Week in Review: Climate Injustice:The Real History of the Maldives, How to Swim Safely with Sharks, and More!

1. Climate Injustice: The Real History of the Maldives

This week you may have seen some posts on our social media sites about the current activity in the Maldives. After we found out the ocean conservationist and human rights leader, Mohamed Nasheed, was imprisoned and not given the right to an attorney, we sprung to action. We have created a petition here to ask the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group to get involved with this situation. Many people do not understand the history or current state of the Maldive Islands and the impact that Mohamed Nasheed has had to the community. We challenge you all to read this article from the Berkeley Journal of Sociology and educate yourselves. It is our hope that this information provides you with a call to action against the current activity. Keep watch on our social media for updates and special reports on Mohamed Nasheed. Help us free Nasheed!

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2. How to Swim Safely with Sharks

We see pictures of humans swimming alongside sharks every day. You may be asking yourself, how do they do this? A photo essay documenting the One Ocean Diving program shows us the details and magnificence of the shark species.. Read more...

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3. Sea Urchins and Sand Dollars Provide Evolution Insight

A study by Melanie Hopkins, an assistant curator in the American Museum of Natural History's Division of Paleontology, and Andrew Smith, a paleontologist at the Natural History Museum, London, recently reviewed the evolutionary changes of the echinoid family. Echinoids were ideal to study the progression of evolution on because they have interlocking calcite plates. Generally, a fossil based study like this one would reveal that organisms diversify fastest in early evolutionary history. For this group of organisms, research shows that the rate of evolution has actually increased over time.  Read more...

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4. Sharks Found Dead, Finned in Miami Beach

This week a bull and hammerhead shark were found washed up on the coastline of Miami Beach. Both of these sharks were found with their fins removed. These sharks were likely victims of  a slow, painful death after their fins were removed. Although shark finning is a banned practice in many areas of the world, the illegal activity continues.  Read more...

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5. Sea World to End Public Dolphin Feeding

Although it has been a popular tourist activity, SeaWorld has announced that they will no longer allow visitors to feed the dolphins. This has been banned because of this risk to dolphins and the untrained public. SeaWorld is the last attraction that has implemented this ban. Read more...

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6. Miami's Choice: Bigger Ships or Coral Reefs?

Biscayne Bay was once home to one of the most vibrant coral reefs in the United States. As a result of the widening of the Panama Canal, both the Port of Miami and Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale have now issued proposals to dredge their ship channels to accommodate for the larger vessels. The dredging could create some irreparable damage on the already ill reefs. The coral reef is Biscayne Bay is part of the 358 miles of coral in South Florida. NOAA has approved the request to dredge Port Everglades under the agreement that 100,000 nursery grown corals will replace the destroyed area. Controversy still exists over the activity in the Port of Miami. Read more...

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7. Whales Can’t Enjoy Their Food!

Last week we reviewed research on the three basic tastes that penguins have lost. It seems that penguins are not the species evolving out of certain senses! A recent study by a group of scientists at Kyoto University reviled that both whales and dolphins have lost certain tastes and smells. It is possible that this is the reason that cetaceans often die from ingesting ocean debris. Read more...

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8. Depth of Plastic Pollution in Oceans Revealed

Although we normally see plastic waste floating in the ocean, what do we know about the pollution below the surface? A study recorded in Biogeosciences recorded that there are actually 10 levels of plastic concentration which total a depth of 5 meters. In the depths of the ocean the plastic pollution are millimeter- sized drops. This information will make scientists reevaluate the cleanup operations that are currently in place.  Read more...

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9. Algal Species Helps Corals Survive in Earth’s Hottest Reefs

One of the many issues that climate change has created is coral bleaching. Although this is happening to a very large number of coral reefs, it is not necessarily affecting all. A new heat tolerate alga was found in the Persian Gulf. Algae and coral have a symbiotic relationship and the algae protects coral from pollution, diseases, and predators.  Read more...

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Sea Save Foundation is committed to raising awareness of marine conservation. The Week in Review is a team effort produced by the Sea Save staff to provide a weekly summary of the latest in marine research, policy, and news.