In December 2013 we reported that OSPAROSPAR Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the North-East Atlantic made up of representatives of the Governments of the 15 signatory nations. had announced new measures to protect certain iconic marine species living in the seas of the NE Atlantic, see https://www.marinet.org.uk/ospar-announces-increased-protection-for-iconic-biodiversity-in-ne-atlantic. However a joint response […]

The Guardian reports, 23rd December 2013: “More than 1,000 migratory bottlenose dolphins have died from a measles-like virus along the US eastern seaboard in 2013 and the epidemic shows no sign of abating. The death toll exceeds the 740 dolphins killed during the last big outbreak of the then unknown virus in 1987-88. “It is […]

The Guardian reports, 20th December 2013: “Greg Hunt, the Australian environment minister, appears to have missed a self-imposed deadline to send a vessel to monitor the Japanese whaling fleet, which is homing in on the Southern Ocean whale sanctuary. Hunt said the government was still committed to monitoring whaling, but that he would “have more […]

Matt Shardlow writes in The Guardian, 25th December 2013: “The Dingle Marshes reserve is a flat expanse of reeds and rushes nearly half a mile wide and running a mile along the coast. Behind the ridge are a string of saline lagoons — a rare habitat, home to some very special little anemones, shrimps and […]

The Guardian reports, 28th October 2013: “Alex Salmond’s government is failing to live up to many of its ambitious promises on climate change and protecting Scotland’s natural heritage, a study has concluded. The report by the Institute for European Environmental Policy (IEEP) said that the Scottish government’s efforts to set new standards on climate and […]

RSPB Scotland is warning that some of Scotland’s globally important seabird colonies could become extinct in parts of the country if the Scottish Government does not act quickly to protect them. Species like common guillemots, razorbills and puffins are struggling to cope with increasing challenges including a lack of food and the effects of climate […]

Terry Lilley, Hawaii (Underwater2web.com), has produced a short video film which explains the importance of marine reefs to surfers, and the challenges that these reefs are facing in order to retain their health and integrity. This short film is highly recommended http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=it71Oic9g_A Source: Underwater2web.com, 29th August 2013.

The Guardian, 21st August 2013, presents spectacular images of jellyfish captured by marine biologists and photographers Matt Doggett and Richard Shucksmith in the seas off the Orkney Islands. Doggett and Shucksmith headed to the outlying islands of North Rona and Sula Sgeir, some 85 miles west of Stromness. The water was full of jellyfish and […]

The Guardian reports, 5th August 2013: “Rising ocean temperatures are rearranging the biological make-up of our oceans, pushing species towards the poles by 7kms every year, as they chase the climates they can survive in, according to new research. The study, conducted by a working group of scientists from 17 different institutions, gathered data from […]

We provide here the link to a short film by Terry Lilley which records and illustrates the exceptional marine biodiversitybiodiversity Biological diversity in an environment as indicated by numbers of different species of plants and animals. that exist in the hidden undersea caves of Ni’ihau, Hawaii, Pacific Ocean. Source: Underwater2Web, August 2013

The Guardian, 19th August 2013, reports: “More than 700 seals have been spotted in the Thames Estuary in the first ever count carried out by air, land and water. Conservationists and volunteers recorded 708 grey and harbour seals along the Thames in a survey stretching up the estuary to Tilbury, the Zoological Society of London […]

The Guardian reports, 9th August 2013: “Green turtles are swallowing plastic at twice the rate they did 25 years ago, according to a new study. The finding is based on data collected across the globe since the late 1980s and analysed by researchers at the University of Queensland. Study leader and PhD candidate Qamar Schuyler […]

Our readers will most probably wish to hear Captain Paul Watson of Sea Shepherd by using the link – www.seashepherd.org/news-and-media/2013/05/13/an-anniversary-to-remember-1503 and listening to the new BBC programme entitled ‘Shared Planet’ that appears each Tuesday at 11.00am for another 28 weeks: See www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b02xf2qg

Becky Ingham, who worked with the RSPB, is now General Manager of Hookpod Ltd, tells us that her company has designed, developed and are now trialling a unique fishing device called the Hookpod that should prove to be a great asset to marine conservation as it can be employed to stop albatross and other seabirds […]

The Guardian reports, 14th June 2013: “Fishing is expected to be banned near the Atlantic islet of Rockall after a rare methane gas vent in the seabed and two new shellfish species were discovered by British scientists.” The methane, which leaks through a so-called “cold seep” vent in the ocean floor, was found last year […]

A new study shows neonicotinoid insecticides are lethal to freshwater invertebrates following low but constant exposure. This group of insecticides are in the headlines again following a partial EU–wide ban agreed in April 2013, as evidence of their toxicity to bees became indisputable. Thirty studies have now linked neonicotinoid insecticides to the global demise of […]

Medasset (Mediterranean Association to Save the Sea Turtles) reports in its Newsletter, No.11, February 2013: “It all began in 1983, five years before MEDASSET was officially founded, when I first realised that sea turtles were nesting in Laganas Bay on the island of Zakynthos until I started a campaign for their protection. Few had heard […]

Marine scientists working in the Celtic Sea have discovered a natural refuge for the critically endangered flapper skate. Many elasmobranchs (sharks, rays and skates) are highly vulnerable to over-fishing, but a new paper in the open access journal PLOS ONE shows that small areas of the seabed that experience below-average fishing intensity can sustain greater […]

It might be regarded as some sort of sick joke that the Great Barrier Reef happens to nestle beside the heart of Australia’s fossil fuel export boom. When the coal ships leave the Queensland ports, the two become one as the captains make passage through the 2300 kilometre/1430 mile-long reef – the world’s largest. Now […]

The SeaOrbiter is an ocean going research vessel. Its launch is expected some time in 2013. Similar to a space ship, the SeaOrbiter is planned to allow scientists and others a residential yet mobile research station positioned under the oceans’ surface. The station will have laboratories, workshops, living quarters and a pressurized deck to support […]