Graph of the Day: Global fishing fleet capacity and productivity, 1975-2005

24 June 2014 (Global Oceans Commission) – The main drivers leading to overfishing on the high seas are vessel overcapacity and mismanagement. However, measures to improve management alone will not succeed without solving the problem of overcapacity caused by subsidies, particularly fuel subsidies. Overcapacity is often described as “too many boats trying to catch too […]

Ninety-nine percent of plastic pollution in the oceans is missing –‘Yes, animals are eating it’

By Angus Chen    30 June 2014 (Science) – Millions of tons. That’s how much plastic should be floating in the world’s oceans, given our ubiquitous use of the stuff. But a new study finds that 99% of this plastic is missing. One disturbing possibility: Fish are eating it. If that’s the case, “there is potential […]

Californians scapegoat the drought for wandering lions … and bears – ‘This is the third year of drought, and that’s three bad years of reproduction for wildlife species’

By Haya El Nasser5 June 2014 LOS ANGELES (Al Jazeera) – A bear wandered into a public park in San Luis Obispo County and sent Little Leaguers scampering for shelter. Who’s to blame? The drought, of course. Mountain lions are jumping fences in northern California and killing goats. Whose fault? The drought again. In California, […]

Disappearing puffins, stray whales, invading sailfish: The North Atlantic is in a bad way, and here’s why

By Rowan JacobsenMay/June 2014 Issue (Mother Jones) – The new poster child for climate change had his coming-out party in June 2012, when Petey the puffin chick first went live into thousands of homes and schools all over the world. The “Puffin Cam” capturing baby Petey’s every chirp had been set up on Maine’s Seal […]

Sick sea lions flood shelters in California – Pups wash ashore all along the coast amid what scientists say are strains on the ocean

By Jim Carlton 6 June 2014 SAUSALITO, California – Record numbers of distressed sea lions have washed ashore in California for a second straight year, the latest example of a marine mammal facing severe problems amid what biologists say is overfishing and other human-caused strains on the world’s oceans. From January through May, a record […]

Seafood industry under threat from global warming and ocean acidification – Total loss of landings to fisheries by 2050 ranges from $17 to $41 billion

By  Benjamin Alexander-Bloch28 May 2014 (The Times-Picayune) – The global seafood industry is under threat from climate change and ocean acidification, and reducing CO2 emissions is required to safeguard the industy’s future, according to a report jointly published Wednesday by the Sustainable Fisheries Partnership, the University of Cambridge’s Institute for Sustainability Leadership and Cambridge’s Judge […]

YesMan Mike Bonnano hoaxes the Reed College commencement address by claiming Reed has divested of fossil fuel investments (it hasn’t)

By Michael Jon Jensen23 May 2014 (Facebook) – An astonishing speech from YesMan Mike Bonnano as commencement speaker at his alma mater, Reed College — including a perfect YesMan event embedded within it. Worth the 25 mins of listening. So smart, so funny. “Graduating Reed College students and their parents gave a standing ovation Monday […]

First-ever deep ocean mine to destroy seabed for ore – ‘It’s a resilient system and studies show that life will recover in 5-10 years’

By David Shukman, Science editor25 April 2014 (BBC News) – Plans to open the world’s first mine in the deep ocean have moved significantly closer to becoming reality. A Canadian mining company has finalised an agreement with Papua New Guinea to start digging up an area of seabed. The controversial project aims to extract ores […]

Video: Trailer for 6 – Documenting the sixth mass extinction

25 April 2014 (Oceanic Preservation Society) – Utilizing state-of-the-art equipment, Oscar®-winner Louie Psihoyos (The Cove) assembles a team of artists and activists intent on showing the world never-before-seen images that expose issues of endangered species and mass extinction. Whether infiltrating notorious black markets with guerilla-style tactics or exploring the scientific causes affecting changes to the […]

Marine food web at risk from rising CO2 levels in water – ‘Fish become bolder, and they venture further away from safe shelter, making them more vulnerable to predators’

By Oliver Milman    13 April 2014 (theguardian.com) – A study by the Australian Institute of Marine Science, James Cook University and the Georgia Institute of Technology found the behavior of fish would be “seriously affected” by greater exposure to CO2. Researchers studied the behavior of coral reef fish at naturally occurring CO2 vents in Milne […]

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