#marine-conservation

#marine-conservation

Despite being a small island nation, Palau became the first in the world to have adopted in 1981 a constitution banning nuclear weapons and created the world's first shark sanctuary in 2009, banning all commercial shark fishing in its waters. Between 2014 and 2015, the country experienced a rapid tourism boom, particularly with mass tourism from China, when annual visitor numbers reached a record 170,000.

Paddling through the inky blue water in Stockholm's outer archipelago, all I can see is scattered islands and birds. Some of the islands are mere skerries rocky outcrops and reefs so small they can host but a single cormorant drying its outstretched wings while others, such as our target Bulleron, can be a mile or more in length, with historic fishing huts, summer cottages and wooden jetties sitting among their smoothly weathered rocks and windswept forests.

On the digital platform, whale lovers can visualize the underwater migrations of eight whale species worldwide - and scientists and policymakers can look for new ways to protect those key routes from mounting dangers like ship strikes, fishing and climate change. Article continues below this ad In California's waters, the plight of whales was particularly dire this year, with a spike in deaths around the San Francisco Bay. Gray whales on the West Coast fell to about 13,000, the lowest number since the 1970s.

On a stunning late August afternoon, researchers from the Anderson Cabot Center for Ocean Life at the New England Aquarium set out on a small boat to write the next chapter in that story. Their mission is to implant tracking devices in juvenile sand tiger sharks. Their mood is buoyant, perhaps even giddy. That atmosphere is largely the product of Ryan Knotek, the shark researcher leading the tagging efforts. Most days, his work involves sitting at his computer writing proposals, he explains.

It's the UK equivalent of bullfighting. Next week, in Falmouth in Cornwall, anglers will compete to fish for bluefin tuna in a three-day tournament. Sponsored by companies including Suzuki and Shimano, it's a festival of cruelty and destruction, waging war on a magnificent giant which, in a rare instance of ecological hope, has begun returning to our shores. Where's the sport in this sportfishing?

In April, the United States opened one million square kilometres of the Pacific Islands Heritage Marine National Monument to commercial fishing, which had been prohibited for a decade.

Elton, a 3- to 5-year-old endangered Kemp's ridley sea turtle, was the star of the show on Coney Island Beach on Aug. 6, as marine wildlife and environmental organizations, local officials, and New York Aquarium camp participants and high school leaders cheered his release into the Atlantic Ocean.

For generations, wild abalone fed communities along the Pacific coast, from California to Alaska, prizing not just the meat but also the shells, which they transformed into ornaments and tools.

A Martin County Fire Rescue paramedic and a Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officer successfully rescued a large female loggerhead sea turtle trapped in rocks at House of Refuge Beach. The turtle, weighing about 300 pounds, was discovered by a local photographer who promptly notified the authorities. Together, FWC officers and firefighters lifted the turtle, enabling her safe return to the ocean unharmed. The incident emphasizes the importance of reporting injured wildlife to the appropriate authorities, as highlighted by the FWC's hotline for wildlife emergencies.

The trail features stories that highlight the reasons why ocean conservation is needed. Meaden said: "We see wildlife on land, and it triggers emotion: it is visible, tangible, and easy to connect with. The ocean is too often out of mind, and yet it is the beating heart of our planet - the force that sustains all life forms. If the ocean dies, so does the planet. It's that simple, and that urgent."

We're protecting the species out there, we're protecting their health, but we're also protecting the economic viability of our waters.

The AI integration is led by digiLab co-founder, Dr. Anhad Sandhu, focusing on using advanced AI solutions to change how coral restoration is conducted.

"So, each year we see close to a third of the patients the Marine Mammal Center rescues suffering from some form of disturbance or harassment out on the beach."

"We never stopped fighting, and justice has finally prevailed... We are thrilled the White House considered our arguments and determined this was an unjust prosecution."

The Turtle Trail is an initiative by Tusk to raise awareness about marine turtle conservation, featuring life-size turtle sculptures created by notable artists across London.

"It was my dream job... I was doing the science that informs regulation." - Lisa Neyman reflects on her passion for marine science and conservation.

At some point, I thought to myself, in medical school they don't train students to write obituaries. Medical school is about figuring out how to make things better.

The world is 71% ocean, but you wouldn't know it from looking at a standard world map. What's great about the new Ocean Map is that it encourages us to consider the world from a different perspective, one which reclaims the importance of the ocean on which we all depend.

"Funding sources for biodiversity protection are shrinking. There's a need for 'win-win' solutions that drive progress in the ocean-climate-biodiversity nexus."

It's deeply concerning to see a source of seafood that was once a sustainable choice in such decline.