News
The devastating trail supertrawlers leave behind
Have you heard of supertrawlers? There are currently eight Europe-registered supertrawlers licensed to fish in British waters. These are giant factory ships, usually over 100 metres in length, that can catch tonnes of fish, and whatever else is in their way, every day with their kilometre-long nets – for comparison, that’s three times the length of the Eiffel Tower.
Bluefin tuna are returning to UK waters so why is the Government so eager to kill them?
In our seas, meanwhile, one of the UK’s most exciting, rare species has returned all by themselves. But instead of being cherished and carefully protected like other magnificent creatures back from the brink, they are being hunted commercially to supply high-end restaurants with luxury meat.
The harmful practices of trophy fishing
While much is talked about the impact of commercial fishing on fish populations and the ocean’s health, recreational and trophy fishing also play a role in contributing to marine biodiversity decline. These don’t usually get the same conservation spotlight as people might feel there are more pressing issues when it comes to protecting the oceans. Supertrawlers, illegal fishing, ghost nets… those are urgent matters which need attention and immediate action. However, when we look at fishing as a whole, there’s, unfortunately, more to worry about.
Deep sea mining is a recipe for certain disaster
A team of scientists investigating a large area of the Pacific Ocean known as the Clarion-Clipperton Zone have found an astonishing 5,000 new species living on the ocean floor. The species they logged include previously undescribed varieties of urchins, starfish and sea cucumbers, as well as ‘gummy squirrels’ and other strange and delightful, transparent invertebrates. But the CCZ is under threat: it has been earmarked for deep-sea mining.
The truth about marine noise pollution – the effect of anthropogenic sound in the sea
Sound travels 4.8 times faster underwater than in air and in the sea frequencies below 1000 Hertz can transmit for thousands of kilometers. Sound is a form of energy that is manifest as a wave of changes in pressure. It can change in frequency, wavelength, and intensity. The nature of the medium through which sound moves (e.g., air or water), its temperature, and the pressure affects the speed and path of the wave.
It’s beyond time for the Faroese grindadráp hunts to stop
The grindadráp or grind, as it’s usually called, is a hunting method created by the Vikings over 1,000 years ago, which the Faroese have preserved as a part of their culture. This archaic tradition consists of driving entire pods of small cetaceans (mainly long-finned pilot whales, which belong to the dolphin family, and Atlantic white-sided dolphins) to shore, where they face a painful death.
Disinformation swells against high seas marine reserves
Birds on the African-Eurasian flyway are disappearing. Despite cross-continental governmental co-operations protecting both their winter breeding and summer feeding grounds, these massive aerial migrations continue to dwindle. Many birds are dying somewhere in between, in unregulated areas in the Arabian Peninsula, where as many as 4.6 million are shot from the skies every year. Protected areas can’t save migratory species who leave their boundaries.
Ocean plastic pollution is expected to grow fourfold by 2050
Ocean plastic pollution is expected to grow fourfold by 2050, and by 2100 there could be 50 times more microplastics. Many species are being pushed to the brink of extinction, with 88% of marine species negatively impacted by plastic pollution. It’s estimated that up to 90% of seabirds and over 50% of sea turtles ingest plastic.
The devastating trail supertrawlers leave behind
Have you heard of supertrawlers? There are currently eight Europe-registered supertrawlers licensed to fish in British waters. These are giant factory ships, usually over 100 metres in length, that can catch tonnes of fish, and whatever else is in their way, every day with their kilometre-long nets – for comparison, that’s three times the length of the Eiffel Tower.
Bluefin tuna are returning to UK waters so why is the Government so eager to kill them?
In our seas, meanwhile, one of the UK’s most exciting, rare species has returned all by themselves. But instead of being cherished and carefully protected like other magnificent creatures back from the brink, they are being hunted commercially to supply high-end restaurants with luxury meat.
The harmful practices of trophy fishing
While much is talked about the impact of commercial fishing on fish populations and the ocean’s health, recreational and trophy fishing also play a role in contributing to marine biodiversity decline. These don’t usually get the same conservation spotlight as people might feel there are more pressing issues when it comes to protecting the oceans. Supertrawlers, illegal fishing, ghost nets… those are urgent matters which need attention and immediate action. However, when we look at fishing as a whole, there’s, unfortunately, more to worry about.
Deep sea mining is a recipe for certain disaster
A team of scientists investigating a large area of the Pacific Ocean known as the Clarion-Clipperton Zone have found an astonishing 5,000 new species living on the ocean floor. The species they logged include previously undescribed varieties of urchins, starfish and sea cucumbers, as well as ‘gummy squirrels’ and other strange and delightful, transparent invertebrates. But the CCZ is under threat: it has been earmarked for deep-sea mining.
The truth about marine noise pollution – the effect of anthropogenic sound in the sea
Sound travels 4.8 times faster underwater than in air and in the sea frequencies below 1000 Hertz can transmit for thousands of kilometers. Sound is a form of energy that is manifest as a wave of changes in pressure. It can change in frequency, wavelength, and intensity. The nature of the medium through which sound moves (e.g., air or water), its temperature, and the pressure affects the speed and path of the wave.
It’s beyond time for the Faroese grindadráp hunts to stop
The grindadráp or grind, as it’s usually called, is a hunting method created by the Vikings over 1,000 years ago, which the Faroese have preserved as a part of their culture. This archaic tradition consists of driving entire pods of small cetaceans (mainly long-finned pilot whales, which belong to the dolphin family, and Atlantic white-sided dolphins) to shore, where they face a painful death.
Disinformation swells against high seas marine reserves
Birds on the African-Eurasian flyway are disappearing. Despite cross-continental governmental co-operations protecting both their winter breeding and summer feeding grounds, these massive aerial migrations continue to dwindle. Many birds are dying somewhere in between, in unregulated areas in the Arabian Peninsula, where as many as 4.6 million are shot from the skies every year. Protected areas can’t save migratory species who leave their boundaries.
Ocean plastic pollution is expected to grow fourfold by 2050
Ocean plastic pollution is expected to grow fourfold by 2050, and by 2100 there could be 50 times more microplastics. Many species are being pushed to the brink of extinction, with 88% of marine species negatively impacted by plastic pollution. It’s estimated that up to 90% of seabirds and over 50% of sea turtles ingest plastic.
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