Thursday, October 29, 2015

Week in Review: Say it Isn't So, Only 4% of the Ocean is Protected?!

1. Say it Isn't So, Only 4% of the Ocean is Protected?!

This week, an article was published in Oryx reveals that only 4% of the world's ocean is protected. In 2010, representatives from nearly 200 countries met in Japan and adopted the United Nations' Aichi Targets to stem the rapid loss of biodiversity. The nations committed to protecting at least 10% of the ocean by 2020. Although the current percentage is very low, it has increased from 0.65% in 2006. Read more...

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2. Plastic Contaminates Table Salt in China

Diners in China may have an unwanted and dangerous surprise on their plates! After analyzing over 15 brands of salt in supermarkets in China, scientists found micro-sized particles of the common water bottle plastic polyethylene terephthalate. There were more than 1,200 particles of plastic per pound of salt. Salt manufacturers typically extract sea salt from ocean water by evaporation. The ocean pollution could be a main source for the salt contamination. Read more...

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3. Tiny Island Nation's Enormous New Ocean Reserve is Official

Last week, the Week in Review included the announcement that Palau would become on of the five largest fully protected marine areas in the world. This week, it's official! President Tommy Remengesau Jr signed the legislation to protect all 193,000 square miles of the country. Palau has a history of bul, or setting aside smaller reef areas during fish spawning and feeding periods to give the populations time to recover. Read more...

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4. Georgia Man Gets 21 Months for Stealing Sea Turtle Eggs

For years, myths have circulated that consuming sea turtle eggs improves sexual performance. This has fueled the black market for these eggs in Caribbean countries. A thief was caught on Sapelo Island this week for stealing 84 loggerhead sea turtle eggs for the second time. He will returned to federal prison and serve one week for every egg that he took. Loggerhead turtles are threatened species protected unfer the Endangered Species Act. Read more...

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5. Prince Charles Calls for Focus on Deforestation


We have been counting down to the UN climate negotiations in Paris all year and the countdown is complete! The international goal of this meeting is to help limit global warming to no more than 2 degrees C. In preparation, the Prince of Whales discussed his Rainforests Project which is part of the International Sustainability Unit. The goal of the project is to develop solutions to address natural resource depletion.  Read more...



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6. Rapidly Warming Ocean is a Key Factor in Collapse of New England's Cod Fishery

The Associated Press A key fishing area between Cape Cod and Canada is seeing a drastic impact from the rapid warming ocean waters. Fishery managers in the Gulf of Maine have reported that cod spawning is only at 3 percent of sustainable levels. The Gulf saw a drastic acceleration in warming between 2004-2013. The cod catch fell from more than 33 million pounds in 2001 to less than 5 million in 2013. 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, October 22, 2015

Week in Review: Is Ocean Protection on the Rise?

1. One Million Square Miles of Ocean Protected in 2015

This week, it was announced that the Pacific island of Palau will become a protected marine reserve. This  nation covers 193,000 square miles of marine area and is home to thousands of unique fish and 700 species of coral. The country will protect 80% of the water and leave the remaining 20% as a zoned area only for local and non- industrial fishing. According to Pew Charitable Trusts, the world has announced plans to protect over 1 million square miles of ocean just in 2015. A fully protected marine reserve requires full ocean preservation and is off limits to fishing, drilling, and dumping. Although there is an increase is protection oceans, this area only covers 1.9% of the world's oceans.   Read more...

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2. Cuba Launches Shark Protection Plan


Caribbean reef sharkAlmost 20% of the world's 500 shark species swim in Cuban waters. Due to overfishing and shark finning, the shark populations in Cuba have declines. The Cuban government has already banned killing sharks just for their fins but, now they will enforce a long-term plan to protect the species. The US- based Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) has been working with the nation to preserve the shark population and continue to maintain the healthy coral reefs.  Read more...


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3. Swimming to Clean the Oceans




This recent invention brings sustainable clothing to a whole different level! A team of engineers at the University of California, Riverside recently revealed the SpongeSuit. This bikini is made from a carbon-based material that repels water while absorbing harmful contaminants. The sponge material in this suit would be able to clean oil and chemical contamination in water. The SpongeSuite won first place at RESHAPE's 2015 Wearable Technology Competition and has just filed patents for the technology. Fashionable AND beneficial to the oceans?! Sign us up! Read more...


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4. Ocean Farming Model Reinvented

Bren Smith, executive director of GreenWave, harvests seaweed from his boat Mookie III off the Thimble Islands in Long Island Sound.This week, a commercial fisherman won the 2015 Fuller Challenge with a 3D ocean farming model that has the potential to address a number of the world's concerns about fishing. Bren Smith, executive director of GreenWave, has created a company that considers issues like overfishing and climate change to design sustainable fishing practices and environments. Read more...


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5. Ocean Heat Content Reveals Secrets of Fish Migration



Ocean heat content reveals secrets of fish migration behaviorsResearchers at the University of Miami Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science published an article in PLOS ONE revealing a new method to estimate fish movements. The method uses ocean heat content (OHC) images. The scientists compared data on fish movements obtained from satellite tags affixed to migratory Atlantic Tarpon against the heat stored in the upper ocean. The analysis revealed that fish commonly swim along the boundaries of water features in the ocean. Read more...



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6. Ancient 'Supershark' Unearthed in Texas

Well, this week everything really is bigger in Texas...sharks included!  300 million years ago, there were sharks that were over 8.5 meters long roaming the shallow oceans around what is now Texas. Recently, scientists found a fossil of a one of these supersharks that dated back to roughly 200 million years ago. Finding a fossil like this one is extremely rare and provided scientists with some new insight into this species. The head of this shark was roughly 85 cm long, that's around the height of a 2 year old child!  Read more...

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7. SeaWorld Fights Ban on Breeding Killer Whales

A few weeks ago we included an article about the California Costal Commission's decision to ban the breeding of killer whales in the future tank expansion at San Diego SeaWorld. SeaWorld will now fight the decision that was made. This article is a follow up to the decision and includes facts and opinion from both sides.  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, October 16, 2015

Week in Review: Will Costa Rica Set a New International Tone for Shark Protection?, More Than 3 Tons of Shark Fins Seized in Mexico, and More!

1. Will Costa Rica Set a New International Tone for Shark Protection?

This article serves as an informative follow up to the shocking news from Costa Rica last week. In 2012, Costa Rica banned shark finning and closed private docks notorious for not abiding by fishing regulations. Recently, Costa Rica proposed the inclusion of two species of hammerhead sharks in Appendix II of CITES. Mora's statement last week was allegedly prompted by violent protests last month by fisherman. The article reports that Mora said that " the main issue is the growing popularity of shark meat in the local market, which has made sharks more valuable to local fisherman".  Costa Rica was considered a world leader in ocean conservation and shark protection, will these new statements impact the international action? Read more...

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2. More Than 3 Tons of Shark Fins Seized in Mexico

Shark Fins
Mexican authorities seized 3.5 tons of shark fins from a shipping container in the coastal city of Manzanillo. The container full of both shark fins and sea bass swim bladders were bound for Hong Kong. The animals were originally caught in the Mexican state of Sinaloa. Sharks are included in Appendix II of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). Read more...


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3. Freshwater Sharks Rediscovered in Papua New Guinea Fish Market

This is a very, very upsetting headline. While scientists were on an expedition in Papua New Guinea, they came across a rare freshwater shark fins and jaws in a fish market. There were two species found the Speartooth and New Guinea River sharks. The species have not been documented since the 1970s and are critically endangered sharks on Earth. Scientists will now work with the local villagers to educate them on the threatened and understudied species throughout the Indo-Pacific. Read more...


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4. 'Saving Sharks' Exhibit Opens at Texas State Aquarium

This week a new "Saving Sharks" exhibit opened at the aquarium in Corpus Christi. The exhibit cost $325,000 and allows visitors to track sharks that have been tagged. This exhibit is supported by OCEARCH, the Houston Museum of Natural Science, and the Harte Research Institute for Gulf of Mexico Studies at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi. Read more...


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5. Scientists Identify Climate 'Tipping Points'


This week, a study was published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) revealing some potential 'tipping points' where abrupt regional climate shifts could occur due to global warming. There was evidence of 41 cases of regional abrupt changes in the environment. According to scientists, examples of those tipping point are sea ice and ocean circulation patterns as well as shifts in vegetation and marine productivity.   Read more...



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6. Too Many Female Sea Turtles?

This week, a paper published in the journal Endangered Species Research reported that the climate change may impact the the sex of baby loggerhead sea turtles. Loggerheads develop into males or females during the egg incubation period. Both rainfall and temperature may impact the sea turtle sex ratio. Scientists are currently seeing a high ratio of females to males in the loggerhead populations in Florida. This is an important finding in a species that is already listed by the federal government as endangered or threatened. Read more...

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7. Warming Oceans Drive East Coast Fish to Cooler Waters

After years of charting fish movement along the Atlantic coast of the US, the National Oceanic Administration has noticed that the distribution of fish larvae has changed over the last 40 years. Spawning and juvenile development are occurring in different habitats which may impact fish development. In addition to that, the larvae that are shifting habitats are not matching the shift of the adults. According to the study, 43% of larval taxa and 50% of the adult taxa have shifted.    Read more...

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8. Manta Ray-Shaped City Is A Floating University



Would you live in a floating city? With recent studies indicating that the Earth will see continuous sea level rise, it's an interesting to think about. Scientist have recently designed a floating university in the shape of a manta ray. The 'city' can carry up to 7,000 students, researchers, and professors. The vessel is 3,000 feet long and is a completely self sufficient and sustainable environment.   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, October 9, 2015

Week in Review: Costa Rica Says it Will Not Protect Any Shark Species of "Commercial Interest" and More!

1. Costa Rica Says it Will Not Protect Any Shark Species of "Commercial Interest"

(Creative Commons)
This week Luis Guillermo Solis, the president of Costa Rica, states that the government will "not propose or support" protecting shark species with commercial value, including threatened or endangered species. This message precedes the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) and the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS). This statement indicates that the government of Costa Rica is supporting the commercial fishing community and promoting shark fin exports. Although many airlines have banned the shipment of shark fins, the government stated that it would "intermediate between international couriers that have committed to stop transporting shark fins to resume these activities". Read more...

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2. New Marine Sanctuaries Announced! 

Image result for easter islandDuring the second annual Our Ocean conference, international leaders addressed the next steps that were being taken to protect the world's oceans. Both the United States and Chile made some exciting announcements! President Obama reported that the federal government has designated the first two new national marine sanctuaries in 15 years. The list will now include Lake Michigan and an area of the Potomac River. NOAA is considering additional nominations from its public nomination process. The Chilean government will also protect the area around Easter Island. Read more...

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3. The Truth About Great White Sharks

Image result for great white sharkOver the years the public has been presented with both fact and fiction about the Great White shark. Want to know the facts and only the facts? BBC has published a short synopsis on the truths about great white sharks. Get the facts  here...




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4. Ocean Heat Wave Bleaches World's Coral Reefs

Extensive stand of severely bleached coral at Lisianski Island in Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument (Hawaii) documented during an August 2014 NOAA research mission. (Credit: NOAA)
NOAA's Coral Reef Watch has reported that the warming waters have intensified coral bleaching in Hawaii and the Caribbean. The combination of climate change and El Nino has created a bleaching event that has lasted over a year and has been predicted to continue through 2016. NOAA estimated that by the end of 2015, 95% of US coral reefs will be exposed to ocean conditions that cause bleaching. This event may also spread worldwide to the corals in the Indian and southeastern Pacific Oceans. Read more...

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5. Sea Turtles Wear Swimsuits!

Yes, this is sounds like a ridiculous and adorable story but it is actually very relevant to some of our past week in review articles. Researchers from the University of Queensland's School of Biological Science have been outfitting some sea turtles in swimsuits. This project is actually used these full body diapers to analyze the eating habits of this species. Many turtles have been found dead and washed ashore after eating the plastic pollution in the ocean. Hopefully this data will help prevent deaths of additional sea turtles. Read more...

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6. Plastic Pollution in the Ocean is Reaching Crisis Levels

If you didn't think the study above was critical or important, this recent article will change your mind. There are currently 5.25 trillion pieces of plastic in the world's oceans and 8 million tons are added every year. According to the article, "that's equivalent to one municipal garbage truck pulling up to the beach and dumping its contents every minute". A recent study partnered by Ocean Conservancy and McKinsey Center for Business and Environment reveals that the ocean could have one ton of plastic for every three tons of finfish by 2025. The Ocean Conservancy describes it's recommended actions for waste produced by multinational companies and developing countries. more than half of  the ocean's plastic has come from China, Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam  Read more...

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7. Sea World Whale Tank Expansion Wins Approval

This week, SeaWorld's killer whale habitat expansion project Long Beach, CA was approved by the California Coastal Commission. Although SeaWorld was granted more space for their killer whales, they cannot breed any of the 11 whales in captivity. SeaWorld supporters and animal rights groups spent hours on Thursday discussing the project. To read the arguments and facts from both sides read 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, October 2, 2015

Week in Review: Cayman Islands: Will They Pave Paradise?, New Zealand's Taking Action!, and More!

1. Cayman Islands: Will They Pave Paradise?

In July, Sea Save's Week in Review reported on the proposed construction of a Cruise Berthing Facility in the Cayman Islands to increase cruise tourism.  The Environmental Impact Assessment reports the extend of the anticipated damage here. Although these environmental impacts have been identified, the project has not halted. The coral dreading that will occur this process will destroy a large portion of the reefs in Grand Cayman. This week, an article was published in the Huffington Post to discuss the thoughts and concerns of many of the islanders and other close to the island.  Read more...  Interested in signing the petition and preserve this natural beauty? Click here... As of 06:00 EST we are at 79% of our 30,000 signature goal! 

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2. New Zealand's New Ocean Sanctuary

Galapagos sharks live in the temperate waters off the Kermadec Islands.New Zealand will create a 620,000 square km protected area encompassing the Kermadec Islands and surrounding waters. The sanctuary is 1000 km NE of New Zealand in the South Pacific Ocean and the area will cover 15% of the country's economic zone. This area will protect 35 species of whales and dolphins, 150 types of fish, and three sea turtle species. To ensure preservation, the area will be monitored by the navy via satellite technology. According to Matt Rand, director of the Pew Charitable Trust's global ocean legacy campaign, "this commitment is an exciting step toward meeting global goals to safeguard at least 30% of the ocean throught fully protected marine reserves". Read more...


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3. Spotted: Glowing Sea Turtle! 

Glowing sea turtleWhile night diving in the Solomon Islands, divers discovered a biofluourescent hawksbill sea turtle. Biofluorescence occurs when an organism absorbs light from an outside source and reemits it as a different color, different from bioluminescence. This phenomena has been studied in corals, fish, eels, and sharks. Under the blue light, the turtle was a brilliant green with hints of red, it's likely that the red was due to some biofluorescent algae. See the video here...


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4. Fascinated by the "Glowing" Sea Turtle?
Picture of scorpionfish
We've got you covered! This National Geographic article describes a few of the over 180 species of fish and sharks that have the ability to biofluoresce.These animals will reflect the blue light hitting the surface as red, green, or orange.  Read more...




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5. Shell's Departure Will Mean No Drill Rigs in Chukchi Sea


This week, Royal Dutch Shell announced that it will end exploration in the Chukchi Sea. The exploration was indefinitely suspended after finding insufficient oil and gas in an exploratory well. The company could not justify the tremendous development costs of drilling in the Arctic environment. Shell was the most robust bidder for the Chukchi Sea leases in 2008. Shell's project cancellation will forewarn and possible deter the other companies with smaller lease holdings in the Chukchi Sea. Read more...



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6. Shark Culling Could Accelerate Climate Change

Shark approaching diver at Osprey Reef in the Coral Sea, 200 kilometres offshore from Queensland AustraliaThis week,  New South Whales launched a shark summit to discuss the potential impact that shark culling may have on climate change. The main topic of the conference will be shark deterrent technologies. A paper published in Nature Climate Change warned that removing the top portion of the food chain, will create a trophic cascade throughout the food chain. This will ultimately result in release of carbon into the atmosphere. According to the study, 90% of the world's sharks and large predator fish are wiped out through overfishing and culling while potential prey- sea turtles, stingrays, and crabs- have flourished. This has impacted the natural carbon cycle, if 1% of vegetation is lost, 460 metric tons of carbon dixoide would be released (FYI- that's equivalent to the emissions of 97m cars!).  Read more...

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7. Unusual Fur Seal Deaths Off California Coast

This year, Guadalupe fur seals have experienced an "unusual mortality event", according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). These events are defined under the Marine Mammal Protection Act as, " a stranding that is unexpected; involves a significant die-off of any marine mammal population; and demands immediate response". In 2015, around 80 seals have been found stranded on the coast of Southern California and Mexico. Scientists speculate that the event is a result of the unusually warm climate conditions in the eastern Pacific. Read more... To read more on the marine mammal unusual mortality events 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.