Week in Review: The Death of a Whale Shark Brought to Justice Thanks to Social Media

1. The Death of a Whale Shark Brought to Justice Thanks to Social Media

This event happened last month but, deserves some attention. Police in southwest China arrested two men after killing a whale shark. This arrest occurred after pictures of the whale shark went viral. This shark was seen every year by oil rig workers in the area and they described the whale shark as an "old friend". This arrest is another good example of the public bringing attention to injustice and calling for government action. The picture on the right breaks our hearts. Whale sharks are listed as "vulnerable" by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, just a step above endangered. China also protects this animal and requires that a whale shark be set free if caught.    Read more...
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2. A Plan to Give Whales and Other Ocean Life Some Peace and Quiet

According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, noise pollution in the ocean has significantly increased in the last 50 years. This has been a result of increased commercial shipping, oil and gas drilling, and other industrial work. The noise has been shown to interfere with the overall behavior of many creatures in the ocean. This week, the agency which protects marine life in US waters released a draft of the  Ocean Noise Strategy Roadmap. The roadmap will include more research on the effects of noise to gain additional understanding on the impact of the noise pollution in the ocean. Read more...

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3. Which Companies are Using Ocean Plastics?

In previous versions of Week in Review we've covered reports on various plastic innovations. This week, EcoWatch summarized the 5 companies leading the charge in using ocean plastic in their products. Ocean plastic has been recovered and reused to make shoes, clothes, homes, packing material and cleaning products. We love the innovation that these companies have shown!   Read more...

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4. Study Shows Sharks Have Personalities

An article published in the Journal of Fish Biology revealed that there are individual personality differences in Port Jackson sharks. The lead author Evan Byrnes reports that "personality is no longer considered a strictly human characteristic, rather it is a characteristic deeply engrained in our evolutionary past". The trials in the study were designed to test the shark's boldness. The first test was to place the sharks in a tanks and see who long it took for them to emerge from their refuge box into a new environment. The second test exposed how they were able to handle stress.  Read more...

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5. Free Online Shark Course! 

Well, everyone knows that I already signed up for this one! Cornell University in collaboration with The University of Queensland created a new open online course titled 'Sharks! Global Biodiversity, Biology, and Conservation.' The course starts during Shark Week on June 28th and is completely free. All you need is an internet connection! Throughout the course, students will learn about the habits, anatomy, evolution, and ecological roles of sharks. Enroll in the course on the edx page  here...

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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.