The Next Food Revolution: Fish Farming?
Farmed seafood exceeded global beef production for the first time in 2011 and now provides about half of all fish consumed by humans. Yet aquaculture comes with a host of problems, from pollution of coastal areas and ecosystems, to sanitary issues and diseases, to the major challenge facing aquaculture: the issue of fish feed.
Plastic Litter Taints the Sea Surface, Even in the Arctic
For the first time, researchers show that marine litter can even be found at the sea surface of Arctic waters. Though it remains unclear how the litter made it so far north, it is likely to pose new problems for local marine life, the authors report.
Sunscreen Chemical Imperils Coral Reefs Around the Globe
Sunscreen contains a chemical – Oxybenzone – that scientists believe is causing massive damage to coral reefs worldwide and threatens their very existence, researchers warn.
US Curbs Arctic Offshore Oil and Gas Drilling
The US government has announced new curbs on oil and gas exploration in Arctic waters off Alaska’s northern coast.
Plastic oceans: What do we know?
When it comes to throwing away rubbish, “away” is not some abstract space but a real location… About eight million tonnes of plastic waste are added to the oceans every year. An Exeter University research estimated that anyone consuming an average amount of seafood would ingest about 11,000 plastic particles a year.
Sea Turtles Face Plastic Pollution Peril
A new global review that set out to investigate the hazards of marine plastic pollution has warned that all seven species of marine turtles can ingest or become entangled in the discarded debris that currently litters the oceans, and nesting beaches.
Bronx Artist Transforms Discarded Plastic Into Playful Sculptures
Daniel Lanzilotta started collecting plastic on the beaches of southern France. While his son played, the Bronx native collected the often tiny fragments of plastic he found in the sand, and soon began pocketing these items and making them into sculptures. Over the course of several years, as fresh debris washed up on the shore every day, he realized what a huge problem plastic pollution is for the environment.
Study: Polluted Runoff Reaches Beaches, NC
Septic tanks and bird droppings contribute to the stew of pollutants that pour into the ocean during and after storms on the Outer Banks, but measures to remediate the toxic flow could prove to be costly and difficult.
What it Means: Shell Abandons Arctic Oil Drilling
Shell is giving up on its expensive and controversial push to produce oil in Alaska’s Arctic waters, a decision that darkens the long-term oil prospects of the U.S. and brings relief to environmental groups that had tried desperately to block the project.