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Science
Recent studies have revealed that zebrafish use their taste buds to measure the levels of oxygen in the water, and that eels can escape their predator after being eaten.
Certain sea anemones have developed a way to become mobile…by moving in with a jellyfish! The genome of jellyfish movement and the Greenland shark has now been decoded.
New discoveries have been made about baleen whales, northern elephant seals, and the diet of a deep-sea isopod species. The diet of microbes has also been found to influence the effectiveness of carbon sequestration in the deep ocean.
Fisheries
It has been revealed that 200,000 birds are caught as bycatch from fisheries in Europe each year.
The Scottish Government has spoken on its commitment to tackling modern slavery within Scotland’s fishing industry. The welfare of fishers on vessels fishing for ‘ecolabeled tuna’, and those in Indonesia has been revealed.
As China is Norway’s third largest trading partner, the Norwegian prime minister has been visiting China to discuss their partnership on seafood.
The IATTC has approved a 50% quota increase in eastern Pacific bluefin tuna, and has extended the management measures for tropical tuna species.
Fishing fleets are ‘expected to shift poleward by the end of the century’. Overfishing, bottom trawling and fishermen’s health concerns were discussed on Farming Today.
British Overseas Territories
The UK and Mauritius are continuing their negotiations over sovereignty of the British Indian Ocean Territory and having discussions over a key U.S. Naval base.
Argentina’s F-16s are ‘unlikely to pose a threat to British ownership of the Falkland Islands’.
The much-cited statistic that ‘80% of biodiversity is found in Indigenous territories’ has been found to be incorrect.
Increased stress on the reefs significantly reduces the residency of grey reef sharks in the Chagos Archipelago.
The human-wildlife conflict in the Southern Ocean has revealed that the current size of the krill population cannot support both an expanding krill fishery and the recovery of whale populations.
Conservation
Salmon habitats are being restored by tribes in Washington, and there are rebounding sand tiger shark populations in Boston.
Foreign Secretary, David Lammy, met with Sir David Attenborough to discuss Labour’s vision for nature and climate, and Minister of State for FCDO, Stephen Doughty, describes the UK Blue Belt Programme as the ‘world’s largest marine conservation network!’
The number of stranded marine mammals that are actually found, has been revealed.
Marine Protection
Over 80% of the EU’s Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) have been shown to be ‘ineffective’.
Indonesia’s revised conservation law fails to mention marine and fisheries issues.
A ‘record-breaking 1,637 fishing nets’ have been recovered from the seabed by The Norwegian Directorate of Fisheries.
New research shows that Salish Sea waters are ‘too noisy’ for orcas who are trying to feed, and that crude oil pollution reduces the buoyancy of sea otter fur.
Climate Crisis
Concerns have been raised about climate change by a new study which has revealed that ‘6% of the total uptake of carbon dioxide by the ocean is due to rainfall’. Antarctic sea ice has declined to a record low for a second year, impacting on seabird’s food supply, and methane emissions continue to be rising whereby two-thirds come from human activity. Additionally, rising nitrogen levels from human waste have been found to increase the likelihood of toxic algal blooms.
Brazil has urged the EU not to go ahead with their new law which is aimed at banning imports of products which are driving deforestation.
Are rich countries silencing climate protesters? Almost 200 people were killed trying to defend the environment last year, and the EU is using ‘harsh, overly broad laws’ to silence them.
In slightly more positive news, plans to build the UK’s first deep coal mine in more than 30 years have been denied, and for the first time ever, renewables have overtaken fossil fuels in the EU.
Aquaculture
New MPs attended an event to learn more about Scottish salmon.
Three salmon farms in Scotland have been suspended from the RSPCA Assured welfare scheme following footage of salmon suffocating out of water for too long. There is further dispute over a land-based salmon farm in Grimsby, and the Conservative Party in Norway is promising salmon tax cuts if they are elected next year.
Plastics
Microplastics have been found in large pelagic fish in the Mediterranean.
India has ranked top in a study which mapped the plastic pollution hotspots.
Surfers are helping to solve Colombia’s plastic pollution problem, and a statewide ban on plastic bags in the US has been proved effective in reducing beach pollution. Greenpeace discusses what the priorities should be for the UK Government on plastics.
Misc
A mass slaughter of 150 white-sided dolphins took place on Saturday in the Faroe Islands, only for their bodies to be thrown back in the sea days later. Many fear a repeat of the island’s largest massacre which took place in 2021.
A documentary will be released on 18th September called ‘Fathaigh na Farraige’, which will explore Ireland’s hidden whaling past.
A captive-raised penguin which escaped an aquarium in Japan was found alive and healthy two weeks later.
