For news, articles and updates on scuba diving, travel and the marine environment. http://news.scubatravel.co.uk http://www.scubatravel.co.uk/scubaicon.gif http://www.scubatravel.co.uk 61 45 The Egyptian Minister of Tourism has intervened to stop the sale national parks along the Red Sea coast http://www.hepca.org/media/news/2013/5/victory-for-red-sea-conservation-%E2%80%93-ras-hankorab,-abu-ghusun,-sharm-el-luli,-marsa-abu-mad-not-for-sa/310 http://www.hepca.org/ State of Nature report reveals that 60% of UK wildlife species are in decline: lack of knowledge on trends for most of the 8,500 marine species. Sharks, skates and rays face continuing declines and are severely depleted all around the Scottish coast. Harbour seals have declined by 31%. Almost no areas of pristine marine biodiversity left around the UK, as a result of increasingly intensive human pressures. Plastic pollution is a persistent problem in all areas. http://news.scubatravel.co.uk/marine-uk.html http://news.scubatravel.co.uk/marine-uk.html Divers willing to pay to help an artificial reef community http://icesjms.oxfordjournals.org/content/early/2013/05/22/icesjms.fst014.abstract http://icesjms.oxfordjournals.org/content/early/2013/05/22/icesjms.fst014.abstract A new survey shows that around the world, the fish caught in local nets are increasingly adapted to warmer waters http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn23546-worlds-fish-are-migrating-to-escape-global-warming.html http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn23546-worlds-fish-are-migrating-to-escape-global-warming.html Energy profiles of diving seabirds reveal they sacrifice flying efficiency to swim better, edging towards flightlessness http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn23572-why-penguins-dumped-flight-for-flippers.html http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn23572-why-penguins-dumped-flight-for-flippers.html Marine mammals like whales are well adapted to cope with diving to (and ascending from) great depths, what could cause them to suffer from decompression sickness? There is some evidence to suggest that noise pollution due to the use of sonar; seismic mapping and ships may be disruptive, causing mammals to make too quick an ascent to the surface. http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/saltwater-science/do_whales_suffer_from_decompression http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/saltwater-science/do_whales_suffer_from_decompression How much all glaciers contribute to global sea-level rise has never been calculated before with this accuracy. An international group of researchers has confirmed that melting of glaciers caused about one third of the observed sea-level rise, while the ice sheets and thermal expansion of sea water account for one third each. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-05/uoz-slo051613.php http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-05/uoz-slo051613.php Australia said it was pushing for a ban of any commercial use of a pioneering technique to reduce the impacts of climate change by fertilising the world's oceans with iron, according to a report in the Sydney Morning Herald. http://news.scubatravel.co.uk/ocean-fertilisation.html http://news.scubatravel.co.uk/ocean-fertilisation.html Scientists have learned that coral's symbiotic algae can scoop up available nitrogen, store the excess in crystal form and slowly feed it to the coral as needed. http://news.scubatravel.co.uk/coral-algae-nitrogen.html http://news.scubatravel.co.uk/coral-algae-nitrogen.html It might be regarded as some sort of sick joke that the Great Barrier Reef happens to nestle beside the heart of Australia's fossil fuel export boom. When the coal ships leave the Queensland ports, the two become one as the captains make passage through the 2300 kilometre/1430 mile-long reef - the world's largest. Now environment groups and the United Nations World Heritage Committee have decided this joke just isn't funny any more. http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/planet-oz/2013/may/13/great-barrier-reef-unesco-danger http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/planet-oz/2013/may/13/great-barrier-reef-unesco-danger Shabb el Erg and Shabb Fanus will be closed off to the public for a period of 1 month starting from May 15, 2013 until June 15, 2013. All tourism activities to these sites will be banned during this period and a 10,000 L.E. fine will be imposed on anyone that is found violating this legal decree, or engaging in any environmental violations or harassment of marine life. This strict measure is being implemented because of irresponsible activities and behaviors that are taking place there daily. It has come after a serious meeting between HEPCA and the Red Sea Governor on May 11, 2013. The harassment and injury to the dolphins, as well as the unsustainable use of these dolphin-resting habitats is leading to a clear deterioration of these important natural resources. The situation is becoming completely intolerable and represents the height of irresponsibility. Hepca have received many reports from concerned citizens about the unbelievable amount of boats there on any given day and the dangerous situation this is creating for people in the water. Boat operators have been witnessed chasing dolphins and crossing each other's paths dangerously close, while divers and snorkellers are right in the vicinity. The skippers and boat operators that are using these sites are creating a very dangerous situation that could lead to serious human injury or even death. http://www.hepca.org/media/news/2013/5/breaking-news-%E2%80%93-red-sea-governor-closes-shabb-el-erg-and-shabb-fanus/307 http://www.hepca.org/media/news/2013/5/breaking-news-%E2%80%93-red-sea-governor-closes-shabb-el-erg-and-shabb-fanus/307 Scientists have identified many benefits for restoring oyster reefs to Chesapeake Bay and other coastal ecosystems. Oysters filter and clean the water, provide habitat for their own young and for other species, and sustain both watermen and seafood lovers. A new study adds another item to this list of benefits: the ability of oyster reefs to buffer the increasing acidity of ocean waters. http://news.scubatravel.co.uk/oyster-reef.html http://news.scubatravel.co.uk/oyster-reef.html The southern right whales that use Peninsula Valdes, Argentina as a nursery ground have suffered the largest mortality event ever recorded for the species in the world. One hundred and thirteen calves died in 2012 alone. The Southern Right Whale Health Monitoring Program is working with scientists worldwide to determine why the whales are dying, but as yet, a common cause remains to be found. http://www.wcs.org/press/press-releases/whales-dying-in-argentine-patagonia.aspx http://www.wcs.org/press/press-releases/whales-dying-in-argentine-patagonia.aspx Scientists have developed the first global model that analyses the routes taken by marine invasive species. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-22397076 http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-22397076 Plastic debris is a serious environmental concern, as a physical pollutant as well as a chemical pollutant when it breaks down in the marine environment. A new study has now shown that plastics can also concentrate other pollutants, with significantly higher concentrations of toxic pollutants adhering to soft, rubbery plastics, rather than hard, glassy plastics. http://www.environmental-expert.com/news/plastics-can-concentrate-toxic-pollutants-endangering-marine-ecosystems-370774 http://www.environmental-expert.com/news/plastics-can-concentrate-toxic-pollutants-endangering-marine-ecosystems-370774 The tail of a seahorse can be compressed to about half its size before permanent damage occurs, engineers at the University of California, San Diego, have found. The tail's exceptional flexibility is due to its structure, made up of bony, armored plates, which slide past each other. Researchers are hoping to use a similar structure to create a flexible robotic arm equipped with muscles made out of polymer, which could be used in medical devices, underwater exploration and unmanned bomb detection and detonation. http://news.scubatravel.co.uk/seahorse-armour-robotics.html http://news.scubatravel.co.uk/seahorse-armour-robotics.html The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) has withdrawn its objection to Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certification of the Russian Sea of Okhotsk Mid-water Trawl Walleye Pollock Fishery, as an agreement has been reached. http://www.worldfishing.net/news101/industry-news/wwf-withdraws-msc-objection http://www.worldfishing.net/news101/industry-news/wwf-withdraws-msc-objection We're all too familiar with footage of ruptured tankers or busted rigs dumping millions of litres of oil into the sea, coating shorelines and animals in crude sludge. Many traditional methods of cleaning oil spills, such as breaking up the oil with dispersants or skimming it off the surface, are expensive, slow, and unsafe - and often don't really work all that well anyway. But imagine being able to quickly and easily slurp up the floating oil - and do it over and over again using the same material? This scenario may not be far off. http://theconversation.com/dont-cry-over-spilled-oil-use-nanosheets-13863 http://theconversation.com/dont-cry-over-spilled-oil-use-nanosheets-13863 Whales, dolphins and porpoises are to be photographed and their calls recorded during a new survey of marine life off Scotland's west coast. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-22198502 http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-22198502 Male humpback whales sing complex songs in tropical waters during the winter breeding season, but they also sing at higher latitudes at other times of the year. NOAA researchers have provided the first detailed description linking humpback whale movements to acoustic behavior on a feeding ground in the Northwest Atlantic. http://www.nefsc.noaa.gov/press_release/2013/SciSpot/SS1305/ http://www.nefsc.noaa.gov/press_release/2013/SciSpot/SS1305/ When whalers hunting more than 100 years ago tallied up their efforts they almost certainly didn't realise the data could be used to save the exact species they were killing. http://news.msn.co.nz/article.aspx?id=8649945 http://news.msn.co.nz/article.aspx?id=8649945 Governments meeting at the United Nations Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice this week in Vienna agreed to a proposal from Norway, to address crimes at sea that impact upon the environment, including fisheries crimes. http://wwf.panda.org/about_our_earth/blue_planet/news/?uNewsID=208395 http://wwf.panda.org/about_our_earth/blue_planet/news/?uNewsID=208395 Australia's coastline mining industry undergoing a boom as rules relaxed, but Unesco site to be protected under heritage rules http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2013/apr/25/great-barrier-reef-shale-gas-coal-mining-protests-in-australia http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2013/apr/25/great-barrier-reef-shale-gas-coal-mining-protests-in-australia Nature is a lot more resilient than we sometimes think. A study by Rutgers marine scientists published recently in Science shows that species of fish that have been overfished for decades can often be brought back more easily than expected once fisheries managers put limits on the exploitation. http://news.rutgers.edu/medrel/research/rh-2013-1/rutgers-study-shows-20130418 http://news.rutgers.edu/medrel/research/rh-2013-1/rutgers-study-shows-20130418 An angler who landed a giant skate after a 90-minute struggle says it followed a "classic Jaws moment". David Griffiths hauled the 107kg (16st 12lb), 2.3m (7ft 6in) fish to the surface off the diving area of Oban, Scotland. He said it broke the British record by about 3.6kg (8lb), but it was not official because it was not weighed on a quay or bank. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-22249724 http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-22249724 A new study on northern cod has concluded that the stock may never be able to recover to its pre-moratorium glory. The report said human error, as well as pressure on the industry, are most likely to blame. Dalhousie University biology professor Jeff Hutchings says decision makers in Newfoundland and Labrador did not give the cod fishery enough time to properly recover. "Looking at the size of the stock today compared to what it was on the '60s, it's still miniscule," Hutchings said. http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfoundland-labrador/story/2013/04/21/nl-cod-stocks-hutchings-study-421.html http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfoundland-labrador/story/2013/04/21/nl-cod-stocks-hutchings-study-421.html Food tests commissioned for BBC Northern Ireland have found two out of 10 products labelled as cod did not contain any traces of that fish whatsoever. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-22203709 http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-22203709 Today's extinctions are probably the result of ecosystem damage from the early 20th century, suggesting that our own extinction legacy could be far worse http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn23396-extinction-debt-suggests-endangered-species-are-doomed.html http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn23396-extinction-debt-suggests-endangered-species-are-doomed.html The sustainability of one third of all seafood certified as the "best environmental choice" has been questioned by a new study. http://www.fish2fork.com/en-GB/news-index/2013/MSC-accused-of-making-sustainable-certification-too-easy.aspx http://www.fish2fork.com/en-GB/news-index/2013/MSC-accused-of-making-sustainable-certification-too-easy.aspx It seems unbelievable, but it's true: many personal care products like scrubs and peels now contain plastic particles. So, every time we exfoliate or peel off those dead cells, we may be doing our bodies some good, but we're giving our seas anything but a make-over. As the products are rinsed off, they go down the drain and that means we are flushing plastic into our seas where it contributes to the 'plastic soup' problem. Sign a petition asking the manufacturers of these care products to replace all plastic particles with environmentally friendly alternatives, such as anise seeds, sand, salt or coconut. These are materials that were used before plastic particles. http://www.mcsuk.org/what_we_do/Clean+seas+and+beaches/Campaigns+and+policy/Microplastics http://www.mcsuk.org/what_we_do/Clean+seas+and+beaches/Campaigns+and+policy/Microplastics New Study shows that nearshore fisheries pose a significant bycatch threat that rivals the impacts of large-scale open ocean fisheries. http://www.conservation.org/newsroom/pressreleases/Pages/Turtles-in-Trouble-Sea-Turtles-in-East-Pacific,-North-Atlantic,-Southwest-Atlantic,-and-Mediterranean-Face-Higher-Bycatch-M.aspx http://www.conservation.org/newsroom/pressreleases/Pages/Turtles-in-Trouble-Sea-Turtles-in-East-Pacific,-North-Atlantic,-Southwest-Atlantic,-and-Mediterranean-Face-Higher-Bycatch-M.aspx More than 200 organisations have written to European fishing ministers urging them to end overfishing by 2015 and restore fish stocks to healthy levels by 2020. The call comes in the wake of the ministers' refusal to agree the measures despite an overwhelming vote for them in the European Parliament as part of a package of proposed reforms of the Common Fisheries Policy. http://www.fish2fork.com/en-GB/news-index/2013/Fishing-ministers-urged-to-listen-to-voters-on-ending-overfishing.aspx http://www.fish2fork.com/en-GB/news-index/2013/Fishing-ministers-urged-to-listen-to-voters-on-ending-overfishing.aspx The curbing of certain pollutants can mitigate future sea-level rise, according to a study led by Scripps Institution of Oceanography. http://scrippsnews.ucsd.edu/Releases/?releaseID=1341 http://scrippsnews.ucsd.edu/Releases/?releaseID=1341 A little good news on the climate change front, for a change: some marine organisms may be able to adapt surprisingly well to ocean acidification caused by carbon dioxide from burning fossil fuels. http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn23358-sea-urchins-evolving-to-cope-with-ocean-acidification.html http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn23358-sea-urchins-evolving-to-cope-with-ocean-acidification.html Minister Edna Molewa has formally announced the declaration of the Prince Edward Islands as a marine protected area (MPA) - Africa's first offshore MPA. http://wwf.panda.org/about_our_earth/blue_planet/news/?uNewsID=208201 http://wwf.panda.org/about_our_earth/blue_planet/news/?uNewsID=208201 Florida's endangered manatees, already reeling from an unexplained string of deaths in the state's east coast rivers, have died in record numbers from a toxic red algae bloom that appears each year off the state's west coast, state officials and wildlife experts say. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/07/science/earth/algae-bloom-in-florida-kills-record-number-of-manatees.html http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/07/science/earth/algae-bloom-in-florida-kills-record-number-of-manatees.html