It’s estimated that tens of millions of sharks die from incidentally being caught in fishing gear each year—more commonly known as bycatch—from longlines, trawls, and gillnets. Commercial pelagic longlines are particularly dangerous, dangling thousands of baited hooks into the water for extended periods of time, typically intending to catch swordfish, mackerel, and tuna. But these … Read more
I am writing to you today to inform you of leadership changes for our European campaigns for abundant oceans. Xavier Pastor, our leader in Europe, will retire next year after more than four decades in ocean conservation. My colleagues and I spent the past several months searching to find his successor, among many excellent candidates. I … Read more
– New research shows that male bluefin killifish have varying colorations and markings on their fins to signal different messages. Even though most field guides show one fin of the killifish to be blue, researchers found they also came in yellow and red. Science Daily – Federal meteorologists say that Earth is on track to … Read more
In September, a federal judge found BP’s negligent and reckless behavior to be at fault for the 2010 BP oil spill, which killed 11 people and spewed over 200 million gallons of oil into the Gulf of Mexico. BP could now have to pay up to $18 billion in civil penalty fines under the Clean … Read more
Oceana in Europe recently concluded their month-long expedition to the Canary Islands, which documented a vast amount of biodiversity around the island of El Hierro. The expedition aimed to map and gather more information about seamounts north of Lanzarote, the easternmost Canary Island, and around Sahara, the southernmost point of the Spanish Exclusive Economic Zone, … Read more
– New research shows that deep-sea microbes use vitamin B12 to break down toxic chemicals on the seafloor. Scientists that found microbes using this vitamin reduced the toxicity of dangerous polychlorinated biphenyals (PCBs), dioxins, and other dangerous substances. Forbes – A company that specializes in shark repellants has created a polymer that they say deters … Read more
Last month, President Obama finalized the expansion of the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument — the largest marine reserve in the entire world. First created by President George W. Bush in 2009, the reserve is centered around several islands and atolls in the central Pacific Ocean. The newly expanded reserve will protect an area … Read more
To set sustainable fishing quotas, fisheries scientists must first understand how big populations are so that species can continue to reproduce and build their populations while being fished. In this column, Oceana board member and fisheries professor Dr. Daniel Pauly discusses the methodology in determining stock assessments. This article first appeared in the summer 2014 … Read more
– A 16-foot-long baby humpback whale was released after becoming entangled in a net off Queensland, Australia. Humpback whales are currently migrating back to their feeding grounds in Antarctica. ABC Australia – Australian authorities uncovered a large illegal seafood trafficking network in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Officers charged 14 people to trafficking large amounts of abalone, … Read more
– The Government Accountability Office has called out federal agencies for not implementing key parts of a 2009 law on ocean acidification, like estimating research costs. Some say that the news is troubling, especially since the federal government plays a key role in addressing ocean acidification. The Hill – New research shows that shark’s habitat … Read more
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We have already protected over 4 million square miles of ocean and innumerable sea life - but there is still more to be done.