» Coral



Coral reefs – can the Honduran reefs survive over-fishing, climate change and pollution?

The Guardian reports, 27th December 2017: “I’m like one of those old-school gangsters,” says Ralston Brooks, a park ranger on the island of Roatán off the coast of Honduras. “If you’re going to do it, do it. Pop a cap.” The 37-year-old boat captain says he faces regular death threats from local fishermen because of […]

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Scientists are trying to lab-breed corals that are resistant to global warming

The Guardian reports, 23rd December 2017: New super corals bred by scientists to resist global warming could be tested on the Great Barrier Reef within a year as part of a global research effort to accelerate evolution and save the “rainforests of the seas” from extinction. Researchers are getting promising early results from cross-breeding different […]

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Great Barrier coral reef : Is it capable of regenerating itself?

The Guardian reports, 29th November 2017: A group of “source” reefs have been identified that could form the basis of a life support system for the Great Barrier Reef, helping repair damage by bleaching, starfish and other disturbances. Researchers from the University of Queensland, CSIRO, Australian Institute of Marine Science and the University of Sheffield […]

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Worldwide coral “bleaching event” eases, until ocean temperatures trigger one again

The Guardian reports, 20th June 2017: The worst coral bleaching event in recorded history, which has hit every major coral region on Earth since 2014, appears to be coming to an end, with scientists now worrying how long reefs will have to recover before it happens again. After analysing satellite and model data, and finding […]

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Great Barrier Reef is expected to undergo a new “bleaching event”, say scientists

ABC News, Australia, reports 19th December 2015: Marine biologists studying the Great Barrier Reef are preparing for widespread coral bleaching early next year with an El Nino weather event predicted to turn many of the animals white. Earlier this year, scientists predicted that the world’s third mass coral bleaching will happen in early 2016 and […]

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New research shows that increased CO2 levels in sea water cause corals to give way to algae

The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) reports 10th August: Scientists from NOAA and the Co-operative Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Studies at the University of Miami have documented a dramatic shift from vibrant coral communities to carpets of algae in remote Pacific Ocean waters where an underwater volcano spews carbon dioxide. The new […]

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Scientists consider genetically altering coral to combat climate change

The Guardian reports, 3rd February 2015: “The Australian government’s marine research agency is looking to genetically alter species of coral to help them cope with rising sea temperatures, as new modelling showed the coverage of living corals on the Great Barrier Reef could decline to less than 10% if warming continued. Scientists at the Australian […]

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Hard coral discovered deep in North Sea

A ten-day Dutch North Sea expedition led by World Wide Fund for Nature ocean expert Chris van Assen has uncovered a type of hard coral (believed to be the Devonshire Cup Coral) on a ship wreck in the Dogger Bank that has never been recorded in these waters before. They also discovered Honeycomb Worms, which […]

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“North Sea now a bare desert but could be restored” say Dutch marine scientists

Nature Netherlands reports, 15th September 2014: “A ten-day research expedition in the North Sea has uncovered the underwater world in a mission to show people and politicians that there is more to the North Sea than previously thought. During the expedition, researchers were also surprised at several new discoveries, De Stentor reports. “We know more […]

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Australian Great Barrier Reef may not be subjected to new port’s spoil dumping

The Guardian reports, 6th September 2014: “The deputy premier of Queensland, Jeff Seeney, will put a plan to state cabinet that would reverse the decision to dump sediment from the Abbot Point coal port development on the Great Barrier Reef, disposing of it on land instead, according to a report. Seeney told the Weekend Australian […]

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Coral reefs in the Caribbean could disappear within 20 years without protection

The Guardian reports, 2nd July 2014: “A comprehensive analysis by 90 experts of more than 35,000 surveys conducted at nearly 100 Caribbean locations since 1970 shows that the region’s corals have declined by more than 50%. But restoring key fish populations and improving protection from overfishing and pollution could help the reefs recover and make […]

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Australia’s Great Barrier Reef could be on the “danger list”

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 […]

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Short film illustrates the value and urgent need to protect coral reefs

Underwater2web.com has produced a short film, around 3 minutes, illustrating the magnificence, age, fragility and importance of the world’s coral reefs. This is, Marinet observes, a film well worth viewing – see the film on YouTube Source: Underwater2web.com,  April 2013

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Prof. Callum Roberts explains why more MCZs are essential

Prof. Callum Roberts writes in The Guardian, 15th February 2013: “Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall’s Channel 4 TV show Fish Fight has begun a new series. In a stroke of good timing, the European parliament voted last week to phase out the wasteful discarding of fish at sea, the main target of the first series. So you could […]

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Prof. Callum Roberts outlines the urgent task the new Global Ocean Commission must tackle

Prof. Callum Roberts writes in The Observer, 10th February 2013: “The oceans are changing faster today and in more ways than at any time in human history. We are the cause. Which is why I welcome the launch of the Global Ocean Commission, dedicated to ending the neglect, in international affairs, of the high seas. […]

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1/4 million people sign Wildlife Trust petition expressing disappointment over MCZ designations

The Wildlife Trusts announced, 22nd January 2013: “A huge wave of public support will shake Westminster today as a quarter of a million people call for greater protection for UK’s seas and coastline. 250,000 signatures on The Wildlife Trusts’ ‘Petition Fish’ will be presented to Natural Environment Minister, Richard Benyon at a Parliamentary reception at […]

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Flame shell reef in Scottish seas could be the world’s largest

The discovery of a large shellfish reef on the west coast of the UK could be the biggest find of its kind in the world, experts believe. The reef made up of more than 100 million brightly coloured and rare flame shells, or Limaria hians, was found in Loch Alsh, a sea inlet between Skye […]

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Coral Sea marine national park established

On 16th November 2012, the Australian government proclaimed the Coral Sea Marine National Park as the second-largest fully protected marine reserve in the world and the largest in the domestic waters of any country. Spanning 502,238 square kilometers (193,915 square miles)—an area the size of Spain—these waters are home to one of the world’s last […]

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Global food insecurity increasing as world fish stocks decline

The Persian Gulf, Libya, and Pakistan are at high risk of food insecurity in coming decades because climate change and ocean acidification are destroying fisheries, according to a report released by Oceana. The report from the campaign group Oceana warns of growing food insecurity, especially for poorer people, from the Faroe Islands in the North […]

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Action to protect the Coral Sea

The Coral Sea Protection Campaign sent the following appeal to our MARINET member Peter Waller, who has passed it on to us so that you may give some needed support to our colleagues ‘down under’. The Australian government is asking us all the question ‘do you want a Coral Sea Marine Reserve or not?’ We […]

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