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As part of the annual marine review conducted by the Wildlife Trusts’ Living Seas team, the number of humpback whale sightings around the UK have seen a significant increase. Until recently, sightings were extremely rare, but more than 75 sightings have been recorded since 2019, showing how populations are recovering after bans on commercial whaling. 

The Isles of Scilly Wildlife Trust saw humpbacks feeding around the islands with one individual, named Pi, staying for over two months. More were seen in the Firth of Forth and off Shetland. Matt Slater, marine conservation officer for Cornwall Wildlife Trusts, says: “Only a few years ago, it would have been extremely rare to see a humpback whale around the UK...

Climate change is threatening coral-reef-associated ecosystem services and people’s well-being. Addressing direct On summer evenings in the 1980s, the residents of a houseboat community in Sausalito, California would often have trouble sleeping. A bizarre and persistent humming noise would keep them awake, and although they investigated, neither the residents nor the local authorities could pinpoint the problem. They ruled out noise from generators, and even considered the possibility of secret military tests. It was researchers at the nearby Steinhart Aquarium who finally identified the culprit. The strange noise was the courtship song of male toadfish who were doing their best to attract.

Back then, the field of bioacoustics – the scientific study of the production, transmissio...

A study presented on the side-lines of the 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference says Egypt’s coral reef tourism could lose more than 90% of its revenue due to climate change. The sector brings in about $7 billion in annual revenue for Egypt, 86% of which comes from coral reef tourism alone. 

Coral reef tourism revenues in Egypt could fall drastically due to global warming. In a report released on the side-lines of the United Nations climate talks, scientists warn that Egypt could lose more than 90 percent of its coral reef tourism revenue by 2100. Coral reefs are fragile ecosystems threatened with extinction around the world due to climate change, storms, pollution and overfishing.

“Although the situation of coral reefs in Egypt is not the worst among the list of countries ...

Is the progress that was made at the COP26 Glasgow climate summit already in jeopardy because of challenges in the year ahead?

2021 was a momentous year for climate change. 

As well as a host of extreme, destructive events influenced by rising temperatures, the past 12 months have seen unprecedented political engagement on the issue, culminating in the COP26 summit in Glasgow in November.

Progress was undoubtedly made and the overall thrust of the meeting was towards more rapid action on a whole host of measures to curb emissions.

But there are now growing concerns that this momentum may dissipate over the coming months. 

The most grievous blow comes from the US.

Next move – China

The potential failure of President Biden to get his Build Back Better act through Congre...

Corals across the Great Barrier Reef could be hit by mass bleaching for the fourth time in just seven years by the end of January, experts warn. By the third week of January, an 800 mile section of the Great Barrier Reef will likely be undergoing a bleaching event, US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) data shows.

NOAA forecasts also show that by mid-February, areas north of Cairns in Queensland will be at ‘Alert Level 2’ – where both widespread bleaching and significant coral mortality are likely. 

Chances of coral bleaching are higher during the warmer seasons, which is why Australian scientists are on high alert during the Southern Hemisphere’s summer.  

Coral bleaching killed about 30 per cent of the Great Barrier Reef’s coral in 2016, according to ...

Coral reefs in the western Indian Ocean are at risk of extinction by 2070 due to warming temperatures and overfishing, according to a new study.

A roughly 12,000 sq km expanse of coral reefs stretching down the eastern coastline of Africa and around Madagascar is facing ecosystem collapse, threatening a range of species and the livelihoods of over a million people who work in the fishing and tourism industries. These reefs make up around 5% of the planet’s total coral reef area.

“When an ecosystem collapses, we might still see individual fish or corals but the whole system is no longer effective in supporting either marine biodiversity or communities who are dependent on it,” said David Obura, a Kenyan marine ecologist at CORDIO East Africa and lead author of the study.

Published...

Scientists have discovered marine animals living on plastic debris in an area of the open ocean dubbed “the Great Pacific Garbage Patch”. Many of the creatures are coastal species, living miles from their usual habitats, on a patch halfway between the coast of California and Hawaii.

Plants and animals, including anemones, tiny marine bugs, molluscs and crabs, were found on 90% of the debris.

Scientists are concerned that plastic may help transport invasive species.

The study examined plastic items more than 5cm (2in) in diameter gathered from a gyre – an area where circulating currents cause floating debris to accumulate – in the Pacific.

Lead researcher Dr Linsey Haram, who carried out the work at the Smithsonian Environmental Research Centre, said: “Plastics are more perman...

Harmful to ocean and aquatic life, microplastics make up the nearly three percent toxic pollutants in shallow, tropical waters where corals flourish. These toxic chemicals bring huge detrimental impact on reef health, and a new study reveals 4 million pounds of them may be stored in coral skeletons every year.

After 18 months of exposing corals in the lab to microplastics, researchers were able to put a number on how much of the tiny fragments of plastic are stored in them.

“Our study clearly indicates that microplastics are yet another human-made stress factor for corals and that they are very likely to contribute to further deterioration of coral reefs on our planet,” lead author Jessica Reichert reported.

The study conducted by this team of scientists from the University Giess...

Today the government of Portugal expanded a marine protected area around the Selvagens Islands, creating the largest fully protected marine reserve in Europe at 2,677 square kilometers. The Selvagens Islands are a small archipelago in the North Atlantic located midway between Madeira and the Canary Islands.

National Geographic Pristine Seas studied the Selvagens Islands in September of 2015 in partnership with the Oceano Azul and the Waitt Foundation. During their expedition, the team conducted what was among the first underwater surveys of the ecosystem – from the shallows to the depths – and filmed the biodiversity around the islands...

PADI and National Geographic Pristine Seas have announced a partnership to protect a minimum of 30% of our oceans. The organizations aim to achieve their goals by the year 2030.

The first act of the partnership is a global Dive Industry Economic Evaluation Survey which seeks to quantify the benefits of the dive industry to local economies. The survey will collate data from PADI dive centers, which scientists will then analyze at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography and Simon Fraser University.

Data and findings from the study will then be used to influence and lobby governments to help protect the environment and to establish and enlarge Marine Protected Areas.

Commenting on the new partnership, Drew Richardson, President and CEO of PADI Worldwide stated:

“PADI Mission Hubs...