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 […]
Marine Wildlife - Marinet
- Rare marine species discovered around Rockall could lead to a fishing ban in the area
- Insecticide Blamed for Bee Decline also Lethal to Aquatic Organisms
- Hard-to-fish areas in Celtic Sea are a refuge for skate and rays
- Australia’s Great Barrier Reef could be on the “danger list”
- SeaOrbiter to explore the oceans
- Short film illustrates the value and urgent need to protect coral reefs
- Is the harvesting of krill in the Southern Ocean worthy of “sustainable fishery” certification, or an imminent disaster?
- Prof. Callum Roberts outlines the urgent task the new Global Ocean Commission must tackle
- Explorers find “evidence” of mankind in the oceans’ abyssal depths
- Newsletter January 2013
- Clyde marine station threatened with closure
- David Miliband, co-founder of Global Ocean Commission, explains its purpose
- Global Ocean Commission formed to fight degradation of the ocean
- Report says Japan should “switch from hunting whales to watching whales”
- Seabirds washed up in serious distress on south-west coast
- New Deep Ocean Exploration
- Warning to MPs from wildlife NGOs about the dangers of a Severn Barrage
- EU recognises importance of total ban on shark fin trade
- 1000s of shark fins drying on a Hong Kong rooftop are part of 75 million shark deaths annually
- Scottish marine biodiversity surveys produce interesting results
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 […]
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 […]
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
Sea Shepherd report (edited version, see full version), 17th April 2013: “The industrial smoke stacks have arrived to the Antarctic Peninsula. The area famous for its scenic, rugged landscapes and abundant South Polar wildlife has become the target for the trawlers and factory ships of the growing krill fisheries. “Many people think of Krill as […]
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. […]
Jon Copley, marine explorer, writes in The Guardian, 25th February 2013:” On 15th August 1934, two adventurers squeezed into a tiny metal capsule and became the first people to see another world. Their names were William Beebe and Otis Barton, and the world that they saw was the deep ocean, when they dived more than […]
Our newsletter number 42 for January 2013 is now available here.
“The Marine Biological Station at Millport, based on the isle of Cumbrae in the Firth of Clyde, is a world class research and educational centre which must be saved from closure” says Andrew Binnie, The Community of Arran Seabed Trust’s (COAST) Marine Project Officer. Andrew is one of many former Millport students appalled by the withdrawal […]
An environmental catastrophe with greater economic impact than the global financial crash is occurring on the high seas, according to David Miliband. The former foreign secretary is to lead a new, high-level international effort to end the lawlessness of the oceans, which will be unveiled this week. The high seas, which lie beyond any national […]
The Global Ocean Commission, an independent body of international leaders aiming to reverse degradation of the ocean, has been launched to seek to restore it to full health and productivity. The group chaired by former Costa Rican President (and Carbon War Room President) José María Figueres, South African cabinet minister Trevor Manuel and former UK […]
Japan’s whaling industry is “dead in the water” and cannot survive without huge taxpayer subsidies, according to a study. The report, published by the charity International Fund for Animal Welfare (Ifaw), draws on Japanese government data for the first time to build a case against the use of millions of dollars in public subsidies to […]
Hundreds of seabirds – some dead – have been washed up on England’s south west coast, covered in a waxy substance. The RSPCA said it had rescued more than 100 birds, which had been taken to the West Hatch Animal Centre in Taunton. Earlier reports suggested the white substance was palm oil, but scientists were […]
A sixteen minute video illuminated talk on new and upcoming ocean exploration which includes some amazing film of previously undiscovered existing life without photosynthesis is available by going to www.wimp.com/exploringoceans
A Consortium of wildlife NGOs (see list of members at foot of this report) has told the House of Commons Energy & Climate Committee they all supported tidal energy development in the Severn, but that the current proposal, from Hafren Power, lacked detail and claims that it would not unacceptably damage wildlife and large areas of […]
MEPs have voted to close loopholes that allowed some EU fishing vessels to continue “shark finning”. Although the EU banned removing shark fins at sea and discarding the body, special permits allowed finning to continue legally. Conservation groups, which say finning was threatening shark numbers, welcomed the European Parliament’s decision. The decision to back the […]
Shark fin traders in Hong Kong have laid out thousands of fins on rooftops in what appears to be a move to escape public scrutiny of their industry. Thousands of the freshly cut fins were seen blanketing the roof of an industrial building in Hong Kong. Environmental campaigner Gary Stokes, who took the first photos […]
Scotland’s biggest horse mussel bed and a “faceless and brainless” fish-like creature were recorded during government-backed surveys this year. The work covered almost 2,200 square miles – equivalent to an area one and a quarter times the size of the Cairngorms National Park. The Scottish government has hailed the finds made during the surveys. WWF […]
