"Ocean Grabbing" Threatens World Fishing

A new report by the United Nations has condemned the exploitation of developing countries fishing grounds by first-world nations. The issue of ‘ocean grabbing’ has seen owners of large industrial fishing fleets register the boats in the developing country while exporting their catch back home; though some governments from developing nations have signed deals legalising this exploitation.

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Things are looking up for marine protected areas

It has been reported in a UN meeting on biodiversity in Hyderabad that 2.3% of global ocean area is now classed as protected, totalling over 8.3 million square kilometres.  Although this may seem like a small percentage, this is a 10 fold increase in area over the last decade and means we are well on the way to reaching a global target of 10% by 2020.

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Caribbean Coral Reefs in Danger

A recent report by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has revealed a devastating loss of live coral cover in the Caribbean. The report found less than 10% of the reef to show live coral cover and has worrying implications for marine systems across the globe.

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The Cook Islands have declared the world’s largest marine park

At the opening of the Pacific Islands forum, The Cook Islands have recently announced the creation of the world’s largest marine park. The newly proposed reserve is set to be 1.065 million square kilometres, almost twice the size of France. Henry Puna, The Cook Islands Prime Minister, said that protecting the Pacific, one of the last pristine marine ecosystems, was the Cooks’ major contribution to “the wellbeing of not only our peoples, but also of humanity”.

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Say Cheese! How underwater photography is revolutionising Whale Shark conservation

In celebration of shark week, Science Club thought we would share a shark conservation success story from The Marine Megafauna Foundation, Mozambique. Individual whale sharks (Rhincodon typus), like leopards (Panthera pardus), can be identified by unique patterns of spots. The Marine Megafauna Foundation have utilised this characteristic by photographing individuals spot patterns and uploading the images onto the ECOCEAN Global Whale Shark Database.

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Sharks face attack following an increase in shark fatalities

On Monday 30^th July Thierry Robert MP,  Mayor of St Leu commune, Réunion Island made the decision to “act to safeguard the security of goods and people of his town” by authorising and encouraging the fishing and hunting of the bull shark (Carcharhinus leucas). He encouraged their hunting by any means necessary, including spear fishing day and night, with monetary rewards.

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Newly Discovered Species Named After Bob Marley

A Caribbean parasitic species was recently named after reggae legend Bob Marley. Gnathia marleyi is the first new species to be found in the Caribbean in over two decades. It is a small parasitic crustacean that sucks blood, ecologically similar to land-based ticks or mosquitoes.

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The 64th annual meeting of the International Whaling Commission (IWC) - A positive step for conservation

The 64th annual meeting of the International Whaling Commission (IWC) concluded this week, after five days of intense discussion. The annual gatherings have consistently been overshadowed by animosity between pro-whaling and anti-whaling nations, since the commission voted to ban commercial whaling in 1968.

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The capacity of fish to cope

Recently there has been elevated concern about the effect small increases of acidity in the world’s oceans have on some of the world’s most vulnerable marine species. A recent report has however provided some hopeful and promising new findings, suggesting many species may be well adapted to cope with acidity change.

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Shark Finning: Strip-Mining the Ocean’s Sharks

Shark populations are in decline worldwide due mainly to unregulated fishing. Most of this fishing arises in response to demand for shark fins, which results in 73 million shark killings annually for their fins alone. Shark fins are used as an ingredient in shark fin soup, a popular dish in many East Asian countries. Many fishers simply slice off the sharks fin and throw their still-living bodies back into the ocean.

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