Story by Charmaine Coimbra The diminutive Dr. Chelsea Rochman shared a big fish story. She reeled in tiny Japanese medaka (Oryzias latipes) for research, and landed big results–results that could change the way we consume and what we eat. She calls it “the… Read More ›
What’s more concerning is that plastic has been found to act like a sort of sponge, concentrating toxic chemicals that are diluted in oceans and lakes. Such toxins include heavy metals and chemicals that have long been banned, such as DDT or PCBs, that can have severe environmental effects and are known to cause cancer and birth defects.
Ten million scallops that have died in the waters near Qualicum Beach due to rising ocean acidity are the latest victims in a series of marine die-offs that have plagued the West Coast for a decade. Human-caused carbon dioxide emissions… Read More ›
New management is needed for the planet’s most important common resource Feb 22nd 2014 | From the print edition The Economist IN 1968 an American ecologist, Garrett Hardin, published an article entitled “The Tragedy of the Commons”. He argued… Read More ›
The most threatened species in the shark and ray Class are the sawfishes; all the world’s species are classified by the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) as Critically Endangered. The US population of smalltooth sawfish has declined by an estimated 99% while European sawfish are assumed extinct.
More than four decades after the U.S. halted a controversial ocean dumping program, the country is facing a mostly forgotten Cold War legacy in its waters: tens of thousands of steel drums of atomic waste. From 1946 to 1970, federal… Read More ›
by Jessica Aldred Tiny bits of plastic rubbish ingested by marine worms is significantly harming their health and will have wider impact on ocean ecosystems, scientists have found.Microplastic particles, measuring less than 5mm in size, have been accumulating in the… Read More ›
The fish, which are found in the ocean’s gyres, come to the surface to feed at night, where they ingest the plastic particles which resemble the size of their usual prey.
Several samples of the myctophids uncovered significant loads of plastic the size of appropriate particles inside the guts of the animal.
“We believe these organisms may hold part of the response to where is the plastic going, because … they are the dominant species in the gyres of the ocean.”
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today WildEarth Guardians submitted a formal petition to the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) seeking protection for 81 imperiled marine species under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). The 81 petitioned species span the world’s oceans and range… Read More ›
June 18, 2013 NOAA photo Less oxygen dissolved in the water is often referred to as a “dead zone” (in red above) because most marine life either dies, or, if they are mobile such as fish, leave the area. Habitats… Read More ›
Neptune 911! 