Overfishing of South Africa’s already overexpoited marine fish stocks is greatly worsened by government corruption in the region, according to new research. The findings aren’t going to surprise anyone, but perhaps having it spelled out so clearly and succinctly in an official report will have some effect? “When I interviewed inspectors they are surprisingly open
We took up some basics about mangrove forests in a previous article, including how widespread and productive these ecosystems can be. Now people have begun to realize the importance of mangrove forests to the health of the planet. Not just for the obvious reasons, but for the single fact that mangroves are benevolent guardians of
Not much of a fish feast for the anyone with overfishing and pollutants in the waters. Thanks to Catholic Online.
Over the past 30 years, the food sources that most fish species in the northern Baltic Sea rely on — phytoplankton and zooplankton — have diminished greatly, according to new research from the Finnish Environment Institute. Overall, the nutrition available to the ecosystem as a whole has greatly lessened. “The amount of energy available for
Overfishing has had an incredible effect on the quantity and diversity of fish present in the oceans of the world, along with greatly reducing biodiversity. Because of this decline in fish numbers, and a number of complete fishery collapses, the industry is becoming increasingly dependent upon only a handful of shellfish species. And now, new
The Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) is a bit of a mouthful, but that’s rather the point. Penguins, seals and other land-based animals living on the Antarctic continent enjoy a privileged, if slightly chilly, position. The land they live upon is protected from human exploitation in a way no
Despite monumental technology advancements, the returns of commercial fishing continue to diminish. Sonar location, powerful boats, and thousands of miles of nets are producing today what a simple boat and net setup produced in 1850. It’s no mystery, there are fewer fish out there these days. Depending on the ocean, commercial overfishing has been
More on unsustainable fishing practices and Tuna From Greenpeace: The Tuna Industry’s Got a Dirty Little Secret From PlanetSave: Annual Quota of Bluefin Tuna Caught in 1 Week GreenPeace again: The harsh reality of longline fishing From SeafoodWatch: Seafood Watch Pocket Guide Joe’s cartoon archive, twitter ramblings and StumbleUpon page…
Here’s our roundup of interesting (good & bad) environmental and wildlife news of the week, other than what we’ve covered already. White House: Polar Bears Not ‘Endangered’ The Obama administration is sticking with a George W. Bush-era decision to deny polar bears endangered species status. In a court filing Wednesday, the Fish and Wildlife Service
Oceans in the 21st century – overfished, mismanaged, played out The world fishing fleet is now two or three times what is needed to take the available ocean catch and sustainably manage global fisheries. More than 100 million tons of fish are caught in fisherman’s nets every year. Yet researchers say that in the North
The ‘bearded goby’ (Sufflogobius bibarbatus), a small, common, prey species of fish, has become adapted to the “toxic” conditions near the sea floor of this pelagic zone. Analysis of the fish’s gut has shown that up to 60% of its diet consists of jellyfish–a marine creature few animals prey upon due to their venomous stings. Remarkably, the fish has become the pivotal player in a newly emergent ecosystem.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/v/7gouSXt2zE4&hl=en_US&fs=1] . Carl Safina, author of five books and over 100 scientific and popular publications on ecology and the oceans (including featured work in National Geographic and The New York Times), is about as expert as it gets when we talk about the oceans. In an excellent recent TED talk, Safina discusses the BP oil
[social_buttons] In 2003 “Nature” published a study showing that 90% of the large fish living in our oceans were fished out of existence. A group of scientists recently predicted, major seafood stocks will collapse by 2048. This is a staggering number, considering the technology and amount of people needed to cause overfishing is a relatively
Huw Irranca-Davies, the British Fisheries Minister has joined a list of actors, celebrities and activists demanding the Japanese restaurant Nobu stop serving the endangered bluefin tuna on their menus.
The first two sea lions were captured today in the joint Oregon and Washintgon sea lion killing program, with one being euthenized shortly after capture. The sea lions are being targeted because they eat salmon. [social_buttons] The animal was given a health exam when a veterenarian noticed a potentially contagious wound and decided to euthanize
Apparently sea lions like salmon a little too much. People in Oregon, Washington, and Idaho are threatened — they want all the tasty salmon for themselves. Okay, perhaps that’s a bit of an oversimplification. But I have to wonder — if salmon didn’t taste good, would people be going to such great lengths
Most of Earth might be covered with water, but the large population of bipedal animals that crowd the planet’s land masses is doing its best to leave its imprint on the oceans as well. A new study from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) finds that humans have had a heavy impact on more
