Scientists To Install First Real-Time Seafloor Earthquake Observatory At Cascadia Fault; 'You Have To Have Instruments Out There'
Wood Hole, Massachusetts - Feb 3, 2012 18:47 EST
damage Portland, Tacoma, Seattle, and Victoria, British Columbia, and generate a large tsunami. Yet there are currently no instruments installed offshore, directly above the fault, for measuring the strain that is currently building up along the fault. But a recent $1...

Scottish Seal Killings Can And Must End Say Campaigners; 'Indelible Stain'
Lewes, East Sussex - Feb 2, 2012 18:50 EST
The Scottish Government has just reported that a total of 362 seals were shot in the first nine months of 2011 under its new 'Seal Licence' scheme, introduced at the beginning of the year. In 2012, 58 licenses have been...

Study Finds Southern Indian Ocean Humpbacks Singing Different Tunes
New York, New York - Feb 2, 2012 17:41 EST
A recently published study by the Wildlife Conservation Society and others reveals that humpback whales on both sides of the southern Indian Ocean are singing different tunes, unusual since humpbacks in the same ocean basin usually all sing very similar...

Scientists: 'No Evidence' To Support 'Media' And 'Climate Change' Reports On Increasing Jellyfish Populations
Santa Barbara, California - Feb 1, 2012 20:00 EST
Blooms, or proliferation, of jellyfish have shown a substantial, visible impact on coastal populations — clogged nets for fishermen, stinging waters for tourists, even choked intake lines for power plants — and recent media reports have created a perception that...

Professor Uses New Supercomputer Model To Accurately Predict 2012 Seasonal Climate Patterns
Tokyo, Japan - Feb 1, 2012 19:52 EST
Professor Toshio Yamagata, Dean of University of Tokyo Graduate School of Science and Head of the Application Laboratory of Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC), has announced seasonal climate predictions for 2012 which are strongly influenced by only...

Scientists To Install First Real-Time Seafloor Earthquake Observatory At Cascadia Fault; 'You Have To Have Instruments Out There'
Wood Hole, Massachusetts - Feb 3, 2012 18:47 EST
damage Portland, Tacoma, Seattle, and Victoria, British Columbia, and generate a large tsunami. Yet there are currently no instruments installed offshore, directly above the fault, for measuring the strain that is currently building up along the fault. But a recent $1...

Study Finds Southern Indian Ocean Humpbacks Singing Different Tunes
New York, New York - Feb 2, 2012 17:41 EST
A recently published study by the Wildlife Conservation Society and others reveals that humpback whales on both sides of the southern Indian Ocean are singing different tunes, unusual since humpbacks in the same ocean basin usually all sing very similar...

Scientists: 'No Evidence' To Support 'Media' And 'Climate Change' Reports On Increasing Jellyfish Populations
Santa Barbara, California - Feb 1, 2012 20:00 EST
Blooms, or proliferation, of jellyfish have shown a substantial, visible impact on coastal populations — clogged nets for fishermen, stinging waters for tourists, even choked intake lines for power plants — and recent media reports have created a perception that...

NOAA Study To Satellite Tag Killer Whales Angers Canadian Conservationists; 'Risk Isn't Worth It'
Sidney, British Columbia - Jan 29, 2012 19:43 EST
A plan to tag the endangered southern resident killer whales that ply both sides of the international boundary between Canada and the USA is meeting with growing opposition, now on the Canadian side of the border. Despite efforts between Canada...

Federal Judge Allows Nonhuman Rights Project To Appear As Friend Of The Court In Peta V. Seaworld
Coral Springs, Florida - Jan 27, 2012 19:32 EST
Over the objections of both PETA and SeaWorld, U.S. District Court Judge Jeffrey T. Miller granted a request by the Nonhuman Rights Project (NhRP) to appear as an amicus curiae, or "Friend of the Court," in the case PETA filed...

Scottish Seal Killings Can And Must End Say Campaigners; 'Indelible Stain'
Lewes, East Sussex - Feb 2, 2012 18:50 EST
The Scottish Government has just reported that a total of 362 seals were shot in the first nine months of 2011 under its new 'Seal Licence' scheme, introduced at the beginning of the year. In 2012, 58 licenses have been...

What Do Killer Whales Eat In The Arctic? 'Whatever They Can Catch'
London, United Kingdom - Jan 29, 2012 19:26 EST
Killer whales (Orcinus orca) are the top marine predator, wherever they are found, and seem to eat everything from schools of small fish to large baleen whales, over twice their own size. The increase in hunting territories available to killer...

World's Most Extreme Deep-Sea Vents Revealed; Deeper Than Any Seen Before, And Teeming With New Creatures
Southampton, Hampshire - Jan 10, 2012 21:06 EST
Scientists have revealed details of the world's most extreme deep-sea volcanic vents, 5 kilometers down in a rift in the Caribbean seafloor. The undersea hot springs, which lie 0.8 kilometers deeper than any seen before, may be hotter than 450...

Researchers: 'Lost World' Discovered Around Antarctic Vents
Oxford, United Kingdom - Jan 4, 2012 18:32 EST
Communities of species previously unknown to science have been discovered on the seafloor near Antarctica, clustered in the hot, dark environment surrounding hydrothermal vents. The discoveries, made by teams led by the University of Oxford, University of Southampton and British Antarctic...

RSPCA: Don't Buy 'Fashion Accessory' Fish Tanks This Christmas
Southwater, West Sussex - Dec 9, 2011 21:14 EST
The RSPCA is concerned about the growing trend for 'fashion accessory' aquariums which are designed as ornaments rather than suitable homes for fish. We are urging Christmas shoppers against buying 'decorative' fish tanks such as globe-shaped bowls, tanks built into furniture,...

Professor Uses New Supercomputer Model To Accurately Predict 2012 Seasonal Climate Patterns
Tokyo, Japan - Feb 1, 2012 19:52 EST
Professor Toshio Yamagata, Dean of University of Tokyo Graduate School of Science and Head of the Application Laboratory of Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC), has announced seasonal climate predictions for 2012 which are strongly influenced by only...

Whale Wars: Japan Whaling Fleet Obstructed By Sea Shepherd Activists
Tokyo, Japan - Jan 5, 2012 19:19 EST
Japan's fisheries agency reported today that Sea Shepherd activists have interrupted the hunt for whales for the first time this season. The text of Japan's Institute of Cetacean Research press release follows: On 4 January the Yushin Maru No. 3...

Greenpeace And Palau Bust Pirates In Palau Shark Sanctuary; 'Occurring On A Daily Basis'
Amsterdam, The Netherlands - Dec 8, 2011 22:34 EST
Palauan fisheries officials have boarded and detained a Taiwanese fishing vessel suspected of illegal fishing activities during a joint patrol with Greenpeace of the Pacific Island nation's exclusive economic zone. The Greenpeace ship Esperanza and the Palauan patrol boat, PSS President...

Whale Wars: Japanese Sue Sea Shepherd And Paul Watson, Seeking Relief From Attacks On Vessels And Crews
Tokyo, Japan - Dec 8, 2011 21:26 EST
The Institute of Cetacean Research, the group heading Japan's whaling efforts, has filed suit again the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society in an effort to protect its vessels and crews from physical attacks from the controversial conservation group. Kyodo Senpaku Kaisa,...

Hong Kong-Based Peninsula Hotels Bans Shark Fins From Menus; Hopes To Inspire Others
Hong Kong, PRC - Nov 22, 2011 18:48 EST
In recognition of the threat facing the global shark population and in line with the Company's sustainability vision, The Hongkong and Shanghai Hotels, Limited (HSH), parent company of The Peninsula Hotels, today announced that it will stop serving shark fin...

Indonesian Shark Fishing Communities To Help In Sustainability Study
Perth, Western Australia - Jan 30, 2012 20:47 EST
A Murdoch University PhD student will spend a year living among Indonesian shark fishermen to investigate their impact on shark populations and the effects of conservation efforts on fishing communities. Vanessa Jaiteh hopes her project, beginning at the end of this...

Researchers: Complex Relationship Between Fish, Coral Beneficial To Both
Townsville, Queensland - Jan 24, 2012 22:01 EST
Lessons from tens of millions of years ago are pointing to new ways to save and protect today's coral reefs and their myriad of beautiful and many-hued fishes at a time of huge change in the Earth's systems. The complex relationship...

Research: Multiple Partners Not The Only Way For Corals To Stay Cool; 'Adapted To Local Conditions'
Townsville, Queensland - Jan 21, 2012 21:33 EST
Recent experiments conducted at the Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS) produced striking results, showing for the first time that corals hosting a single type of "zooxanthellae" can have different levels of thermal tolerance – a feature that was only...

World-First Discovery Of Hybrid Sharks Off Australia's East Coast; 'Detecting Hybrids And Their Offspring Is Extraordinary'
Brisbane, Queensland - Dec 21, 2011 19:18 EST
A group of leading marine scientists has discovered that sharks on Australia's east coast display a mysterious tendency to interbreed, challenging several accepted scientific theories regarding shark behavior. In a joint-UQ research project, scientists have discovered widespread hybridisation in the...

Scientists Discover Astounding Deep-Sea Sponges With Carnivorous Ways, 'Jaws Of A Great White Shark'
Newmarket, Auckland - Dec 13, 2011 21:14 EST
NIWA's Dr Michelle Kelly and a visiting scientist, Professor Jean Vacelet from Centre d'Oceanologie de Marseille, have recently discovered and described three "previously unknown species" of carnivorous sponges from the family Cladorhizidae. The scientists say that one resembles a "tiny shrub",...

Tour Of South Africa's 'Shark Route' Launched; Top Scientists, Photographers, Divers To Guide Trips
Mossel Bay, South Africa - Nov 28, 2011 18:15 EST
Oceans Discovery has launched the first ever shark route along the coasts of Southern Africa, home to diverse and abundant shark populations and some of the most incredible ocean ecosystems our world has to offer. The shark route...

Into The Deep Unknown: Scientists On A Mission To Explore Underwater Mountains In The Indian Ocean
Cape Town, South Africa - Nov 7, 2011 19:59 EST
Top marine scientists from around the world are setting off on a six-week cruise on board the RRS James Cook today to explore underwater mountains – or seamounts – of the southwest Indian Ocean Ridge. Their main focus will be...

Canoer Survives Encounter With Shark Off Reunion Island; Fifth Attack Of The Year
SAINT-GILLES, Reunion - Oct 5, 2011 19:06 EST
A canoer was attacked by a shark off the western shore of Reunion, a French island located in the Indian Ocean, east of Madagascar. Jean-Pierre Castellani, 51, was unharmed though shaken by the encounter. This is the fifth...

French Bodyboarding Champion Missing, Presumed Dead After Shark Attack Off Reunion Island; Fourth Attack In 2011
Saint-Paul, Reunion Island - Sep 20, 2011 12:19 EST
Mathieu Schiller, age 38, former champion bodyboarder, was reported missing and presumed dead after being attacked by a shark off the island of Reunion. The latest attack is the second deadly shark encounter at Boucan-Canot, a top tourist beach...

Get Out Of The Water: Seychelles Tourism Board Issues Emergency Decree After Second Shark Attack In 16 Days
Victoria, Seychelles - Aug 16, 2011 22:51 EST
The Seychelles Minister for Home Affairs, Environment, Transport & Energy, Mr. Joel Morgan, chaired an emergency meeting last night in his office to consider the unfortunate freak shark accident off the island of Praslin, which has resulted in the following...

Dive Legend Neal Watson Re-Elected President Of The Bahamas Diving Association
The Bahamas - Jan 24, 2012 20:11 EST
Dive legend and businessman Neal Watson has been re-elected for another two-year term as president of the Bahamas Diving Association. Stuart Cove, owner of Stuart Cove's Dive Bahamas in Nassau and Stuart Cove's Tiger Beach Safaris on Grand Bahama...

Downed Pilot's Nightmare In Shark-Infested Waters May Help Save Coral Reefs
Landover, Maryland - Dec 2, 2011 22:26 EST
Twenty five years ago, on December 4, 1986, Walter Wyatt's plane crashed in the waters of Cay Sal Bank, a remote area between Cuba and The Bahamas. It sank almost immediately. Walter, who now lives in Enterprise, Alabama, spent a...

St. Maarten: Warning As 'Edible' Lionfish Found With Poisonous Ciguatoxin; 'This Is Very Bad News'
Philipsburg, St. Maarten - Nov 22, 2011 19:55 EST
The Nature Foundation is recommending that the invasive lionfish not be eaten or consumed based on a recently concluded study where flesh samples which were taken of larger lionfish caught in St. Maarten waters showed levels of the poisonous ciguatoxin...

Turning A Problem Into Profit… Bahamas Resort Introduces Lionfish Nuggets; 'If You Can't Beat Them, Eat Them'
ALICE TOWN, Bimini - Oct 17, 2011 19:38 EST
With more than 400 servings of a new menu item last month, Bimini Big Game Club's General Manager Michael Weber and Chef Alvarez Bastian have found a recipe to help the environment and sate the most discriminating palate at the...

The Bahamas Government Bans Commercial Shark Fishing; 'Year Of The Shark'
Nassau, The Bahamas - Jul 5, 2011 19:38 EST
Sharks in The Bahamas can breathe more easily after the nation's government announced today that all commercial shark fishing in the approximately 630,000 square kilometers (243,244 square miles) of the country's waters is now prohibited. "2011 is fast becoming the...

Oceana Applauds ICCAT Decision To Protect Vulnerable Silky Sharks; Frowns On 'Half-Hearted' Swordfish Protections
Istanbul, Turkey - Nov 19, 2011 19:03 EST
Oceana, the largest international advocacy group working solely to protect the world's oceans, applauded the 22nd Regular Meeting of the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) today for establishing new protections for silky sharks, the shark species...

Researchers Discover Freshwater Springs And New Life-Forms In The Dead Sea
Beersheba, Israel - Sep 21, 2011 19:17 EST
Ben-Gurion University researchers announced today that they have discovered deep springs on the floor of the Dead Sea, which provide fresh water to the rapidly dwindling lake. Meanwhile, a parallel study by German researchers has found new forms of life...

Researchers: Soft Coral Builds Strong Reefs, Key To Health Of Oceans
Tel Aviv, Israel - Aug 16, 2011 23:03 EST
Scientists have long believed soft corals, one of the many endangered elements of marine life, are only minor contributors to the structure of coral reefs. But that's not true, says new research from Tel Aviv University — and the preservation...

Researchers Discover How Mercury Gets Into Fish We Eat: Oxidation
Jerusalem, Israel - Feb 28, 2011 21:10 EST
Researchers from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and the US have discovered the mechanism whereby dangerous mercury eventually finds its way into the fish we eat from the open seas and oceans. The researchers, Prof. Menachem Luria from the Fredy...

Oceana: Sharks Threatened By Asian Consumers; Fin Trade 'Driving The Oceans To Collapse'
Doha, Qatar - Mar 16, 2010 19:08 EST
Up to 10 million kg of shark fins (equivalent to the weight of more than 2,000 adult African Elephants) are exported annually to Hong Kong by nearly 87 countries, cites a new report The International Trade of Shark Fins: Endangering...

Research: Antarctic Krill Provide Potent Carbon Sink in Southern Ocean; Counteracts 35 Million Cars
British Antarctic Survey, Antartica - Jul 19, 2006 21:35 EST
Scientists from British Antarctic Survey (BAS) and Scarborough Centre of Coastal Studies at the University of Hull discovered that rather than doing so once per 24 hours, Antarctic krill 'parachute' from the ocean surface to deeper layers several times during...

Scientists: Unprecedented Number of Walrus Calves Stranded by Melting Sea Ice
Woods Hole, Massachusetts - Apr 13, 2006 18:19 EST
Scientists have reported an unprecedented number of unaccompanied and possibly abandoned walrus calves in the Arctic Ocean, where melting sea ice may be forcing mothers to abandon their pups as the mothers follow the rapidly retreating ice edge north. Nine lone...

Two new lakes found beneath Antarctic ice sheet; could contain unique ecosystems
Lake Vostok, Antarctica - Jan 30, 2006 00:00 EST
Lying beneath more than two miles of Antarctic ice, Lake Vostok may be the best-known and largest subglacial lake in the world, but it is not alone down there. Scientists have identified more than 145 other lakes trapped under the...

Research: El Nino events affect whale breeding
South Atlantic - Jan 11, 2006 00:00 EST
New research shows that global climate processes are affecting southern right whales (Eubalaena australis) in the South Atlantic. A thirty-year study by an international team of scientists found a strong relationship between breeding success of whales in the South Atlantic...

Global Warming Can Trigger Extreme Ocean, Climate Changes
San Diego, California - Jan 4, 2006 00:00 EST
New research produced by scientists at Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California, San Diego, helps illustrate how global warming caused by greenhouse gases can quickly disrupt ocean processes and lead to drastic climatological, biological and other important...