Japanese whaling boats set sail yesterday for the Pacific Ocean with their sights set on a target of 260 whales. They are sailing under the scientific research exemption of the whaling ban. Two whaling vessels, the Yushin Maru and Yushin Maru … Continue reading
There’s very few wildlife documentaries that can stun people into silence but the 2009 film ‘The Cove’ certainly did that. It was a wildlife film about the annual dolphin hunt in the Japanese village of Taiji. Each year hundreds of dolphins are rounded up, … Continue reading
Three leading international NGO’s have reacted with concerns over news reports that Iceland will be resuming its hunt for endangered fin whales from June. The hunt is expected to last for 3 months. Iceland stopped its fin whale hunt last … Continue reading
Probably one of the most wasteful procedures that humans undertake in our relationship with the natural world – or ecological system processes to give it a more modern term – is fish discard. When we go out to harvest the … Continue reading
Fisheries ministers from the EU countries have just finished a meeting over the future direction of EU fisheries policy. While a lot of attention has been put at the wasteful practise of discards the practise of shark finning was also discussed and is set to … Continue reading
A team of marine biologists used video cameras attached to the backs of leatherback turtles to find out a little more about the eating habits of these fascinating creatures. Can it really be worthwhile turtles migrating thousands of miles to … Continue reading
Divers will travel the world to get to good locations to dive with sharks. It can be big money too. Some dive operators will feed an area to attract sharks for their clients but it’s a controversial practice. In some regions such as Florida … Continue reading
Shark finning is decimating shark populations across the world. The sharks are caught then the fins removed and the sharks – sometimes still alive but fatally wounded – are thrown back overboard. Some countries have regulations limiting the amount of … Continue reading
A investigation of the tropical coral reef system along the coastline of Kenya has found tragic effects of overfishing that could endanger the long-term health of the reefs. Led by scientists at the University of California, Santa Cruz, the analysis … Continue reading
A study by the University of Florida has revealed that 2011 saw a doubling of people killed by shark attacks compared with 2010. The mortality rate of shark attacks outside the United States has also surged from an average of … Continue reading
Captive dolphins are known to be very good mimics of what they hear. Until now it’s thought that they only mimic things when they are performing and associate the sound with the performance. French researchers have discovered that dolphins will also mimic whale songs from … Continue reading
Temperatures play an important part in turtle reproduction. When temperatures are high the eggs will produce more females than males. With rising global temperatures this could pose some problems for turtles. Too many females and not enough males could lead to inbreeding as the … Continue reading
Carbon dioxide concentrations are not just increasing in the air, dissolved CO2 levels in our oceans and seas are also increasing. The oceans are quick to take CO2 out of the atmosphere and that’s beneficial for life on the surface. But as … Continue reading
It’s all too common to hear about marine mammals being driven towards extinction thanks to the actions of humans. But humans are not the only member of the natural world that can impact on the survival of another species. A … Continue reading
There’s lots of interest at the moment about how humans are impacting on the natural sounds of the oceans and seas. With increasing shipping and use of sonar and other sound based technology the background noise of the marine environment … Continue reading
A study by a team of marine scientists have put the cost of the annual anti-whaling activities by conservation groups at around USD25 million. The problem is that despite this substantial cost the activities have had little real effect. The reality is that despite the occasional successful year the numbers … Continue reading
A new study has been proclaimed a classic in its own time and could be the basis of a new Golden Rule for bird ecology. The new study discovered that ensuring that fish stocks remain above a third of the … Continue reading
Campaigning, changing tastes and environmental responsibility have all played a role in helping to reduces demand for shark fin product in Singapore. But a single Facebook status update may have been the one of the most effective ways of reducing … Continue reading
A new report released by the UK Cetacean Strandings Investigation Programme (CSIP) has highlighted that over the last 6 years more than 3400 marine animals came ashore on the beaches of Britain. Whales, dolphins and basking sharks were just some of the sea creatures to … Continue reading
It is one of the most successful rebounds of whale population numbers since the ending of whaling in 1966. The latest estimates of Humpback whales in the North Pacific has been put at over 21,000. The new estimates were put together by … Continue reading
