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The Earth’s oceans are under siege. Human activity is wiping out coral reefs and marine life at a faster rate than ever before. As conservationists try to restore the health of our seas, one place may be key to turning the tide.

The Verde Island Passage has the highest concentration of marine species in the world. Spanning 4,400 square miles, it sits between the province of Batangas and the island of Mindoro in the Philippines. Just more than a decade ago, Prof. Kent Carpenter of the Biological Sciences Department at Old Dominion University labeled the Verde Island Passage “the center of the center” of marine biodiversity.

Today, Carpenter sees the passage as a litmus test for global conservation...

Coral reefs around the globe already are facing unprecedented damage because of warmer and more acidic oceans. It’s hardly a problem affecting just the marine life that depends on them or deep-sea divers who visit them.

If carbon dioxide emissions continue to fuel the planet’s rising temperature, the widespread loss of coral reefs by 2050 could have devastating consequences for tens of millions of people, according to new research published Wednesday in the scientific journal PLOS.

To better understand where those losses would hit hardest, an international group of researchers mapped places where people most need reefs for their livelihoods, particularly for fishing and tourism, as well as for shoreline protection...

Coral reefs are disappearing at an unprecedented rate. In fact, a report released by the found that 19% of the Earth’s coral reefs are now dead, with rising sea temperatures and seawater acidification to blame.

The declining coral reefs are a sign of a much larger problem. Coral reefs make up only 0.2% of our oceans, but they are home to over 25% of all marine fish species and protect shorelines from major storms. The United Nations predict that the Earth is on the brink of a massive extinction event, with some studies suggesting 25% of the planet’s species will be extinct by 2050.

Although much of the damage has been caused by human activity, it is also people, through technological advancements, that are offering increasingly innovative solutions...

A UN review of national plans to cut carbon says they are well short of the levels needed to keep the rise in global temperatures under 2C. The report finds that by 2030 the amount of CO2 entering the atmosphere will be some 25% above that mark. The analysis takes into account the pledges that countries have made under the Paris climate agreement.

Many scientists say that technology to remove carbon from the air will now be needed to meet the Paris targets.

The UN Emissions Gap Report, prepared by an international team of scientists, finds that by 2030, global emissions are expected to reach 54 to 56 gigatonnes of CO2.

The authors say this is far above the 42 gigatonnes needed to have a good chance of staying below 2 degrees by the end of the century, and a long way from the 39 gigatonnes...

The countries that decide the fate of Antarctica’s waters reached an historic agreement on Friday to create the world’s largest marine protected area in the ocean next to the frozen continent. The agreement comes after years of diplomatic wrangling and high-level talks between the U.S. and Russia, which has rejected the idea in the past. Proponents of the reserve say it sets a precedent for multiple countries working together to protect a large swath of ocean, which falls outside any single nation’s jurisdiction.

The agreement covers an area about twice the size of Texas in the Ross Sea.

The deal was clinched after 24 countries and the European Union met in Hobart, Australia, this week...

Seagrass has been around since dinosaurs roamed the earth, it is responsible for keeping the world’s coastlines clean and healthy, and supports many different species of animal, including humans. And yet, it is often overlooked, regarded as merely an innocuous feature of the ocean.

But the fact is that this plant is vital — and it is for that reason that the World Seagrass Association has issued a consensus statement, signed by 115 scientists from 25 countries, stating that these important ecosystems can no longer be ignored on the conservation agenda. Seagrass is part of a marginalized ecosystem that must be increasingly managed, protected and monitored — and needs urgent attention now.

Seagrass meadows are of fundamental importance to human life...

This dive was in the Puerto Galera region of the Philippines.
Dive time was 50-60 minutes

Great Viz, Frogfish, Good house dive site

Scientists have new evidence that coral-reef fish — who are capable of adapting to warmer temperatures brought about by global climate change — will probably opt instead to relocate to cooler parts of the ocean.

The seas around Britain may be getting so noisy that fish species like cod and haddock now have some difficulty communicating with each other. And if their chatter is being obscured, it could hamper their ability to breed. Steve Simpson and colleagues are testing the idea by dragging hydrophones through coastal waters to record the marine soundscape.

It has long been recognised that large marine mammals are susceptible to noise pollution – as are coral reef fish.

But the new study intends to understand the impacts on some more familiar UK fish species.

“Cod particularly have very elaborate calls compared with many fish,” the University of Exeter professor told BBC News.

“They vibrate their swim bladder – their balloon inside them – to make sound.

“They can create a whole range of differ...

Thresher sharks, devil rays and silky sharks are voted to elevate their protection status to Appendix II of Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). These shark species are subjected to demanding shark fin trade that resulted to decline of their populations. By Appendix II, trade of these shark species are legal unless their populations are already unsustainable.

Thresher sharks are known for their big eyes and long whip-like tail, which they use to hunt and stun their prey. Among all pelagic sharks, thresher sharks are at highest risk of extinction and are marked as vulnerable by the IUCN.

“These are incredible animals, with their long whip like tails they’re referred to as the Indiana Jones of the sea,” said Luke Warwick with Pew Charitab...