Blog Archives

Three of the rarest turtles in the world have washed up on British beaches.

They were dragged thousands of miles from their normal habitats in warmer waters by stormy weather.

The two young Kemp

Dive site in general area good shore diving all around Kaikoura, look for storage garage and ramp.

Coral reefs are extremely diverse ecosystems that support enormous biodiversity.

But they are at risk.

Carbon dioxide emissions are acidifying the ocean, threatening reefs and other marine organisms.

New research led by Carnegie’s Kenneth Schneider analyzed the role of sea cucumbers in portions of the Great Barrier Reef and determined that their dietary process of dissolving calcium carbonate (CaCO3) from the surrounding reef accounts for about half of at the total nighttime dissolution for the reef.

The work is published December 23 by the Journal of Geophysical Research.

Reefs are formed through the biological deposition of calcium carbonate (CaCO3).

Many of the marine organisms living on and around a reef contribute to either its destruction or construction.

Therefore it is crucia...

Shore dive kaikoura side of last tunnel great system of reefs all around. Swim out to about 300m to where the rocks are and start dive there.

The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) has several vessels that can be used not only to patrol fishing grounds but also to help map all of the country’s coral reefs.

On the other hand, the National Mapping and Resource Information Authority (NAMRIA) has an oceanographic ship that can work on such activities and help track down the traffic of pelagic fish species.

Mapping of all marine resources has been advanced by two experts from the National Fisheries Research and Development Institute (NFRDI) who said that “knowing just how large the country’s coral reefs are would help us determine the population of first-class fish at any time.”

An NFRDI official who had worked with UN agencies stressed that “it is a pity that the country still has to plunge headlong into mapping our aq...

The Cook Islands Prime Minister, Henry Puna, has called for marine protection and conservation on a mass scale.

At the Eye on the Earth environment summit in Abu Dhabi, Mr Puna spoke of his government

The Co-operative Group has been ranked top in the Marine Conservation Society

3 wobbegong sharks, lots of rays, wrasse, morwongs

An ashy pallor has spread across South Florida’s coral reefs over the past few months, as stressed corals expelled the algae that gives them color.

The worst case of coral bleaching since surveys began in 2005 struck reefs from the Florida Keys through Martin County, harming the base of the region’s most biologically productive and economically important marine ecosystem.

A survey coordinated by The Nature Conservancy, involving 13 dive teams from government agencies, universities and non-profit groups, found that 21 to 50 percent of colonies checked in the Keys, Broward County, Biscayne Bay and Martin County had bleached or turned pale. Palm Beach County saw less bleaching, with three to 6 percent of colonies affected.

“It’s really widespread,” said James Byrne, Marine Science Program Man...

British fishing fleets will be able to land more fish, but face fewer days at sea, following talks in Brussels.

The British government says it achieved victory for the UK fishing industry in the annual EU negotiations, which ended at 04:00 GMT on Saturday.

The Scottish government was less happy, saying it faced “huge frustration”.

The BBC’s Andy Moore says Britain had French and German support in battling against cuts that could have been disastrous for the UK fishing fleet.

One of the proposals was to cut cod fishermen’s days at sea to just four a fortnight.

Threat lifted

That particular threat now seems to have been lifted.

But boats will be confined to ports for longer making it harder to cash in on rises in fish quotas and Scottish Fisheries Minister Richard Lochhead said big challeng...