Week in Review: Wildlife Crime Busts for Whale Sharks,Tigers, and More!

1. Wildlife Crime Busts for Whale Sharks, Tigers, and More!

Around 18 months ago, two whale sharks, which were held illegally in underwater cages off the coast of an island in eastern Indonesia, were rescued. The sharks were likely destined for the illegal wildlife trade either in China or another country in Southeast Asia. The facility where the sharks were found was manage by a company that is owned by an unidentified Indonesian military officer. There have still been no arrests for this illegal activity. Read more...

This week, National Geographic also reviewed some recent wildlife crime busts. Read more...

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2. Overfishing and Nutrient Pollution Continue to Destroy Coral Reefs

This week, an article was published in Nature Communications revealed details from the largest and longest study on coral reefs. The study suggests that the wide spread coral deaths are being caused by a combination of overfishing, nutrient pollution, and pathogenic disease. The findings were made by researchers from six institutions following a three-year experiment that simulated both overfishing and nutrient pollution on a coral reef in the Florida Keys. In addition to the known stressors, the researchers found some interesting finding with parrotfish. In one part of the experiment, corals were so weakened by nitrogen and phosphrous pollution that when parrot fish would bite them, 62 percent of the corals would die. According to one scientist on the team "parrotfish are not the problem...the problem is when corals are so weakened they cannot withstand normal impacts". Read more...

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3. Sharks on a Plane!

I wish i could book a flight on this plane! I've been keeping my eyes open for it at every airport. Southwest Airlines debuted this plane on June 2nd and will partner, once again, with the Discovery Channel for its annual Shark Week program. According to Linda Rutherford, Southwest chief communication officer, stated that "Now more than ever, brands have to be creative and unique in their approach to reach new customers".  Read more...

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4. 7 Bizarre Facts About the Ocean

We love these slides that LiveScience put together about sea science! These were created in honor of World Oceans Day on June 8th. Here's a teaser to the set of slides: " though 94% of life on Earth is aquatic, about two-thirds of all marine life remains unidentified".  Read more...

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5. SeaWorld's Oldest Pilot Whale Dies

This week, Bubbles, the oldest pilot whale at SeaWorld died. She was estimated to be in her fifties. Bubbles was captured in 1996, according to WDC, and was originally owned by another marine park. She was moved to SeaWorld in 1987. A necropsy will be performed to determine cause of death. Most female short-finned pilot whales usually have a maximum lifespan of around 60 years. 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.