WALPOLE, MAINE — In the icy waters of midcoast Maine, Bill Mook has his eyes on his oysters – and how the waters they need to survive are gradually, but clearly, changing. Down the coast near Portland, the issue is… Read More ›
Month: January 2015
“…oceans are taking a beating”
“… the latest pH level readings from the world’s oceans indicate that these ancient pH levels have recently dropped to an average of 8.1. As the ocean becomes more acidic, the life cycles of marine organisms, especially zooplankton primarily found in surface waters and at the lower end of the food chain, could be affected.”
Gillnet Restriction Possible in California
State lawmakers want to end a fishing practice that hauls in millions of dollars a year and puts swordfish on restaurant plates – and might be an all-too-efficient killer of dolphin and whales. The culprit is the drift gillnet. A… Read More ›
Protecting Coral
Visit “Students Take a Vacation Saving Coral” on Neptune 911 for Kids Take out a minute of your day, and watch this new video about deep sea trawling and protecting coral–one of the planet’s most endangered species. “Everywhere we go,… Read More ›
Microfibers Out of the Wash, Into the Fish & Birds
The fibers “get enmeshed in their G-I [gastrointestinal] tracts,” where they can pose physical and physiological hazards, explained Laura Kammin, pollution prevention specialist with the Ilinois-Indiana Sea Grant who worked with Mason on the study that documented fibers in Lake Michigan waters.
“Goop” Coats Seabirds in San Francisco Bay
Rescue workers stepped up efforts Monday to save 300 seabirds found coated with a mysterious goop over the past few days that officials believe was spilled or dumped into San Francisco Bay. The sticky, grayish, odorless material had killed at… Read More ›
UCSB Research Report: Ocean Wildlife Armageddon Possible
…our knowledge of the ocean and how we are affecting it is lacking – we have explored less than 5% of the ocean, so the official number of species human activity has wiped out could be much higher.
Marine Debris Ingestion Impacts Cetaceans
The debris found in the 37-foot (gray whale) male included more than 20 plastic bags, small towels, surgical gloves, a pair of sweatpants, duct tape, and a golf ball.
Marine Experts “Baffled” By Cuvier’s Beaked Whale Deaths
A SPATE of deaths of the world’s deepest-diving mammal around the west coast of Scotland has left marine experts baffled. Scientists at the Hebridean Whale and Dolphin Trust (HWDT) and Scottish Marine Animal Stranding Scheme (SMASS) say an unusually large… Read More ›
Radiation Plume Reaches Pacific West Coast
According to a study published on December 29, 2014 by the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, a radiation plume from the March, 2011 accident in Fukushima, Japan took about 2.1 years to cross the waters of the Pacific… Read More ›
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