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Two more species of tuna have been added to the Red List of Threatened Species.

They join the Southern bluefin tuna – listed as critically endangered.

The report, published in this week’s Science, is the first global assessment of this highly prized family of fish, which are at risk of being over-fished.

The World Conservation Union (IUCN) says there is a lack of resolve to protect against overexploitation driven by high prices.

Until this latest study, attempts to assess the health of scombrid and billfish populations, families of fish that include tuna and swordfish, have been carried out at a regional scale.

This study, which relies on the IUCN Red List criteria to judge the stocks’ health, took a more global approach.

Of the 61 species of fish assessed, seven were earmarked as either ...

The Irish Whale and Dolphin Group (IWDG) says it received and validated 175 sighting records in June 2011, 88% of which were confirmed to 10 species, which include basking sharks.

This compares with 270 sightings in June 2010 of 7 species. The 35% drop in sightings reflecting the vagaries of Irish summers.

In order of ranking, the most commonly recorded species in June 2011 were: Bottlenose dolphin (28% of all sightings), Harbour porpoise (25%), minke whale (13.6%), common dolphin (9%) basking shark (5%), Risso

Groupers may be able to limit the invasion of lionfish on Caribbean coral reefs, according to new research conducted by The University of Queensland (UQ).

The discovery by a international research team, led by UQ’s School of Biological Science’s, Professor Peter Mumby, could help save native fish populations in the Caribbean, which are being decimated by the pretty but ravenous aquarium favourite.

Lionfish are not found naturally in the Caribbean and it is believed they many have been released from aquariums in the United States and eventually made their way to the Bahamas in 2004.

Professor Mumby said Lionfish numbers have increased dramatically in the past few years and they have now invaded the entire Caribbean.

The endangered leatherback sea turtle enjoyed a huge conservation victory this week.

The hulking, jellyfish-eating reptile will be protected in ocean waters off the coasts of California, Oregon and Washington due to a settlement filed by the National Marine Fisheries Service and conservation groups.

The current settlement proposes protecting 70,600 square miles of critical habitat, but the government has until November 15, 2011 to make a final rule.

The settlement marks a major turning point in a many-year effort by conservation groups to protect the embattled turtle, which travels some 6,000 miles from the western Pacific to the cool waters along the Western United States each summer and fall to feed on scores of jellyfish.

According to the Center for Biological Diversity,

The Bahamas has banned shark fishing in its waters and prohibited the sale, import and export of shark products.

The new law will effectively turn all 630,000 sq km (243,000 square miles) of the nation’s territorial waters into a shark sanctuary.

The ban was approved by Agriculture Minister Larry Cartwright in the capital, Nassau, on Tuesday.

The archipelago joins Honduras, the Maldives and Palau in outlawing shark fishing.

The government also increased shark-fishing fines from $3,000 (

Sharks in the Bahamas are to be offered legal protection according to the local media.

The Tribune is reporting that new legislation is currently under review by the country

Japanese researchers say they have discovered vast deposits of rare earth minerals, used in many hi-tech appliances, in the seabed.

The geologists estimate that there are about a 100bn tons of the rare elements in the mud of the Pacific Ocean floor.

At present, China produces 97% of the world’s rare earth metals.

Analysts say the Pacific discovery could challenge China’s dominance, if recovering the minerals from the seabed proves commercially viable.

The British journal Nature Geoscience reported that a team of scientists led by Yasuhiro Kato, an associate professor of earth science at the University of Tokyo, found the minerals in sea mud at 78 locations.

“The deposits have a heavy concentration of rare earths. Just one square kilometre (0...

Australian officials are investigating why dozens of turtles have been found on beaches in northern Queensland, many of them ill or dead.

It is thought unseasonably cold weather or the flow of floodwaters into the ocean could be to blame.

Conservationists say the number of turtles being washed up near the city of Townsville is unprecedented.

They are worried there may be many more unreported fatalities along isolated stretches of the coast.

Dozens of dead or stranded turtles have been found near Townsville and on Magnetic Island, a tropical resort popular with holidaymakers.

Carcasses have also been found more than 800km (500 miles) to the south around the port city of Gladstone.

There are various theories why this is happening.

Some researchers believe a category-five cyclone that tore ac...

A giant sea turtle has been found dead after swallowing more than 300 bits of PLASTIC.

The helpless creature starved to death because its guts were clogged with debris including bags, lids, tape and fishing line.

The 317 separate pieces of rubbish found inside it by horrified experts were enough to cover an entire table top.

Scientists say the incident is one of the worst cases of pollution in open water ever recorded.

The turtle was found dead on a beach at Ballina, New South Wales, on the eastern coast of Australia.

Marine biologist Rochelle Ferris said: “It just shows how much plastic there is out there in the ocean. The turtle’s digestive system just shut down.”

Recent studies show a third of all sea turtles are being slowly poisoned by marine litter, with at least 50 cases reported i...

Since its launch last month, Project Ocean has raised over