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International Marine Conservation Congress (IMCC3)

14 - 19 August 2014, Glasgow, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

5th Meeting of the Parties to ACCOBAMS (Agreement on the Conservation of Cetaceans of the Black Sea, Mediterranean Sea and Contiguous Atlantic Area) (MOP-5)

5 - 8 November 2013, Tangier, Morocco

World Water Week: Water Cooperation – building partnerships

1 - 6 September 2013, Stockholm, Sweden

Pesticides Significantly Reduce Biodiversity in Aquatic Environments

The pesticides, many of which are currently used in Europe and Australia, are responsible for reducing the regional diversity of invertebrates in streams and rivers by up to 42 percent, researchers report in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).

UN challenges Australia to protect Great Barrier Reef

World Heritage Committee says reef will be listed as threatened ecosystem unless government takes steps to protect it

Underwater Springs Reveal How Coral Reefs Respond to Ocean Acidification

June 17, 2013 — Ocean acidification due to rising carbon dioxide levels will reduce the density of coral skeletons, making coral reefs more vulnerable to disruption and erosion, according to a new study of corals growing where submarine springs naturally lower the pH of seawater.

Great Barrier Reef on the brink as politicians bicker

Environment minister Tony Burke says the government has done its best to stop downgrading of UN heritage status

Cod comeback as North Sea stocks start to recover

Call it a cod comeback, or at least the beginnings of one. The fish has been so over-exploited that eco-conscious consumers avoid it, but North Sea stocks are now rising.

Assessing Barbuda’s Ecosystems – What’s under the water?

Before making changes to ocean management, it helps to know something about the status of living creatures and ecosystems you’re trying to use sustainably.

Rapid Adaptation Is Purple Sea Urchins' Weapon Against Ocean Acidification

June 12, 2013 — In the race against climate change and ocean acidification, some sea urchins may still have a few tricks up their spiny sleeves, suggesting that adaptation will likely play a large role for the sea creatures as the carbon content of the ocean increases.

Good for Business and Good for the Ocean

On June 8, people from around the world take a moment to celebrate the beauty and bounty of the oceans on World Oceans Day. It tends to be a day crowded with announcements from every ocean advocacy organization, which is both exciting and a bit dizzying – it’s easy for important individual mess ...

Ocean acidification pushing young oysters into 'death race'

Scientists have long known that ocean acidification is leading to a decline in Pacific oyster (Crassostrea gigas) in the U.S.'s Pacific Northwest region, but a new study in the American Geophysical Union shows exactly how the change is undercutting populations of these economically-important mol ...

Poisonous jellyfish on the rise in the Mediterranean

Scientists across the Mediterranean say a surge in the number of jellyfish this year threatens not just the biodiversity of one of the world's most overfished seas but also the health of tens of thousands of summer tourists.

Zanzibar’s Encroaching Ocean Means Less Water

ZANZIBAR, Tanzania, Jun 12 2013 (IPS) - Khadija Komboani’s nearest well is filled with salt water thanks to the rising sea around Tanzania’s Indian Ocean island of Zanzibar.

Sea of miracles: industrial uses for ocean biodiversity

The seafloor is our planet’s most biodiverse realm. It is in the sea that life on earth began over 3.5 billion years ago. It is in the sea where 34 of the 36 known phyla of animals remain to this day, 15 of which are exclusive to the world’s oceans. And it is in the sea where myriad opportunitie ...

The Future of the Pacific Ocean Hangs in the Balance

SYDNEY, Jun 8 2013 (IPS) - The immense scale of the Pacific Ocean, at 165 million square kilometres, inspires awe and fascination, but for those who inhabit the 22 Pacific island countries and territories, it is the very source of life. Without it, livelihoods and economies would collapse, hunge ...

UNEP/CBD/RW/EBSA/ETTP/1/4

Report of the Eastern Tropical and Temperate Pacific Regional Workshop to Facilitate the Description of Ecologically or Biologically Significant Marine Areas

Pacific Ocean's survival at tipping point

SYDNEY - The immense scale of the Pacific Ocean at 165 million square kilometers inspires awe and fascination, but for those who inhabit the 22 Pacific island countries and territories, it is the very source of life.

Coral Fights Back Gradually From Ocean Heating

LONDON – Marine biologists’ worst fears seem to be confirmed: coral colonies take a long time to recover from catastrophic climate events.

New study identifies the world’s most dangerous oceans

According to a newly published study carried out by scientists from Southampton Solent University for the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), the planet’s most perilous oceans with the most accidents between 1999 and 2011 are the South China Seas and East Indies, the East Mediterranean and Black Sea, and ...

Sustaining Our Oceans for Future Economic Growth

The oceans are some of the world’s most vital and productive natural resources, impacting our food supply, climate, biodiversity and global economy.

Divers volunteer on coral restoration in Florida Keys

Ken Nedimyer likes to say that he breathes new life into coral reefs. Ken Nedimyer likes to say that he breathes new life into coral reefs.

Message of the CBD Executive Secretary, Braulio Ferreira de Souza Dias, on the occasion of the World Oceans Day, 8 June 2013

Message of the CBD Executive Secretary, Braulio Ferreira de Souza Dias, on the occasion of the World Oceans Day, 8 June 2013

Jellyfish surge in Mediterranean threatens biodiversity

Scientists across the Mediterranean say a surge in the number of jellyfish this year threatens not just the biodiversity of one of the world’s most overfished seas but also the health of tens of thousands of summer tourists.

The Jewels of the Ocean: Two New Species and a New Genus of Octocorals from the Pacific

The flora and fauna of the American west coast is generally believed to be well explored and studied. However, a new study and a taxonomic assessment of the octocorals from the north eastern Pacific Ocean proves such assumptions wrong, with two new beautiful and colourful species of soft corals ...

The Changing Sea: Squid Will Be Vulnerable to Ocean Acidification

I was in sixth grade, and I needed to do a science-fair project. I was worried about the environment even then — unseasonably warm winter days used to send me into paroxysms of anxiety — and given that the year was 1990, the environmental issue to be worried about was acid rain.

Fishing nets damaging corals

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN: The Ministry of Industry and Primary Resources (MIPR) is currently working to establish a Marine Protected Area to further conserve and safeguard the coral reefs and marine life in the Sultanate. The project is expected to be launched this year, Borneo Bulletin reported.

Starfish threatens famed Philippine coral reefs

A coral-killing starfish has begun infesting a channel of water in the Philippines famed for having some of the most diverse marine life in the world, the government said Friday.

Reefs of worth

HIDDEN from view beneath the waves, coral reefs and their benefits to man are often ignored. Yet, they are highly productive ecosystems that provide numerous services, including fisheries, recreation, tourism and coastal protection.

Marine forecasting on the horizon for Indian Ocean Rim.

Nearly all of the member countries of the Indian Ocean Rim Association for Regional Cooperation (IOR-ARC) will attend the week-long workshop to further cooperation and understanding on international ocean forecasting capabilities and needs in the Indian Ocean.

World's largest undersea methane seep harbors variety of life

WASHINGTON, May 22 (UPI) -- U.S. researchers say they've discovered what may be the world's largest methane seep on the ocean floor, where life thrives under extreme conditions.

Abundance and Distribution of Hawaiian Coral Species Predicted by Model

May 21, 2013 — Researchers from the University of Hawaii -- Manoa (UHM) School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology (SOEST) developed species distribution models of the six dominant Hawaiian coral species around the main Hawaiian Islands including two species currently under consideration a ...

Coral reef spread 'ruled' by volcanoes

The Earth's ever-shifting geology is affecting the diversity of coral reefs across the Indian and Pacific oceans, a new study shows.

Many species of waterbirds thrive along the Seberang Prai and Kedah coastlines

SPOTTING a spoon-billed sandpiper was not on the agenda, but it happened. The first sighting in nine years in Penang, one might argue that only someone as bird-crazy as David Bakewell, an environmental consultant and avid birdwatcher, could have spotted it.

Blue whales making comeback in New Zealand waters

WELLINGTON, New Zealand, May 20 (UPI) -- Blue whales, the world's largest animal almost hunted to extinction in the 19th Century, are making a comeback in waters off New Zealand, scientists say.

Gender-bending fish share their secrets

When David Booth spotted his first seadragon he thought the colourful 40 centimetre-long fish looked like an intergalactic hybrid: half alien, half animated seaweed. "They are amazing things," the marine ecologist says.

Industrialized fishing has forced seabirds to change what they eat

The bleached bones of seabirds are telling us a new story about the far-reaching impacts of industrial fisheries on today's oceans.

First grey whale spotted south of the equator

Namibia sighting suggests much-hunted whales are regaining ancient migratory routes, or may be down to climate disruption

Great Barrier Reef is at risk even if it doesn't make Unesco's danger list

UN World Heritage Committee to rule on whether fossil fuel industry threatens Australia's reef, but its coral is already in peril

Scientists discover that marine animals disperse seagrass

Lesser known than coral reefs, marine seagrass ecosystems are rich in biodiversity and are powerhouses when it comes to sequestering carbon dioxide.

Deep Sea DNA Discovered From Fossils Of Ancient Single-Celled Creatures.

In the middle of the South Atlantic, there's a patch of sea almost devoid of life. There are no birds, few fish, not even much plankton. But researchers report that they've found buried treasure under the empty waters: ancient DNA hidden in the muck of the sea floor, which lies 5000 meters below ...

Expedition finds biodiversity around undersea mountain

Rio de Janeiro: A group of scientists aboard a submarine capable of diving to depths of 6,500 meters discovered an "oasis" of biodiversity around the South Atlantic's largest undersea mountain, located off the coast of Brazil.

Overfishing threatens quarter of key grouper species

A quarter of grouper fish species face extinction or are near threatened because of overfishing and poor management of coral reef fisheries, and a further 30 per cent are so understudied there is not enough data to assess how threatened they are, according to a study.

Developing a clearer understanding of ocean ecosystems

The EU-funded HERMIONE project ('Hotspot Ecosystem Research and Man's Impact on European Seas') has contributed much needed data on the complexity of deep-sea ecosystems.

In Pursuit of an Underwater Menagerie

After a long, cold swim in the dark, we spotted it on the night reef with our dive lights: Octopus ornatus, the ornate octopus, a foot-long creature in an amber shade of orange with bright white spots and dashes along all its arms.

Developing a clearer understanding of ocean ecosystems

The EU-funded HERMIONE project ('Hotspot Ecosystem Research and Man's Impact on European Seas') has contributed much needed data on the complexity of deep-sea ecosystems.

Boom in Jellyfish: Overfishing Called Into Question

May 3, 2013 — Will we soon be forced to eat jellyfish? Since the beginning of the 2000s, these gelatinous creatures have invaded many of the world's seas, like the Japan Sea, the Black Sea, the Mediterranean Sea, etc.

Lasting progress in conservation depends on cross-sector synergies

For a community dependent on natural resources to flourish it must promote both the immediate goals of better health and economic conditions and the long-term goals of environmental conservation. Bringing about sustainable development can be a fine balancing act. Focusing too much on any single ...

Huge toxic algae bloom expected for Lake Erie

Scientists are warning that conditions are perfect for a bumper crop of algae to grow in Lake Erie this summer.They say heavy April showers are washing fertilizer off farm fields into the water in larger amounts, and those chemicals feed algae blooms that starve the lake of oxygen.

Major pan-European study conducted on ocean acidification

More than 160 researchers across 10 European countries joined together, in what is being hailed as the first international project to focus on ocean acidification and its consequences.

China 'looting' Africa of its fish

Just 9% of the millions of tonnes of fish caught by China's giant fishing fleet in African and other international waters is officially reported to the UN, say researchers using a new way to estimate the size and value of catches.

Krill Super-Trawlers Pushing Penguins Toward Extinction

UXBRIDGE, Canada, Apr 24 2013 (IPS) - Everyone loves penguins, but few will know that Thursday is World Penguin Day. Fewer still are those who know penguins are threatened with extinction by climate change and giant fishing trawlers from Europe and Asia stalking the oceans around Antarctica.

Sustainable Ocean Summit

22 - 24 April 2013, Washington, United States of America

West coast whales, dolphins and sharks to be surveyed

Whales, dolphins and porpoises are to be photographed and their calls recorded during a new survey of marine life off Scotland's west coast.

EU's Damanaki calls for high seas biodiversity protection treaty

PARIS, April 15 (UPI) -- An updated U.N. treaty governing the exploitation of deep-sea bioresources is urgently needed, EU Maritime Affairs Commissioner Maria Damanaki says.

What Lives at the Bottom of the Mariana Trench? More Than You Might Think

The deepest, darkest, scariest place on the maps I loved pondering as a child was a crescent-shaped canyon in the western Pacific Ocean.

New information on the underwater environment in the Finnish coastal areas

The underwater conditions of the Bay of Bothnia are unique, and up until now very little has been known about this part of Finnish nature.

Two-Headed Blue Shark Surfaces (Another One!)

We recently wrote about a two-headed bull shark found by fishermen. One of our readers, Christopher Johnston, then sent us an email with photos he had taken on September 27, 2008 of a similarly surprising find: a two-headed blue shark. As far as we know these photos have never been published any ...

Sea Mammals Find U.S. Safe Harbor

Apr. 11, 2013 — In 1972, a U.S. Senate committee reported, "Many of the great whales which once populated the oceans have now dwindled to the edge of extinction," due to commercial hunting.

Scientists stress need for national marine biodiversity observation network

With ocean life facing unprecedented threat from climate change, overfishing, pollution, invasive species and habitat destruction, a University of Florida researcher is helping coordinate national efforts to monitor marine biodiversity.

Innovative Solution of Blue Carbon Helps Ocean Wildlife

Last week, Enric Sala of the National Geographic Society spoke about the Society’s Pristine Seas program, which has visited an array of countries to highlight the important marine regions that need protection.

Remote reefs tougher than thought

Isolated coral reefs can recover from catastrophic damage as effectively as those with nearby undisturbed neighbours, a long-term study by marine biologists from the Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS) and the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies (CoECRS) has shown.

Statement by Mr. Braulio F. de Souza Dias, CBD Executive Secretary, at the Opening of South-Eastern Atlantic Regional Workshop to Facilitate the Description of Ecologically or Biologically Significant Marine Areas, Swakopmund, Namibia, 8 to 12 April 2013

South-Eastern Atlantic Regional Workshop to Facilitate the Description of Ecologically or Biologically Significant Marine Areas (EBSAs)

8 - 12 April 2013, Swakopmund, Namibia

Statement by Mr. Braulio F. de Souza Dias, CBD Executive Secretary, at the Opening of South-Eastern Atlantic Regional Workshop to Facilitate the Description of Ecologically or Biologically Significant Marine Areas, Swakopmund, Namibia, 8 to 12 April 2013

Shark tooth weapons lead to biodiversity discovery

The shark tooth weapons were the kind of cool stuff that drew marine conservation biologist Joshua Drew to the Field Museum of natural history in Chicago.

UNEP/CBD/RW/EBSA/SEA/1/3

Data to Inform the CBD South East Atlantic Ocean Regional Workshop to Facilitate the Description of Ecologically or Biologically Significant Marine Areas

UNEP/CBD/RW/EBSA/SEA/1/2

Compilation of Submissions of Scientific Information to Describe Areas Meeting the Scientific Criteria for EBSAs in the South-Eastern Atlantic Region

Oceans key to national ecological strategy

When former Chinese President Hu Jintao announced a plan to build a more beautiful China, caring for the nation's 3 million square kilometers of marine territory was no small part.

Sex on the reef' during Holi in Lakshwadeep

NEW DELHI: A different type of Holi will be seen in Lakshwadeep. A group of marine biologists having recently observed the phenomenon of coral spawning — popularly also called 'sex on the reef' — will be spending all of Wednesday observing the rare occurrence.

Seabirds Need Effective Marine Conservation in Wake of Discard Ban, Warns Study

Mar. 22, 2013 — Conservationists have renewed urgent calls for effective marine protection in European waters, after a new study, published in the Journal of Applied Ecology, revealed that the recent EU ban on fish discards could have a significant short-term impact on some seabirds.

World Water Day

22 March 2013, Multiple Venues

Tough Call: Bahamian Conch In Danger

BAHAMIAN conch populations are in danger of collapsing – as they already have elsewhere in the region – and this was a point of discussion at the Bahamas National Natural History Conference held recently at the College of the Bahamas.

Collaborative effort needed to address problems of marine ecosystem sustainability –Yahya

Yahya pointed out that marine and coastal resources industries in the world are reported to represent more than five percent of the global gross domestic product (GDP) and oceans also provide the so-called ‘non-market’ benefits such as climate regulation, carbon sequestration and biodiversity co ...

The Red-Dead water conveyer can avoid a dead end

After a delay of more than six months, the World Bank has finally released the final drafts of the feasibility and environmental assessment studies for the controversial Red Sea-Dead Sea Water Conveyance project, designed to channel some 1.2 billion cubic metres of water 180 kilometres from the ...

Kerala to map marine biodiversity

The Kerala State Biodiversity Board (KSBB) has initiated a programme to prepare a Marine Biodiversity Register (MBR) documenting the underwater ecology of the inshore areas and the traditional knowledge systems of fishermen in the State.

Mariana Trench: Deepest ocean 'teems with microbes'

The deepest place in the ocean is teeming with microscopic life, a study suggests.

Life Discovered in the Deepest Ocean

Researchers probing the deepest ocean have found a surprisingly high concentration of microbes, the latest evidence of organisms thriving in inhospitable environments that is reshaping scientists' understanding of the conditions necessary for life.

Mass Strandings of Pilot Whales May Not Be Driven by Kinship, DNA Profiles Show

Mar. 14, 2013 — Biologists since Aristotle have puzzled over the reasons for mass strandings of whales and dolphins, in which groups of up to several hundred individuals drive themselves up onto a beach, apparently intentionally.

Life found deep under the sea

For the first time, scientists have discovered microbes living deep inside Earth’s oceanic crust — the dark volcanic rock at the bottom of the sea.

Landmark shark ban upheld at conservation meeting

Pro-shark fishing nations have narrowly failed to overturn a landmark protection deal struck at the Cites conservation conference in Bangkok.

Porpoises Have to Be Careful in the Eastern Scheldt in the Netherlands

Mar. 7, 2013 — The unexpected conclusion of the doctoral research project on the feeding ecology of porpoises by Okka Jansen at Wageningen University is that the Eastern Scheldt in the Netherlands may be an ecological trap.

Gambia: Environment - Recognizing the Efforts of Local Communities and World Wide Fund Participation in Mangrove Restoration in the Gambia

In our today's edition, we recognized local communities and NGOs such as World Wildlife Fund for their commitment and participation in mangrove restoration in The Gambia.

New marine species discovered in Pacific Ocean

Washington: Scientists have discovered new species of sea slugs, feather stars and amphipods in the Madang Lagoon on the north coast of Papua New Guinea.

California's Leatherback Sea Turtle Could Face Extinction In The Next 20 Years.

Less than six months after the Pacific leatherback sea turtle was named California's official marine reptile, studies suggest it might be time to launch a search for a new species to fill the role.

Australia reef shallows may cross "damage threshold" in 30 years

Australian researchers looked at shallow corals, found in tropical waters under 70 metres (230 ft) in depth, along Australia's iconic Great Barrier Reef, and found that even tiny increases in overall ocean acidity could lead to extreme changes.

Commission aims to draw attention to deteriorating oceans

The Global Ocean Commission, a new independent body of politicians, businessmen, development experts and scientists, will meet for the first time next month, in Cape Town, South Africa, to start work on proposing the sustainable use of the oceans' natural resources.

Fish discards ban 'may be diluted'

Europe's fisheries ministers may dilute plans for a total ban on the practice of discarding fish at sea, as they meet in Brussels.

Seals take scientists to Antarctic's ocean floor

(Reuters) - Elephant seals wearing head sensors and swimming deep beneath Antarctic ice have helped scientists better understand how the ocean's coldest, deepest waters are formed, providing vital clues to understanding its role in the world's climate.

Manta ray struggles for survival

Overfishing threatens the magnificent and prized ‘Ali Maduwa’

Seafarer science: Sailors asked to help measure plankton

Scientists are enlisting sailors and fishermen to help with what they hope will be the world's biggest study of plankton in the oceans.

How the Ocean Loses Nitrogen: Scientists Identify Key Factor That Controls Nitrogen Availability in the Ocean

Feb. 24, 2013 — During an expedition to the South Pacific Ocean, scientists from the Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology in Bremen, along with their colleagues from the GEOMAR and Christian-Albrechts University in Kiel, discovered that organic matter derived from decaying algae regulate ...

Tagged seals help find missing piece in global climate puzzle

By tracking the voyages of elephant seals off Antarctica, and with the help of satellite imaging and undersea sensors, researchers have discovered a long-elusive source for the deep-ocean streams of cold water that help to regulate the Earth's climate.

North Pacific Regional Workshop to Facilitate the Description of Ecologically or Biologically Significant Marine Areas (EBSAs)

25 February - 1 March 2013, Moscow, Russian Federation

Statement by Mr. Braulio F. De Souza Dias, Executive Secretary, Convention On Biological Diversity at the opening of the North Pacific Regional Workshop to Facilitate the Description of Ecologically or Biologically Significant Marine Areas Moscow, Russian Federation, 25 February to 1 March 2013

Deepest hydrothermal ocean vents found

LONDON, Feb. 21 (UPI) -- British researchers say they have found a set of hydrothermal vents on the floor of the Caribbean Sea, the deepest yet found anywhere in the world.

Deepest undersea vents discovered by UK team

UK scientists exploring the ocean floor in the Caribbean have discovered an "astounding" set of hydrothermal vents, the deepest anywhere in the world.

Sustainable Tuna is a Key Component of Food Security Worldwide

In 2012, the FAO released a report, which estimated that there were almost 870 million chronically undernourished people in 2010 to 2012

UNEP/CBD/EBSA/NP/1/2

Compilation of Submissions of Scientific Information to Describe Areas Meeting Scientific Criteria for EBSAs in the North Pacific Region