic creatures cannibalising single-celled algae for their genetic parts, a new analysis has shown.

Sea anemone toxin could yield insecticides

LEUVEN, Belgium, Nov. 29 (UPI) -- Venom from sea anemones could yield a new generation of environmentally friendly insecticides to which bugs would not become resistant, European scientists say.

Growth attacking, killing Hawaiian corals

HONOLULU, Nov. 27 (UPI) -- A mysterious growth has been spreading in Hawaiian waters, killing all the coral it strikes, and scientists say they can't stop it.

Rise of acid ocean eats away base of food chain

Shells of tiny sea snails are being eroded as more carbon dioxide is dissolved into seawater

Manta rays threatened by fishermen

RAJA AMPAT, Indonesia, Nov. 24 (UPI) -- Marine scientists say they are working to save a population of manta rays off the coast of Indonesia.

A human-focused approach to measuring Ocean Health

A new index for measuring the health of oceans considers the benefits of the sea to humans, as well as the status of natural components, such as biodiversity. According to the researchers who developed the index, it provides a powerful tool for allocating resources and improving policy in the ma ...

Europeans must continue to drive marine biodiversity research: brief

Despites the many advances Europeans have made in marine biodiversity science, it is important that they do not become complacent and stop improving our understanding of this area of science, stresses the European Marine Board.

EU to close shark finning loophole

MEPs vote 566-47 in favour of closing loophole that effectively rendered useless a nine-year-old ban on finning

Europe must not lose momentum in marine biodiversity research

A new Marine Board Future Science Brief presents a roadmap for marine biodiversity science in Europe and warns against complacency.

REMINDER AND CHANGE OF DATES: Sustainable Ocean Initiative (SOI) Capacity-Building Workshop for West Africa (4 to 8 February 2013) and South-Eastern Atlantic Regional Workshop to Facilitate the Description of Ecologically or Biologically Significant Marine Areas (EBSAs) (8 to 12 April 2013)

Reference: SCBD/STTM/JL/JG/80877 (2012-142)
To: Competent organizations and regional initiatives, including regional seas conventions and action plans, and regional fisheries management organizations (RFMOs) in West Africa

Fishing nations to sustain tuna quotas

Morocco - Fishing countries on Monday voted to keep up strict limits on catching Atlantic bluefin tuna, overruling fierce opposition from critics who argue that the key sushi ingredient is on the rebound.

Drop in sea levels found only temporary

PASADENA, Calif., Nov. 19 (UPI) -- The trend of rising sea levels hit a "speed bump" in 2010 as global sea levels fell sharply, U.S. scientists analyzing satellite data said.

Aussie blue whales call Antarctica home

The largest animal on Earth is changing its ecology, say researchers, and it could be due to climate change or the effects of whaling.

Saving Salmon from Deadly Sea Lice

ScienceDaily (Nov. 15, 2012) — A University of Alberta-led research team has some positive news for British Columbia's pink salmon populations, and the salmon farming industry that has struggled to protect both captive and wild salmon from sea lice infestations.

Seal cull will not revive Canada's cod stocks, say scientists

Open letter from marine scientists at Dalhousie University challenges claim that cull is needed to help fish stocks

$100m for fishermen locked out of marine parks

Vast tracts of Australia's oceans have been formally declared as protected areas, as part of long-running efforts to establish the world's largest network of marine reserves.

REMINDER AND CHANGE OF DATES: Sustainable Ocean Initiative (SOI) Capacity-Building Workshop for West Africa (4 to 8 February 2013) and South-Eastern Atlantic Regional Workshop to Facilitate the Description of Ecologically or Biologically Significant Marine Areas (EBSAs) (8 to 12 April 2013)

Reference: SCBD/STTM/JL/JG/80877 (2012-141)
To: CBD National Focal Points and SBSTTA Focal Points of West African coastal and island Parties

Scientists kick off a new EU-funded project that explores marine biodiversity and the environmental status of seas in Europe

Scientists from 16 countries have kicked off a new EU-funded project that explores marine biodiversity and the environmental status of seas in Europe.

Protection zones for Pacific tuna urged

MANOA, Hawaii, Nov. 14 (UPI) -- Marine zones of controlled fishing in the Pacific Ocean could greatly improve numbers of heavily overfished tuna and improve local economies, a study says.

Australia creates world's largest marine reserves

SYDNEY — Australia Friday created the world's largest network of marine reserves, protecting a huge swathe of ocean environment despite claims it will devastate the fishing industry.

Greenpeace warns of overfishing 'crisis' in Indian Ocean

Sri Lankan fishermen carry their catch to shore in in 2010. The environmental group Greenpeace on Monday said there was an "overfishing crisis" in the Indian Ocean and urged better monitoring of trawlers.

Vanishing secrets of the Barrier Reef

Researchers are finding new species at unexplored depths – but the coral has a terrifying new enemy.

Scientists put spotlight on marine biodiversity in Europe

Scientists from 16 countries have kicked off a new EU-funded project that explores marine biodiversity and the environmental status of seas in Europe. DEVOTES ('Development of innovative tools for understanding marine biodiversity and assessing good environmental status') has clinched almost EUR ...

Mozambique: Wwf Welcomes New Marine Protected Area

The World Wide Fund for Nature has welcomed the Mozambican government’s decision to declare the Primeira and Segundas (literally first and second) Islands, off the coasts of Zambezia and Nampula provinces, a marine protected area.

Fish net design could aid sustainability

LONDON, Nov. 8 (UPI) -- A British designer says his fishing net dubbed SafetyNet could make the practice of commercial fishing far more sustainable by saving millions of fish annually.

Threatened coral calls in the goby cavalry

It's not quite "Avengers, assemble!", but it does the trick. A species of Fijian coral sends out distress signals to gobies to protect itself from encroaching seaweed.

North Pacific Regional Workshop to Facilitate the Description of Ecologically or Biologically Significant Marine Areas (EBSAs), 25 February to 1 March 2013, Moscow, Russia

Reference: SCBD/STTM/JL/JG/80987 (2012-139)
To: Competent organizations and regional initiatives, including regional seas conventions and action plans, and regional fisheries management organizations (RFMOs) in the North Pacific region