New York harbor’s oyster beds once protected against severe storm and extreme wave damage
A recent study of past disturbance of the oyster beds in New York Harbor led by geoscientists is the first to link Europeans’ overharvesting and disturbance of the ancient shellfish beds to loss of natural coastal defenses against floods and storm waves.
Turning Oil Rigs Into Reefs; A Video
Environmentalists disagree over whether outdated oil rigs off the coast of Long Beach, Calif., can become an addition to the marine ecosystem.
Fish Poachers Push Endangered Porpoises to Brink
China’s lucrative black market for fish parts is threatening the vaquita, the world’s most endangered marine mammal. The porpoises, who live only in the Gulf of California, are getting caught up as bycatch in illegal gill nets and killed. Scientists fear the porpoise could vanish by 2018.
Farmed salmon are different at DNA level than wild salmon in hundreds of ways
A new study offers genetic evidence that wild and hatchery fish are different at the DNA level, and that they can become different with surprising speed. After only one generation of hatchery culture, the offspring of wild fish and first-generation hatchery fish differed in the activity of more than 700 genes.
Overfishing is as big a threat to humanity as it is to our oceans
There has never been a more urgent time for seafood businesses and fishing nations to make a commitment to sustainability. The world’s oceans are in trouble, with marine life plummeting and the people who are dependent on the sea for income and food left increasingly vulnerable.
Toxic chemicals found in beached pilot whales in Scotland
Scientists have found clear evidence that whales are absorbing high levels of toxic heavy metals, with cadmium found in the brains of pilot whales which washed up in Scotland.
Penang’s land reclamation may harm coastal communities, Malaysia
Environmental NGO says such projects could also harm the environment and cause erosion, as well as loss of coastal resources.
Human-made underwater sound may have wider ecosystem effects than previously thought
Underwater sound linked to human activity could alter the behaviour of seabed creatures that play a vital role in marine ecosystems, according to new research.
No One Knows Why Sperm Whales Are Stranding On Europe’s North Sea Beaches
A sixth sperm whale has died on a British beach, the latest of nearly 30 to have become stranded in shallow waters on the coastline of Europe’s North Sea over the past month.