Blog Archives

Previous studies have shown that warming oceans and ocean acidification threaten to destroy the ocean

Pro-shark fishing nations have narrowly failed to overturn a landmark protection deal struck at the Cites conservation conference in Bangkok.

Japan and China tried to block trade regulations on three critically endangered shark species by re-opening the debate in the final session.

But delegates refused the request by a wafer-thin majority and the shark ban was upheld.

The decision is being seen as a landmark win for animal conservation.

Campaigners say it is a truly historic day for the species, in which science triumphed over politics.

On Monday, the decision to increase protection for oceanic whitetips, porbeagle and hammerhead sharks had only scraped past the two-thirds majorities required by a handful of votes.

Campaigners had been extremely worried that China and Japan, the main opp...

Three types of critically endangered but commercially valuable shark have been given added protection at the Cites meeting in Bangkok.

The body, which regulates trade in flora and fauna, voted by a two-thirds majority to upgrade the sharks’ status.

Campaigners hailed the move as historic and said the vote represented a major breakthrough for marine conservation.

The decisions can still be overturned by a vote on the final day of this meeting later this week.

The oceanic whitetip, three varieties of hammerheads and the porbeagle are all said to be seriously threatened by overfishing.

Their numbers have declined dramatically in recent years, as the trade in shark fins for soup has grown.

Manta rays are killed for their gill plates which are used in Chinese medicine.

Shark supporters have be...

Delegates at the Cites conservation meeting in Thailand’s capital, Bangkok, have voted to extend the protection to a threatened species of shark.

The Oceanic whitetip has seen its numbers decline dramatically in recent years because of overfishing for fins.

Campaigners said the move to record and regulate all trade in the species was historic, and that they believed two other sharks would also be protected.

However, the decisions could still be overturned on appeal at the meeting.

An estimated 100 million sharks are killed by commercial fishing every year, researchers have recently reported. They blame a huge appetite for shark-fin soup in China and Hong Kong for stimulating the trade.

The Oceanic whitetip and the two other species for which campaigners are seeking further protection – the...

A vast array of new species was recently discovered in the world’s most spectacular reef you’ve never heard of, Madang Lagoon in Papua New Guinea.

“It is the most diverse reef in the world,” said marine biologist Jim Thomas, a researcher at Nova Southeastern University’s National Coral Reef Institute in Hollywood, Fla.

Madang Lagoon is also one of the world’s most threatened coral reefs, Thomas added, imperiled by nearby industry. A World Bank-sponsored tuna cannery opened recently, drawing tiger sharks attracted to offal dumped offshore. Another 10 canneries are planned, Thomas said.

Along the Ramu River, which drains into the lagoon, a massive nickel mine just started operation...

The most accurate assessment to date of the impact of commercial fishing on sharks suggests around 100 million are being killed each year.

The researchers say that this rate of exploitation is far too high, especially for a species which reproduces later in life.

The major factor driving the trade is the ongoing demand for shark fins for soup in Chinese communities.

The report has been published in the Journal Marine Policy.

Researchers admit that establishing the true level of global shark fishing is extremely difficult, as the quality of the data is poor. Many sharks that are caught have their fins removed at sea with the body dumped overboard. These fish are often not included in official reports.

Fin margin

However, the scientists estimate a mortality range of between 63 and 273 milli...

Clownfish boost oxygen flow around their anemone hosts at night, scientists have found.

The relationship between the reef animals is well known, with the fish hiding in the anemone’s stinging tentacles to avoid predators.

But US researchers have discovered the anemones also benefit from the night-time presence of the fidgety fish.

“While many reef organisms can pick up and move to other areas with more oxygen, clownfish stick by their anemones; retreat is not an option,” explained Dr Joseph Szczebak from Auburn University, Alabama, US who led the study.

To understand more about the nocturnal relationship of the clownfish and anemone, Dr Szczebak and colleagues travelled to the Marine Science Station in Aqaba, Jordan.

Diving in the nearby Red Sea, the scientists were able to record how oxy...

Many Caribbean coral reefs have either stopped growing or are on the threshold of starting to erode, which new evidence has revealed.

Associate Professor Scott Smithers, from James Cook University was a part of a seven-member team of international scientists that carried out work at reefs across the Caribbean over a two-year period.

Coral reefs build their structures by both producing and accumulating calcium carbonate, which is essential for the maintenance and continued growth of coral reefs.

The research team discovered that the amount of new carbonate being added by Caribbean coral reefs is now significantly below rates measured over recent geological timescales, and in some habitats is as much as 70 per cent lower.

Associate Professor Smithers said coral reefs formed some of the plane...

A technological revolution is needed for Europe to end the controversial practice of discarding fish, according to the EU

Have you ever wondered why coral reef fishes are so brilliantly coloured and bizarrely patterned? A quick flick through any coral reef fish guide will leave you bewildered and awed.

To answer this question, we need to think about what animals, in general, use their colour patterns for. There is, in fact, a range of uses: for instance, many must have patterns that are both eye-catching to would-be mates but also appear cryptic to lurking predators.

My colleagues, Dr John Fitzpatrick at University of Manchester, UK, Dr Sami Merilaita at Abo Akademi University, Finland, and I, recently used a