10 Apr 2023
DNA testing has confirmed widespread – and probably illegal – international trading of critically endangered European eels. A research team led by the University of Exeter carried out “DNA barcoding” on products including jellied eels and unagi, which is used in sushi and donburi. With European eel populations at about 5-10% of their former levels, the EU […]
10 Apr 2023
Rarely observed circling behaviours of endangered basking sharks have now been explained as ‘shark speed dating’ courtship displays. Marine biologists from the Marine Biological Association (MBA), the Irish Basking Shark Group and colleagues have led ground-breaking research which reveals the circles of basking sharks seen off western Ireland are engaged in annual reproductive behaviour, the first place in the world […]
04 Apr 2023
The US government has released its new Ocean Climate Action Plan, a ‘roadmap to harness the power of the ocean to advance immediate, transformational steps to protect ocean health and address the climate crisis’. According to a White House fact sheet: “Acknowledging that there is no path to a healthy and livable climate without the ocean, the plan […]
04 Apr 2023
The BBC has reported that water companies released raw sewage into rivers and seas in England for more than 1.75 million hours last year. There were an average of 825 sewage spills into waterways per day, the data shows – down 19% on the previous year. The latest data, revealed by the Environment Agency on […]
04 Apr 2023
Under the Sea Fisheries (Amendment) Regulations 2023, UK-registered fishing vessels will be allowed to target picked / spiny dogfish (spurdog) as of 01 April 2023 in both UK and EU waters. Following ICES advice that the Northeast Atlantic spurdog stock is recovering and can support a significant level of landings for 2023 and 2024. Under […]
04 Apr 2023
Thousands of tonnes of dead shellfish were washed up on the shore from the North Sea on Teesside and the Yorkshire coast in October 2021. So far there has been no clear explanation for the deaths, but an independent panel appointed by Defra indicated in January that the probable cause was “a novel pathogen”. […]
04 Apr 2023
Oysters from south Wales are set to be transferred into the River Hamble as part of plans to restore marine habitats across the Solent, the Southern Daily Echo reports. Blue Marine Foundation, alongside the River Hamble Harbour Authority and contractors Jenkins Marine, laid the foundations for the largest restoration reef in the Solent last week. They laid […]
04 Apr 2023
Mexico has acknowledged that it faces sanctions from the international wildlife body CITES for not doing enough to protect the vaquita marina, a small porpoise that is the world’s most endangered marine mammal. The sanctions have not yet been announced, but they could make it difficult for Mexico to export some regulated animal and plant products like […]
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