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Science
Starfish’s ability to survive predatory attacks by shedding their own limbs has been discovered to be triggered by a neuropeptide, and there is new research on the hearing sensitivity of Australian Little Penguins.
There are more questions than answers about South African cold-water corals, and long-term exposure to pharmaceutical pollutants is revealed to be dramatically altering fish behaviour, life history, and reproductive traits.
Remote seamounts in the southeast Pacific are discovered to be home to 20 new species.
Fisheries
A recent pelagic survey conducted by Iceland, the Faroe Islands, Norway, and Denmark has revealed a decline in mackerel biomass in the Northeast Atlantic. The Norwegian government has introduced ten overarching principles for marine area use.
Concerns have been raised over non-UK fishing vessels in Scottish waters.
Marine life is suffering from ghost gear in China, and an investigation ran by Greenpeace has revealed significantly high levels of shark fishing across the North Pacific and urges the UK Government to urgently ratify the High Seas Treaty.
In more positive news, President Dr Mohamed Muizzu has decided against allowing longline fishing in the Maldives!
British Overseas Territories
The future of the Falkland Islands’ fishing industry hangs in the balance as scientists raise alarms over the long-term sustainability of the loligo squid population.
The UK’s Foreign Secretary is being encouraged to keep his word on wanting to ‘rebuild the UK’s relations with the Global South’…but at what cost?
There is a new documentary, ‘Antarctic Voyage‘, which will take you on a journey at sea to the remote island of South Georgia.
On 7th June 7th, the Central Caribbean Marine Institute (CCMI) launched a photography competition, inviting photographers to submit images that celebrate the vibrant coral reefs of Cayman Islands and the diversity of life that relies upon them. The deadline for submissions is 4th October.
There is a new airlink service which connects the Falkland Islands to Ascension/St. Helena.
Conservation
Nearly 13% of marine teleost fish species are at risk of extinction. Moreover, scientists have been warning of the rapidly declining North Atlantic salmon populations in Norway for years. Now they are at an all-time low.
Hundreds of thousands of dead fish have washed into a tourist port in Greece after becoming displaced from their usual freshwater habitats during flooding last year. There is criticism over the environment ministry not putting in place preventative measures soon enough.
Increasing droughts in the Amazon risk the native manatee from being exposed to poachers.
Protection: Pregnant tiger sharks in the Maldives could help enable better protection of the apex predator, and South Africa’s new environment minister is seeking to settle a legal case aimed at preventing African penguins from going extinct.
Marine Protection
A decision is being made by the regional authorities in Madeira, Portugal, to reverse banning fishing in the Selvagens Islands Nature Reserve.
Denmark’s Environment Minister has announced that a much-criticised report, advocating for large trawl-free zones, will not be included in the upcoming negotiations on the Fisheries Commission’s recommendations.
Climate Crisis
Rising sea temperatures has been blamed for the population collapse of Alaskan snow crabs in the Bering Sea, and the influx of jellyfish in Costa Brava, Spain, causing medical attention for stings to rise by 41%. Scientists are also concerned that increasing sea temperatures will prevent mangrove habitats serving as sanctuaries for sharks and rays.
As the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) approaches, Australia is being encouraged to align with the position of its Pacific neighbours in reducing climate pollution. In addition, South Korea’s government has been told they must be more specific in how they will meet their 2049 climate goals.
Scientists have identified the Australian and Antarctic marine predators are most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. Further research indicates that there is to be reduced Arctic Ocean CO2 uptake, and discusses the role that the mixing of Atlantic and Arctic waters plays on the Earth’s climate. The Southern Ocean surrounding Antarctica is experiencing some of the largest and fastest effects of climate change.
Rising sea levels could also transform marshes into mudflats, releasing stored carbon back into the atmosphere and exacerbating climate change, luckily salt marsh habitats are receiving more support as time goes on.
Coastal cities must adapt fastest to climate change, and there is new research that has found limitations to how quickly technology can be scaled up to store gigatons of carbon dioxide under the Earth’s surface.
The UK government has said it will not fight a legal challenge against the new Jackdaw and Rosebank oil and gas fields in the North Sea, and is considering making further commitments on cutting greenhouse gas emissions, likely to be announced at the UN climate summit this year. Shell is to reduce its workforce by a fifth, in oil and gas exploration, to ensure meeting their 2025 target.
Aquaculture
UK fisheries minister, Daniel Zeichner, visited Scottish Sea Farms’ Vidlin salmon farm to see how farm-raised salmon is boosting the local economy of coastal communities.
Scottish Sea Farms’ landing craft, which sank last month, has been raised. ‘There has been a small leakage of diesel from the sunken craft’, but is reported to not have affected the quality of the fish at the nearby fish farm…despite having spilled 200 litres of diesel!
SalMar is being threatened with fines over high salmon lice numbers, which the Norwegian Food Safety Authority is claiming to be three times the maximum limit.
There is a new initiative that aims to enhance fish resilience and welfare, and an argument that seafood raised in marine waters have been claimed to have a smaller carbon footprint than those raised in fresh water.
The Scottish Government has opened a consultation on the proposed river gradings for the 2025 fishing season, which have been calculated from the annual assessment of the conservation status of wild Atlantic salmon populations in rivers across Scotland (deadline is the 8th September).
Misc
See the best photographs of wildlife this week here.
Webinars:
Open Communications for The Ocean (OCTO) is hosting a webinar on Innovative Tools for Measuring and Managing Ecotourism Impacts in MPAs (3pm on 17th September). Register here.
Open Communications for The Ocean (OCTO) is hosting a webinar on being a better coastal adaptation practitioner with behaviour change (6pm 19th September). Register here.
There is a webinar on restoration, creation and management of salt marshes and tidal flats – A collation of evidence-based guidance (12:30pm 24th September). Register here.
