1. More Than 200 Nations Promise to Stop Ocean Plastic Waste
The UNEP head Erik Solheim, wants "governments to ban and mandate the redesign of packaging." Last Wednesday, 200 nations passed a resolution to eliminate plastic pollution in the oceans. This could turn into a legally binding treaty. Countries have agreed to start monitoring the amount of plastic entering the ocean. Read More -----------------------------------------------
2. Japan Under Fire for Research Whaling
Japan is under fire for its "research" whaling of sei whales in the Northwest Pacific as a possible violation of an international treaty on endangered species at a wildlife trade meeting in Geneva. CITES effectively bans the hunting of sei whales in the high seas. “Chances are high that Japan's whaling will be recognized as a violation" of the 1946 International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling, says whaling expert Atsushi Ishii. -----------------------------------------------
3. Zinke Calls for Shrinking More National Monuments and Shifting Management of 10
Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke's final report on national monuments and marine sites calls for shrinking four national monuments and changing the way six land and marine sites are managed. The marine sites include Northeast Canyons and Seamounts in the Atlantic Ocean and both Rose Atoll and the Pacific Remote Islands in the Pacific Ocean. “For several sites, Zinke recommended amending the monuments’ proclamation language to ensure activities such as grazing, hunting and fishing can continue.”-----------------------------------------------
As part of a 30 million euro intervention, the European Union today signed a 17.2 million euro agreement with three UN institutions working jointly to reduce the illegal killing of wildlife and the trafficking of wildlife products in Eastern and Southern Africa and the Indian Ocean. The three offices -- the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna (CITES), and the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS) -- will work together to strengthen cooperative management and criminal enforcement in the region.
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6. International Accord Bans Fishing in Central Arctic Ocean
POfficials from 10 nations last week finalized a historic accord that will prohibit commercial fishing for at least 16 years in the high seas of the central Arctic Ocean, which is now partly ice-free due to climate change. The ban gives scientists time to assess fishing stocks and distribution in the region. “The central Arctic Ocean is now the largest marine area to be proactively placed off-limits to fishing,” said Steve Ganey, who oversees Arctic marine projects at the Pew Charitable Trusts. -----------------------------------------------
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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.
