Week in Review: We Still Can Get Ahead of Climate Change, Plastic Clean-up Machine Solution or Red Herring? .. and More

1. Hollywood Weighs in About Climate Change. There Are Options.

“Al Gore believes that Donald Trump will not halt the momentum of the climate movement even if he withdraws the US from the Paris agreement,”  Gore says that states like New York and California are leading the way, as well as Atlanta, Georgia going 100 percent renewable. “The dangers we face from the climate crisis are more severe than what scientists predicted." The primary message of the movie is: We have solutions. We can solve this.

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2. Ocean Plastic Clean-up Machine. Is it Really Working?

Boyan Slat has created, with much fanfare, a machine to clean up the mainly plastic garbage patches in the world’s oceans within five years.  Scientists are skeptical because a working prototype has not been shown.  Also, most plastic is in the form of microplastics throughout the seawater column, and only 1 percent of marine plastic is found near or at the surface.  Plus he doesn’t address the problem of picking up plants and animals along with the plastics.  Most scientists promote the reduction of plastics into the ocean and better packaging designs.
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3. Great White Shark Nursery Newly Confirmed in Baja

Scientists have confirmed with an eleven-year study that Sebastian Vizcaino Bay in Mexico is an important nursery for white sharks.  It is roughly 400 miles south of San Diego.  Baby great white sharks are found there May through September.  The study results led to Sebastian Vizcaino Bay to be included in a protected area and to a ban on white shark fishing in Mexico.

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4. New Smartphone App Traces Seafood From Ocean to Plate

A new smartphone app traces seafood when it’s caught to when it gets to your plate.  This used in combination with Sea Save Foundation's strategic partner, Monterey Bay Aquarium's Seafood Watch App, is the smart way to consume seafood.  It is estimated that 1 in 5 pieces of seafood is mislabeled. Pesca+Sustentável is a project based in Brazil and uses QR codes.  The consumer gets a QR code with their menu and can then open a website to find out where their seafood comes from.

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5. Breakthrough Study: Points to Reasons for Whale Gigantism

Scientists hypothesize why baleen whales (ie blue and humpback whales) evolved to such a large size.  They published in "The Proceedings of the Royal Society" that 4.5 million years ago, a climatic change necessitated binge-eating behavior. Using a phylogenetic macroevolutionary model, they incorporated data that lead them to speculate that size increase via Brownian movement and made this eating behavior more efficient.

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6. Damselfish: Superparents of the Ocean

A damselfish, Altrichthys alelia, exhibits an unusual spin on parenting. Unlike most fish that 'broadcast' spawn (release eggs and sperm into the seawater to fend for themselves, with a low 1% survival rate) These responsible fish oversee the care of their young until they are better able to fend for themselves.

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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.