Blog Archives

A new study led by John N. Kittinger, a graduate fellow in the Dept. of Geography at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, has found that not all coral reef degradation is irreversible.

Great diving for crays they are big as well.

Nature Trust (Malta), Greenhouse-Malta and Sharklab-Malta have teamed up to mark European Shark Week, calling on EU fisheries ministers to protect sharks from overexploitation and finning

Scientists have found tiny bubbles beneath the blubber of dolphins that have beached themselves.

The bubbles were discovered by taking ultrasound scans of the animals within minutes of stranding off Cape Cod, US.

The team’s findings help confirm what many researchers have long suspected: dolphins avoid the bends by taking long, shallow decompression dives after feeding at depth.

The study is reported in Proceedings of the Royal Society B.

Many biologists believe that marine mammals do not struggle, as human divers do, with decompression sickness – “the bends” – when ascending from great depths.

In humans, breathing air at the comparatively high pressures delivered by scuba equipment causes more nitrogen to be absorbed into the blood and the body’s tissues, and this nitrogen comes back out...

Researchers at the University of Montreal have modelled the routes of both whales and boats in the St. Lawrence Estuary to prevent a collision course between the two

An oil spill from a stranded cargo ship off New Zealand has become the country’s worst maritime environmental disaster, the government has said.

Officials say 300 tonnes of oil may have leaked from the 775ft (236m) Rena, which ran aground on the Astrolabe Reef off the port of Tauranga on Wednesday.

Bad weather which has halted work to pump oil off the ship is set to worsen.

Environment Minister Nick Smith said the situation was going to get “significantly worse” in coming days.

“This event has come to a stage where it is New Zealand’s most significant maritime environmental disaster,” he told a news briefing in Tauranga.

“It is my view that the tragic events we are seeing unfolding were absolutely inevitable from the point that the Rena ran onto the reef in the early hours of Wednesday mor...

Proposals to protect Europe’s longest chalk reef have been criticised for not going far enough to safeguard its future.

A new Marine Conservation Zone has been put forward to the government and would include a 20-mile long reef off the Norfolk coast.

In summer 2011, a species of purple sponge which is new to science was discovered there.

A proposal to ban fishing on part of the main reef – a “no-take zone” – has not been included in the plan.

Rob Spray, who runs a project to map the reef, said the plan did not guarantee any degree of protection.

Chalk reefs are unusual off the UK, and provide a vital habitat for plants, algae and a wide variety of sea creatures.

‘Spectacular productivity’

Mr Spray, of Seasearch East, said: “Despite evidence from highly protected no-take zones around the w...

A large container ship stuck on a reef off the coast of New Zealand is leaking oil.

Maritime New Zealand said the intermittent leak appeared to be coming from damaged pipes rather than from fuel tanks.

Four seabirds have so far been found dead in the oil slick, which extends about 5km (3 miles) from the ship.

The Liberia-flagged Rena struck the Astrolabe Reef about 12 nautical miles from Tauranga Harbour on Wednesday.

The agency says the 25 crew on board are safe and trying to stop more oil from leaking.

‘Hazardous ship’

Transport Minister Steven Joyce said the situation was worse than first thought.

He said there was a “significant amount of oil” and warned the vessel could break up due to its “precarious” position on the reef.

Maritime NZ has officially declared the 47,000 tonne contain...

A 60ft (18m) whale that was discovered on a beach near Gerinish on South Uist on Tuesday has died.

Personnel at a nearby military rocket test range had been helping with efforts to lessen the distress of the dying animal.

The animal was thought to be a fin or a rare sei whale.

Defence contractor Qinetiq had agreed to shut access to the Hebrides Rocket Range until the whale died and security staff were patrolling the area.

British Divers Marine Life Rescue had sought help from the range in preventing people from gathering around the mammal.

Volunteers kept scavenging birds away from the whale before it died at about midday.

Navigational mistake

Charlie Phillips, a Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society field officer, described the whale as magnificent.

He said it may have got into difficul...

Japan has confirmed it will go ahead with its annual whale hunt and will increase security to protect its fleet.

Fisheries Minister Michihiko Kano said extra ships would escort the fleet to the Antarctic to guard against harassment from anti-whaling activists.

Last year Japan cut short its whaling season because of the harassment.

Australia – which is challenging Japan’s whaling in the international court – has condemned the announcement.

“There is widespread concern in the international community at Japan’s whaling programme and widespread calls for it to cease,” Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd said.

Australia remained “”resolute in its opposition to all commercial whaling, including Japan’s so-called scientific whaling”.

‘Strengthening measures’

There has been a ban on commercial whaling fo...