The MCS and UK Wildlife Trusts are celebrating the Government announcement of the designation of fifteen new Marine Protected Areas around the UK coast, but believe further protection is still necessary if the seas are to be given a chance to fully recover after decades of mis-use and bad management.
Marine Conservation Zones
The Marine and Coastal Access Act (2009) created a new type of Marine Protected Area (MPA), called a Marine Conservation Zone (MCZ).
MCZs will protect nationally important marine wildlife, habitats, geology and geomorphology. The Marine Conservation Zone Project concerns the selection of MCZs in English inshore waters and offshore waters next to England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Sites will be selected to protect not just the rare and threatened, but the range of marine wildlife.
"The Chagos Archipelago represents a magnificent conservation opportunity that could be of lasting benefit to humanity. There can be few places on this planet that represent better value for leveraging spectacular returns. protectchagos.org
BBC New sea creatures found on Barrier Reef.
Bizarre new marine creatures have been caught on camara for the first time by Australian scientists hundreds of metres below the surface on the great barrier reef. Story in pictures
Taiwan eyes marine park despite fishermen objection AFP - 30/08/2010 TAIPEI (AFP) - Taiwan plans to set up a marine national park in the middle of one of its largest fishing grounds despite opposition from fishermen who depend on the area for their livelihood.
Why the case for GM salmon is still hard to stomach
27 Aug 2010:
Robin McKie: Proponents of GM promise bigger cuts of meat, more efficient farming and animals less prone to disease, but is it an unnecessary abuse of nature?
EU overfishing charges 'preposterous': Iceland AFP - 26/08/2010
REYKJAVIK (AFP) - Iceland's fisheries minister slammed as "preposterous" Thursday European Union allegations that it was overfishing mackerel and a threat of sanctions.
After decades, Estonians could regain seal hunting rights
AFP - 26/08/2010
TALLINN, Estonia (AFP) - Islanders from Kihnu, a small Estonian island in the Baltic Sea, could soon regain seal hunting rights after a 30-year break due to a soaring seal population over the last decade, an Estonian official said.
Return of the seals delights tourists in France AFP - 25/08/2010
BERCK-SUR-MER, France (AFP) - Victims of hunters, seals had almost disappeared from the coasts of northern France at the end of the 1970s, but in the past few years they have come back, to the delight of tourists.
Blowhole breakthrough with dolphins
Press Assoc. - 25/08/2010
Dolphin DNA has been extracted from breath exhaled from the marine mammals' blowholes.
New bacteria degrades oil faster, in deep, cold water? AFP - 25/08/2010
WASHINGTON (AFP) - A new species of bacteria found in the Gulf of Mexico degrades oil faster at deeper and colder depths than expected, scientists said Tuesday in a study that could explain how the BP oil spill has mostly disappeared.
Endangered Hawksbill turtles released off Singapore
AFP - Tuesday, August 24 01:04 pm
SINGAPORE (AFP) - Thirteen endangered sea turtles born and bred in Japan were released off Singapore waters Tuesday as part of efforts to conserve the species.
U.S. research vessel sees few signs of spilled oil Reuters - 24/08/2010
ABOARD THE NOAA PISCES (Reuters) - Scientists aboard a U.S. research ship have started an around-the-clock search for elusive signs of oil lurking beneath the Gulf of Mexico's surface in what they jokingly call "Operation Dipstick."
Thousands of dead fish reported at mouth of Mississippi
AFP - 24/08/2010
NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana (AFP) - Thousands of fish have turned up dead at the mouth of Mississippi River, prompting authorities to check whether oil was the cause of mass death, local media reports.
Norfolk coast's marine habitats awarded new protection
BBC News - 23/08/2010
"It's important that we preserve the life that lives around those sandbanks in perpetuity," said Jean Luc Solandt from the Marine Conservation Society.
Coral doctor sounds the alarm about more acidic seas
The Guardian -23/08/2010
Guinotte is a coral specialist at the Marine Conservation Biology Institute in Bellevue, Wash. The changes he sees in ocean chemistry spell trouble for the
Trawling 'threatens UK sponge beds' Press Assoc. - 23/08/2010
Deep-sea trawling is damaging the UK's sponge beds and threatening a potential source of medical cures, scientists warned.
Expedition aims to create high-tech map of 'Titanic' wreck AFP -22/08/2010
A high-tech expedition sets out from Canada Sunday to create a detailed map of the wreckage of the Titanic, nearly a hundred years after the fabled ship sank in the Atlantic killing 1,500 people .
Study measures Atlantic plastic accumulation
By Mark Kinver Science and environment reporter BBC News 20 August 2010 Last updated at 14:47
A study has measured the amount of plastic debris found in a region of the Atlantic Ocean over a 22-year period.
Brigitte Bardot pleads to Denmark in dolphin 'slaughter'
AFP - 19/08/2010, 06:44 pm
PARIS (AFP) - Former screen idol Brigitte Bardot and marine campaign group Sea Shepherd on Thursday jointly appealed to Denmark's sovereign to halt the annual killing of dolphins in the Faroe Islands, a Danish territory.
How Corals Fight Back
ScienceDaily (Aug. 18, 2010) — Australian researchers are a step closer to understanding the rapid decline of our coral reefs, thanks to a breakthrough study linking coral immunity with its susceptibility to bleaching and disease
Endangered sea turtles released in Thailand ITN - 11/08/2010, 00:30
An annual ceremony to celebrate the Queen of Thailand's birthday has been marked by the release of 779 green turtles.
Oil tanker suspected in penguin-killing slick near Rio AFP - 10/08/2010, 06:38 pm
RIO DE JANEIRO (AFP) - An unidentified oil tanker is suspected to be responsible for a petroleum slick sullying beaches north of Rio de Janeiro, where several dead penguins were also found, Brazilian maritime officials said Tuesday
Huge ice island breaks off from Greenland
ITN - 08/08/2010 , 05:28 pm
An ice island four times the size of Manhattan has broken off from one of Greenland's two main glaciers.
Search for sound's rare creatures
BBC News - 03 Aug 11:50 Marine biologists are to begin a survey of sites around Scotland to confirm the presence of important wildlife.
Marine life census shines light on biodiversity of the seas
AFP -02/08/2010
WASHINGTON (AFP) - Crabs, lobsters and other crustaceans represent the most common species in the world's seas, and the waters of Australia and Japan are the most diverse, according to a vast inventory of marine life published Monday.
Mediterranean most threatened sea on Earth
AFP - 02/08/2010
PARIS (AFP) - The Mediterranean Sea's exquisitely rich mix of flora and fauna is more threatened than marine life anywhere else on Earth, according to a landmark scientific survey released Monday.
Tuna meltdown: is there an alternative? The Observer, Sunday 1 August 2010
Numbers of bluefin tuna are so low that the species is heading for extinction. But there is hope for this magnificent red-fleshed, warm-blooded fish. Salvation may come in the form of Kona Kampachi, which is abundant and has the sushi bite of bluefin. Isn't it time we changed the menu and got tuna off the hook?
Predators and Prey, and Catching Turtles
By ELEANOR STERLINGJuly 30, 2010, 6:33 PM Dr.
Sterling discusses the complex species interactions that could help explain the high predator to prey ratios, and describes the effort to capture, tag and recapture sea turtles as the expedition winds down.
Galapagos removal from endangered list 'premature': body
AFP - 29/07/2010
BRASILIA (AFP) - A body which gives conservation advice to UNESCO on Thursday criticized the removal of the Galapagos islands from the UN agency's list of endangered world heritage, calling it hasty.
Galapagos dropped from UNESCO endangered list AFP - 29/07/2010
BRASILIA (AFP) - UNESCO's World Heritage Committee said Wednesday it has removed Ecuador's Galapagos Islands from its list of endangered sites, due to Quito's protective efforts in the Pacific archipelago.
Declining algae threatens ocean food chain: study AFP - 28/07/2010, 06:17 pm
PARIS (AFP) - A century-long decline in tiny algae called phytoplankton could disrupt the global ocean food chain, including the human consumption of fish, according to a study released Wednesday.
Malaysia may close more dive sites hit by coral bleaching
AFP - 28/07/2010, 05:02 pm
KUALA LUMPUR (AFP) - Malaysia may close three more popular dive sites in the South China Sea which have been hit by coral bleaching blamed on global warming, an official said Wednesday.
Biologists release endangered turtles into Gulf
AP, Jul 26, 2010, 09.39pm IST
PADRE ISLAND NATIONAL SEASHORE, Texas: Hundreds of endangered baby sea turtles embarked on a new life in the Gulf of Mexico on Monday with federal biologists hoping that by the time the tiny critters get as far east as the BP spill the toxic oil will largely be gone.
Voyage to the bottom of an oily sea BBC News, Florida - 26 July 2010 Last updated at 12:28 David Shukman takes a dive in the Johnson-Sea-Link II sub It's not for the claustrophobic, the seasick or anyone fearful of venturing underwater, but the mini-submarine operated by the Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute offers an unparalleled glimpse into the potential impact of the Gulf of Mexico oil spill.
Plastic bottles boat completes tour
pa.press.net - 2010-07-26T15:12:37
A boat made out of 12,500 recycled plastic bottles has docked in Sydney Harbour after four difficult months crossing the Pacific Ocean on a journey meant to raise awareness about the perils of plastic waste.
Arctic studies show dire effect of ocean acidity AFP - Jul 26, 2010
NY-AALESUND, Norway (AFP) - The icy Arctic waters around Norway's archipelago of Svalbard may seem pristine and clear, but like the rest of the world's oceans they are facing the threat of growing acidity.
Crucial BP oil well 'kill' delayed: US official AFP - Jul 24, 2010
NEW ORLEANS (AFP) - BP's crucial operation to permanently plug the leaking Gulf of Mexico well has been delayed and will now probably begin the week after next, US oil spill chief Thad Allen said Sunday.
Kent oysters blighted by incurable herpes Telegraph.co.uk - Heidi Blake - Jul 23, 2010
An outbreak of herpes is threatening to devastate Oyster stocks off the coast of Kent, experts have warned. By Heidi Blake Samples taken from the Pacific oyster species harvested off the coast of Whitstable have tested positive for type one oyster
Unique coral reef spurs Mexico tourism battle
AFP - Friday, July 23 05:04 pm
CABO PULMO, Mexico (AFP) - A 20,000 year-old coral reef, the only one in the Gulf of California, is at the center of a dispute over a huge tourist development which could draw thousands to a remote part of Mexico.
Over 30 turtles found dead in Guatemala IANS, Jul 22, 2010, 09.26pm IST GUATEMALA CITY: Over 30 dead sea turtles have been found mutilated and with signs of suffocation on Guatemala's southern coast, authorities said.
Whale 'sense of smell' revealed
BBC - Thursday, 22 July 2010 17:58 UK
Bowhead whales have a previously undiscovered ability to smell the air, a finding that could change our understanding of how baleen whales locate their prey.
Indonesia demands compensation for Timor Sea spill
AFP - Thursday, July 22 05:46 pm
JAKARTA (AFP) - Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono on Thursday demanded compensation for an oil spill off northwestern Australia that campaigners say destroyed fishermen's livelihoods.
Hundreds of dead penguins wash up on Brazil shores
AFP - Tuesday, July 20 03:59 am
SAO PAULO (AFP) - Hundreds of dead penguins and other sea animals have washed up on Sao Paulo state's shores and scientists are investigating the causes, environment officials told Folha Online news agency.
Oceans' growing carbon dioxide levels may threaten coral reef fish 3:51 PM PDT, July 6, 2010
The ocean's rising carbon dioxide levels may cause many coral reef fish to swim toward the smell of predators rather than away from them — and thus toward likely death, marine ecologists said Tuesday.
