Friday, May 29, 2015

Week in Review: Ecuador Seizes 200,000 Shark Fins, Federal Agency Dings Shell for Oil Rig Mishap in Arctic, and More!

1. Ecuador Seizes 200,000 Shark Fins

This week, Ecuador found and seized a shipment of 200,000 shark fins. The fins were found in nine different locations in the city of Manta. The traffickers were found and arrested by the Ecuadorian authorities. Although thousands of sharks were killed, the arrest of the perpetrators ensures that there are now fewer shark fin traffickers in the world. Read more...

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2. Federal Agency Dings Shell for Oil Rig Mishap in Arctic

AP PACIFIC WALRUS A USA AK

On Thursday, the National Transportation Safety Board reported that the probable cause of the Royal Dutch Shell's drill moving issues in 2012 was a result of "Shell's inadequate assessment of the risk for its planned tow across the Gulf of Alaska". Although the company hopes to continue drilling this year in the Chunkchi Sea, the Interior Department has yet to decide if they will grant the required drilling permits to Shell. Obtaining those final permits will depend on the risk elimination plan for both transportation and drilling.   Read more...

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3. The World's Most Unappreciated Sea Creatures


This isn't new news but, it's a good reminder of just how important marine organisms are!  Review the reasons why plankton, octopus, elephant seals, bobtail squid, and the peacock mantis shrimp are just so important to our biodiversity!  Read more...





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4. Humans Able to Tell Right Whales Apart Based on Voice Alone

IMAGEThe right whale is a species that has been endangered for centuries due to heavy hunting in the 19th and early 20th Centuries. It has been estimated that there are only 450 of these whales left in the world. In a new study, scientists have been able to identify 13 different right whales based off of their vocal characteristics. Jessica McCordic, a Masters student in Biology at Syracuse University, determined that the duration of the call is the differentiating factor.  Read more...

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5. Eating Tuna Right Now? 


After reading this, you may thing twice about which canned tuna brand you purchase at the grocery store. This week, The Boston Globe published an article about how ocean-friendly those tuna options actually are. Read more... If you do love to eat fish but also want to stay environmentally conscious, take a look at Seafood Watch. This website provides information on the fisheries of common fish brands. 



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6. Peru Temporarily Suspends Anchovy Fisheries 

Produce suspendió pesca de anchoveta por tres días This year, the abnormally warm waters in Peru during the first few weeks of May led to a successful fishing season. The goal for this year is to collect 2.58m metric tons of anchovies. Peru expects to complete this at the end of the month, a whole month earlier than the season's completion date. From May 20th to the 22nd, Peru's Ministry of Production placed a mini-ban on anchovy catches on the coast. This was placed on the area due to the high number of juveniles.  Read more...

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7. Fashion Helps to Reduce Pollution

The task of cleaning up the oceans is monumental.
Yes, you read that correctly- Fashion. After years of supporting the turnaround of toxic companies and start- ups, Cyrill Gutsch, began Parley for the Oceans. The mission of this organization is to create a space where cross-disciplinary partnerships could be formed to brainstorm creative solutions to reduce plastic pollution in our oceans. Parley for Oceans was instrumental in the Bionic Yarn campaign which turned plastic pollution on the beaches into a material used to reinforce denim yarn. What's next on the project list? Well, expect an announcement from adidas Group in 2016!  Read more...

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8. Texas Shark Finning Bill Poised to Become Law


No soup for you!
On Wednesday, the proposal to ban the trade of shark fins in Texas passed the Texas Senate. Although the practice is banned by federal law, shark finning continues to exist. This law will make it illegal to buy or sell shark fins in Texas. Texas will joint the other nine states that have banned this trade. It is estimated that around half of the import and export of shark fins comes through The Lone Star State.  Read more...

Interested in signing a petition to help the bill progress? Take a look at the Oceana petition here...
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9. NOAA Predicts Below-normal Atlantic Hurricane Season 


This week, May 24-30, is actually National Hurricane Preparedness Week. The NOAA predicts that the 2015 season will see a below normal season with 6 to 11 named storms, 3 to 6 hurricanes, and 0 to 2 major hurricanes. A major driving factor of this change is El Nino. The combination of normal sea surface temperatures and way that El Nino is currently affecting the wind and pressure patterns seem to suppress the major hurricane risks. Although the coastal areas of the United States are glad to hear this, is this irregular weather pattern is another concerning impact of climate change?  Read more...

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10. 'Loud Wakeup Call' Over Critically Endangered Dolphin

dolphin leapingThe endangered Maui's dolphin population has been rapidly declining. There are now somewhere between 43 and 47 dolphins with only 10 male from that group. The Maui dolphin is the smallest and rarest marine dolphin and is at risk of being completely extinct in the next 15 years if it is not protected. The International Whaling Commission will now review the data on this species and determine how they will protect the dolphins' habitat.    Read more...

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Be sure to "LIKE" http://facebook.com/SeaSave to ensure our "Week in Review" is delivered to your newsfeed every Thursday. 

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.

Thursday, May 21, 2015

Week in Review: Heartbreak in Santa Barbara, KA-BOOM in Indonesia, and More

1. Heartbreaking Santa Barbara Oil Spill
Embedded image permalink
You very well may be having a difficult time with the picture to the right. It breaks our hearts to tell you but, that is a completely oil-covered brown pelican that was recently rescued from the Refugio oil spill. On Tuesday, 105,000 gallons of crude oil was released from a burst underground pipeline. It is estimated that at least 21,000 gallons went into the water and the oil slicks cover around 9 miles. Unfortunately, we will continue to read articles and headlines about this environmental disaster long into the future. One interesting and unique article this week discusses the Santa Barbara oil spill in 1969. That oil spill created an uproar of environmentalism that had not existed in the nation. It is our hope that local, national, and international officials learn from this event and work to improve infrastructure and operating practices  Read more...

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2. KA-BOOM! Indonesia Sinks Foreign Fishing Boats


Indonesia sinks 41 illegal fishing boats, including one from China
Indonesia has sunk 41 foreign boats that had been caught fishing illegally. The boats included one from China and a number from Vietnam, Thailand, and the Philippines. Indonesia has taken a firm stance on illegal fishing boats and practices and this is how the government defends that policy. Indonesian President Joko Widodo committed to protecting the country's fishing industry and maritime resources. Read more...


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3. BP Oil Spill Caused Dolphins' Lung Disease
This week, a report was published in the journal PLOS ONE that linked the 2010 BP oil spill to the increase in bottlenose dolphin deaths on the Gulf coast. Because dolphins come up to the surface to breath, they end up being exposed to the most oil concentrated area of the ocean. Research shows that the dolphins that died after the oil spill actually had some distinct lesions on their lungs and adrenal glands. In addition to the abnormal adrenal glands, a high number of oil spill dolphins had bacterial pneumonia.  Read more...


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4. EEA Releases the State of Nature Report
The European Environment Agency (EEA) published some shocking results in the recently published State of Nature in the EU report. After reviewing data on the Natura 2000- protected species and habitats over a 6 year period, the organization determined the following: 1) In the Atlantic, 71% of marine habitats are in unfavorable status, 2) In the Baltic, 86% of marine habitats and 80% of marine species are in unfavorable status, 3) In the Mediterranean, 62% of marine habitats and 56% of marine species are in unfavorable status. To view more detail and analysis that lead to these conclusions, read the full report here...


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5. Sudden Loss of Ice Discovered in Antarctica


A research vessel deploys instruments on an Antarctic ice shelf.This is certainly not a new topic to the Week in Review- the ice in Antarctica is melting rapidly. Last week we reviewed NASA's new finding that the ice shelves will actually melt completely by the end of the decade. This week, a group of British scientists uncovered a specific example of NASA's theory. On 67,000 square mile portion of the Antarctica Peninsula began melting in 2009. The ice melt from that location added approximately 55 trillion liters of water per year to the ocean. The question on everyone's mind right now- what triggered this melt in 2009? Read more...



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6. Green Climate Fund is Open!

(Pic: Activ Solar/Flickr)Although the fund was off to a slow start, the UN's Green Climate Fund is now open. The goal of this fund is to provide financial backing for green energy projects in developing countries. After Japan's donation of $1.5 billion USD this week, the fund now has over half of what it has been promised to receive. There are still a number of countries who have pledged donations but have not completed them.  Read more...




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7. 13 Great White Sharks Seen in Water Off Huntington Beach

Great White Shark (Getty Images)
Thirteen juvenile great white sharks were spotted off of Huntington Beach. Sharks have been spotted inching closer and closer to the shoreline. Could this be because the decreased species populations in the food chain have made it more difficult for sharks to find food? Read more...




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8. Scientists Find Tiny Additions to the Tree of Life


After 4 years of exploration and analysis, scientists found some important information on the small microbes living in the world's oceans. According to the study published in Science this week, temperature is the most important environmental factor for these tiny creatures. As one of the authors, Chris Bowler, states, " this would imply that climate change is going to have a strong impact on these organisms".  There is still very little known about the marine microbes but, the 35,000 samples that were taken from this expedition will certainly help! Read more...








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Be sure to "LIKE" http://facebook.com/SeaSave to ensure our "Week in Review" is delivered to your newsfeed every Thursday. 

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.

Saturday, May 16, 2015

Week in Review: UN Agency Adopts Polar Code, The Most Endangered Oceanic Environment, and More!

1. UN Agency Adopts Polar Code

The UN agency has made a commitment to prevent sea pollution from ships sailing through the Arctic. The 'Polar Code' was approved by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) to go into effect at the start of 2017. The rules restrict waste, both chemical and food, disposal in the North Pole and offshore Antarctic. Although there are still steps to be made, these strict requirements are a productive and significant first step. Read more...

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2. The Most Endangered Oceanic Environment

This week, a team of scientists from University of California at Berkeley, Franklin & Marshall College, Simon Fraser University, and the University of Queensland published a report that the tropics are the most endangered oceanic environment. The research team was able to identify some of the predictors for extinction to determine a few hot spots of endangerment. Both the biodiversity and drastic human impacts place tropical regions at the top of the endangered list. Read more...

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3. Belize Plan to Allow Offshore Drilling Threatens Great Blue Hole 

belize blue hole
The Great Blue Hole was named a UNESCO world heritage site in 1996. New regulations have been proposed to the government of Belize to allow offshore drilling around the 124- meter sinkhole. There are a number of major concerns about the proposal to explore and extract fossil fuel in that area. The government is not only considering environmental impacts that this activity could have but also the inexperience of some of the proposed contractors.  Read more...

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4. Protecting Florida's Coastline from Seismic Blasting
In 2006, Senator Bill Nelson helped pass a law to ban drilling off of Florida' Gulf coast until 2022. The Senator is now continuing his efforts to the east coast of the state. Offshore drilling is detrimental to the marine life off the coast of Florida as well as Florida's tourist economy. The state ban established in 2006 excludes Florida from the federal five-year draft plan to lease parts of the Atlantic for oil and gas development. Read more...

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5. 3,456-Pound Great White Shark Tracked in VA


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Last week, OCEARCH tracked a 3,456-pound great white shark near the coast of Virginia. The shark was named Mary Lee and has recently been tracked traveling down the Atlantic coast. Mary Lee was first tagged in September of 2012 while in Cape Cod. Read more...






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6. Revealing the Ocean's Hidden Fertilizer
An instrument system used to collect samples from different water depths in the ocean.
Phosphorus is an essential nutrient for plants and animals. A new study from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) and Columbia University revealed the complexity of the marine phosphorus cycle. The information also highlights the role that microbial communities play in using and breaking down forms of this essential element.   Read more...



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7. Scientists Have Discovered the First Fully Warm-Blooded Fish

That's right... A WARM-BLOODED FISH! This unique fish, named the opah, was found hundreds of feet down in the deep, cold ocean. There is still a lot to learn about the species but, it is believed that the opah is a regional endotherm and it is able to keep more of its body warm than other fish. The opah can keep its heart warm which is extremely unique and allows them to spend all of its time in the deep water. It is possible that ,with additional exploration, scientists will be able to divide the opah into a number of different species  Read more...

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8. Mega Pod of Dolphins Filmed

dolphin megapod california
This week a mega pod of dolphins was filmed off the coast of California during a whale watchers tour. Dolphins are normally found in pods of 200 while this video shows over 1,000! Watch the amazing video here...






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9. Massive Antarctic Ice Shelf Will Be Gone Within Years


A 2008 view of the leading edge of the Larsen B ice shelf, extending into the northwest part of the Weddell Sea. Huge, floating ice shelves that line the Antarctic coast help hold back sheets of ice that cover land.

A new report form NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory found that Antarctica's Larsen B Ice Shelf could be gone before 2020. That's right- gone in just 5 years! Climate change has significantly accelerated the melting. According to the team lead Ala Khazendar, "this ice shelf has existed for at least 10,000 years". To review additional information and watch a video on the study click here...




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Be sure to "LIKE" http://facebook.com/SeaSave to ensure our "Week in Review" is delivered to your newsfeed every Thursday. 

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.

Friday, May 8, 2015

Week in Review: Chemical Spill in Costa Rica, Climate Change and Food Security, and More!

1. Toxic Chemical Spill in Costa Rica

A firefighter rescues a bird affected by the spill of chemicals in Puntarenas, 95 km north of San Jose, Costa Rica on 3 May, 2015.
On Monday, May 3rd a ship carrying 180 tons of ammonium nitrate sank off of the pacific coast. Ammonium nitrate is used in the manufacturing of fertilizers and explosives. The chemical can cause serious health issues which the Costa Rican authorities have reported has not happened. Here's our first thought- what is the impact on the marine ecosystems? The chemical is highly soluble and the spill did impact some animals including some birds, as pictured on the right. Read more...

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2. Climate Change and Food Security

California Drought Tractor

Is water a limitless resource? Many companies and consumers believe that it actually is! According the the United Nations water agency, "withdrawals of freshwater supplies have risen by at least 1% in the past 3 decades, and could rise by a staggering 55% in the next few decades". The increase in the Earth's population as well as the intense droughts brought on as an impact of climate change will drive this increase in water use. This week Ceres published a report entitled "Feeding Ourselves Thirsty" which evaluates the use of water in the agriculture industry. This is a direct way that many Fortune 500 agriculture companies see climate change impacting business. Read more...


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3. Deep-Ocean Microbe is Closest Living Relative of Complex Cells

A new study indicates that plants, fungi, and animals are descendants of from archaea, the group of single-celled organisms that includes Sulfolobus, a resident of hot springs.This week a research report in Nature describes a microbe named Loki that completely changes the was we previously viewed evolutionary biology. Researchers found this organism while analyzing the bottom of the North Atlantic Ocean. Based on the DNA characteristics of Loki, it was determined that this is actually an additional type of archaea.  It is possible that Loki bridges the gap between eukaryotes and prokaryotes.  Read more...


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4. Climate Drives 'New Era' in Arctic Ocean

Sea-iceOver the last few months, The Norwegian Polar Institute launched an expedition to monitor and understand the Arctic Ocean during the winter months. There is currently very little data on the winter conditions of the Arctic ice. One of the main goals of the expedition was to understand how the freeze and melt cycles of the ice as well as the impact it has on the marine organisms. The on the ground observations and data from this group will also be compared to the satellite data that is collected. Read more...
If you are interested in reading more about the project, known as the Norwegian Young Sea ICE cruise, take a look at the website  here. 


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5. Open Wide and Say 'Ah'

Many of us already know that, in order to eat, whales will gulp a volume of water larger than it's own body and filter small fish and krill. Have you ever thought about how that is physically possible for Earth's second-largest animal? Scientist revealed that whales are able to stretch their nerves double their usual length without harming the nerve fibers. This unique nerve structure is found in rorqual, baleen, fin, humpback, and many more types of whales. Read more...



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6. Sea Lions Recuperating After Being Poisoned With Chlorine

(credit: CBS)A tragic event occurred on Wednesday at the Pacific Marine Mammal Center in Laguna Beach. A total of seventeen sea lions had to be treated after chlorine was dumped into the filtration system of one of the pools. The sea lions were being treated for other injuries and were about to be released before the chlorine incident. Police are reviewing who could have intentionally poured the chlorine in the equipment.   Read more...




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7. Hawaii Votes to Go 100% Renewable

By the end of 2045 the state of Hawaii will be the first state to have a 100% renewable power supply. With the availability of wind, solar, geothermal, and hydro power resources in Hawaii, it will be easier for Hawaii to move to these energy sources. Technological advancements and funding will be two or many challenges for the state to overcome. Hawaii will look to mirror the same efforts that Japan's Fukushima and Costa Rica are enacting to become completely dependent on renewable energy. Will we see any additional US states attempt this goal? Read more...


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8. Blue Whales Lack the Ability to Avoid Cargo Ships


This week a study, published in Endangered Species Research, revealed that the blue whale is not able to sense and avoid cargo ships. We have reported on a few cases where whales have collided with ships and were found washed ashore injured, this is now the evidence that this is an issue for the species. After tracking the movement of a few blue whales against the boat traffic in the area, scientists revealed that when the whale does come close to a ship it will begin to slowly sink horizontally. This method is a slow sink and often times does not allow the whale to avoid the ship propellers. Read more...





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9. Rare 800-Pound Sea Turtle Found Nesting in Brevard




Leatherback sea turtles, like many endangered sea turtles, generally nest at night. On Tuesday, a 800 pound sea turtle was seen nesting at the Canaveral National Seashore in broad daylight. That area of the Florida beach line normally has 3,000 to 7,000 sea turtle nests per year.  Read more...







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10. Wave-Powered Drones Map the World's Oceans

According to the NOAA, 95% of the underwater world is still undiscovered. A California company named Liquid Robotics have developed an autonomous marine robot. Liquid Robotics' product is called the Wave Glider and use solar and wave powered energy. The robots are able to record wave, temperature, conductivity, and current data from the ocean surface. This is a good example of how robots can help "change the way humans interact with the ocean".  Read more...


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11. Rare 'Good News" for Corals


Researchers find ways that may help coral reefs recover from climate change impacts.I don't think there's a better way to say this.... it seems like some of Florida's coral reef is enjoying some roid rage! Scientists have been using supplements to help coral withstand the dramatic impact of climate change. A team at University of Miami's Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science replicated the conditions in which coral bleaching occurs and tested a number of staghorn coral colonies. The coral was treated with an extra boost of dried zooplankton which helped the coral maintain growth under harsh conditions.  Read more...



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Be sure to "LIKE" http://facebook.com/SeaSave to ensure our "Week in Review" is delivered to your newsfeed every Thursday. 

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.

Friday, May 1, 2015

Week in Review: Shark Attacks: Do You Know the Facts?, Ocean Dead Zones, and More!

1. Shark Attacks: Do You Know the Facts?

Sharks that can attack
"You're more likely to be struck by lightning than killed by a shark"

This week the LA Times investigated the age old question- should be be concerned about getting attacked by a shark? We at Sea Save have had the pleasure of diving to observe and photograph these wonderful creatures and know how to be mindful when in their habitat. This week, take a look over the article and make a point to truly educate yourself on shark attacks beyond what we see in the media.   Read more...

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2. Ocean 'Dead Zones'

dead-zone-1

According to a new study published in Biogeosciences journal, ocean dead zones have now been discovered in the open Atlantic Ocean. Dead zones are defined as areas that contain little to no oxygen.These are not uncommon near inhabited coastlines where there is a large amount of algae blooms as a result of industrial water pollution. Researchers have now found a number of these areas hundreds of miles off of the coast of West Africa. These remote dead zones were created from eddies that consume oxygen five times more than in normal ocean conditions.  Read more...

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3. Whitening the Arctic Ocean: May Restore Sea ice, But Not Climate

While reviewing methods to help prevent the melting of the frozen Arctic ground, scientists proposed artificially whitening the surface of the Arctic Ocean to increase the reflection of the Sun's energy and restore sea ice. Although this theoretically would work, the solution would not resolve the warming temperatures. A recent study in Environmental Research Letters discusses the details as to why ocean whitening is not an effective tool for offsetting the effects of climate change.    Read more...

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4. Listening for Whales and Fish in the Northwest Atlantic Ocean
The NOAA's Northeast Passive Acoustic Sensing Network (NEPAN) has now launched a new network to begin listening to the sounds of marine mammals and fish. Scientist are using buoys and UAVs to record all of the acoustic data. This data will be used to help monitor species presence and provide an understanding of migration changes and the influence on environmental variability.    Read more...

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5. Laser 'Ruler' Measures Whale Sharks


If you had to take a guess, how long do you think a mature whale shark is? Well, if you guessed between 30 to 65 feet then you guessed right! Scientists have recently used a technique that combines lasers and photography to record whale measurements. Their findings also indicated that a large population of juvenile males are found in the watters off of Mozambiqu and Tanzania but juvenile females are not found at the same location. This information can help improve conservation and population growth strategies for this species. Read more...


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6. New Study Shows How Discarded Plastic Bags Are Smothering Marine Life

New study shows how discarded plastic bags are smothering marine lifeAre you still using plastic bags at the grocery store? Do you know where the go after you discard them? The recent paper published in Environmental Science and Technology will make you think twice about those bags. Dr. Dannielle Green, an IRC-funded Research Fellow in the Biochemistry Research Group at Trinity College Dublic, lead a group of scientists to review what ecologic impacts those plastic bags have on our environment. One conclusion from the study was that in a 9 week period, plastic bags smother coastal sediment and small organisms that live on them which has a huge impact on the food chain. Read more...



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7. The Chase is On!


Feeling crabby today? Well, just be thankful that you're not the crab shown in the video here. This video shows an octopus aggressively pursuing a crab. The video was taken at Rose bay Wharf in Sydney, Australia. 



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8. This is a Pocket Shark

Polar opposite to the whale shark, the pocket shark, scientific name Mollisquama parini, is only 5 inches in length. This small species was recently found in the Gulf of Mexico. Scientists have stumbled upon this little shark a few times over the years but still know very little about their behavior. Read more...



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9. Can We Finally Stop Worrying About the Humpback Whale?



Not so fast there! Last week, the NOAA released a proposal that divides the whale population into 14 populations. Of the 14 segments, 2 will still remain of the endangered status list and 2 on the threatened list. There are some concerns with the proposal and groups worry that if some whales are taken off of lists the populations will be threatened again. Although the whales are no longer threatened by extinction, the numbers are still small and fragile. Read more...

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Be sure to "LIKE" http://facebook.com/SeaSave to ensure our "Week in Review" is delivered to your newsfeed every Thursday. 

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.