Snakes in the Drain: Python Alert After Malaysian Restaurant Dumps Protected Reptile
Ipoh, Malaysia - Jan 8, 2007 16:27 EST
Workers of a restaurant illegally offering python meat are believed to have released about 40 of the reptiles into a monsoon drain in Taman Bintang Fahlum. Firemen managed to catch six live pythons and retrieve a dead one, but the remaining...

Three Trawlers Detained After Destroying Artificial Reefs off Malaysian Coast
Terengganu, Malaysia - Jan 7, 2007 17:23 EST
The Terengganu Fisheries Department on Friday detained three trawlers for encroaching the marine parks off Pulau Kapas, Marang and destroying about 50 artificial reefs costing more than RM250,000 as well as coral reefs in the area. The detention of the...

The FV Hoi Wan Poaching Incident - Why the Rush? Questions Lingers Over Chinese Reaction
Manila, The Philippines - Jan 4, 2007 05:09 EST
Barely 48 hours after the apprehension of Hoi Wan was reported in Puerto Princesa, a representative from the Chinese Embassy was there clamoring for its immediate release. At the time, Manila media did not even know about the incident....

Chinese Poachers Charged, Jailed in the Philippines Over Wrasse Poaching in Marine Park
Puerto Princesa, The Philippines - Jan 2, 2007 18:39 EST
Rangers of a world-renowned marine park won a victory on Monday when 30 Chinese fishermen were apprehended for poaching protected fish species and were brought to the provincial jail in Puerto Princesa. Angelique Songco of the Tubbataha Park Management Office,...

Tubbataha Intrigue: Search on for Companion to Chinese Boat Caught with Protected Species at Philippines World Heritage Site
Manila, The Philippines - Dec 29, 2006 06:06 EST
Environmental groups and beleaguered rangers of the Tubbataha National Marine Park on Friday challenged President Arroyo to stand firm in the case of a 30-man Chinese crew caught with hundreds of the "Mameng" (Napoleon Wrasse), a protected fish species. Calls...

Chinese Poachers Caught at Philippines Marine Park Now Center of Scandal, International Incident
Manila, The Philippines - Dec 26, 2006 16:07 EST
They got caught red-handed with 800 live fish, including 300 of the endangered Mameng (Napoleon Wrasse), but 30 Chinese poachers apprehended on December 21 by rangers at the Tubbataha protected marine park may yet get to walk if the Chinese...

Japanese Scientists Capture First-Ever Video of a Live Giant Squid
Tokyo, Japan - Dec 22, 2006 07:19 EST
A Japanese research team has succeeded in filming a giant squid live — possibly for the first time — and says the elusive creatures may be more plentiful than previously believed, a researcher said Friday. The research team, led by Tsunemi...

30 New Fish Species Discovered On Borneo; 'The More We Look the More We Find'
Gland, Switzerland - Dec 19, 2006 16:46 EST
At least 52 new species of animals and plants have been identified this past year on the island of Borneo, according to scientists. The discoveries, described in a report compiled by WWF, include 30 unique fish species, two tree frog...

Study: Climate Change has Surprising Effect on Endangered Naked Carp; 'Metabolic Holiday'
Chicago, Illinois - Dec 19, 2006 16:06 EST
A groundbreaking study reveals an unanticipated way freshwater fish may respond to water diversion and climate change. Endangered naked carp migrate annually between freshwater rivers, where they spawn, and a lake in Western China, where they feed and grow. However,...

Indian Scientists Bid to Solve Seahorse Aphrodisiac Riddle; 'Extremely Complex Creatures'
Dona Paula, India - Dec 1, 2006 15:54 EST
Indian scientists are hoping to discover once and for all if seahorses are an aphrodisiac, a myth that has made the creatures a major hunting target for centuries and an endangered species. Seahorses have been eaten for more than 2,000...

Malaysian Scientist Discovers 10mm Mature Fish, Second Smallest in the World; 'A Childlike Fish'
Penang, Malaysia - Nov 14, 2006 17:35 EST
A Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) scientist has discovered a 10mm fish at maturity, believed to be the second smallest fish in the world, in a peat swamp in Perak. The unidentified new species was discovered by USM's School of Biology lecturer...

Group: Japan's Whaling Fleet Set to Sail to Whale Sanctuary; 'No Humane Way to Kill a Whale'
Shimonoseki, Japan - Nov 14, 2006 17:15 EST
The Government of Japan will tomorrow launch a fleet of six boats from Arukaport to commence a new season of whale hunting, despite a global moratorium and international outcry against commercial whaling. Japan’s self-allocated whaling quota permits its whalers to...

Environmentalists Warn of Shark Troubles, Urge Conservation, and Make Recommendations
Shanghai, China - Nov 10, 2006 17:52 EST
Experts on shark conservation, research and management from Australia, China, Singapore, United States and United Kingdom, recently participated in the International Shark Conservation Meeting in Beijing, China. The shark experts said many species of shark are facing a serious threat to...

Chinese Chefs Divided Over Shark Fin Use Amid Reports of Species Decline; 'No Banquet is Complete without Shark Fin'
Shanghai, China - Nov 10, 2006 17:28 EST
A new wildlife conservation report that rising demand for shark fin cuisine is endangering sharks has divided China's chefs, but may fail to convince connoisseurs to abstain from their favorite dish. Qu Hao, former chef with the three-star Feng Ze...

Japanese Researchers Find Dolphin with 'Remains' of Legs; 'An Unprecedented Discovery'
Tokyo, Japan - Nov 5, 2006 17:30 EST
Japanese researchers said Sunday that a bottlenose dolphin captured last month has an extra set of fins that could be the remains of hind legs, a discovery that may provide further evidence that ocean-dwelling mammals once lived on land. Fishermen...

Fear's Residence: Mystery Surrounds the True Nature of the Siberia's 'Bottomless' Lake Sobolkho
Siberia, Russia - Oct 27, 2006 18:05 EST
There probably is no one in Buryatia, Siberia, who hasn’t heard about the mysterious lake Sobolkho, which has a reputation of “fear’s residence”. This may seem unbelievable but the precise depth of the lake is still unknown, besides, the area...

Experts: One of Vietnam's Most Beautiful Reefs in is Danger; Explosives, Poisons, Overfishing to Blame
Ha Long, Vietnam - Oct 19, 2006 17:47 EST
One of Vietnam’s most beautiful coral reefs is in danger due to environment-unfriendly fishing practices and overexploitation, said experts after a survey of northern Quang Ninh province recently. The survey, conducted by the National Agency of Aquatic Resources Protection and...

Russian Company to Build Floating Nuclear Power Plant; 'Maybe It Will Turn Out Great'
Moscow, Russian - Oct 16, 2006 19:49 EST
A Russian energy company has plans to construct a floating nuclear-energy plant on a football-field size barge to deliver electricity to inhabitants of northern territories near the White Sea. Rosenergoatom said the 200 million U.S. dollar facility will be constructed next...

Group: 'Billions' Needed to Clean Russian Bay from Oil and Gas Project Pollution
Moscow, Russia - Oct 16, 2006 19:22 EST
Billions of dollars will be needed to alleviate the environmental impact in the Aniva Bay caused by the vast Sakhalin II oil and gas project in Russia's Far East, an environmental watchdog official said Monday. Mass fish and crab kills...

Report: China's Coastline Polluted, Improving; 24% of Offshore Seawater 'Bad'
Beijing, China - Oct 15, 2006 20:55 EST
Part of China's more than 3-million-square-kilometre marine environment is suffering from pollution due to land-based activities, an investigation report released in 2005 showed. The report said that about 24 per cent of offshore seawater quality was bad, while 67 per...

Thailand Installs Underwater Tsunami Memorial Off Phi Phi Island
Phi Phi Island, Thailand - Oct 11, 2006 19:58 EST
Thailand’s first underwater tsunami memorial was laid down on the seabed in Tonsai Bay, off Koh Phi Phi Don, in a ceremony on September 30. The memorial, 1.4 kilometers offshore and at a depth of 20 meters, took about one month...

Scientists: Rising Seas Could Leave Millions Homeless in 'Highly Vulnerable' Asia-Pacific Nations
Sydney, Australia - Oct 10, 2006 10:35 EST
Millions of people could become homeless in the Asia-Pacific region by 2070 due to rising sea levels, with Bangladesh, India, Vietnam, China and Pacific islands most at risk, says Australia's top scientific body. A climate change report by the Commonwealth Scientific...

Deep-sea Mining Vessel to Explore Waters off Papua New Guinea; 'Dawn of a New Era in Mining'
Port Moresby, Papau New Guinea - Oct 9, 2006 20:01 EST
Deep-sea prospector Nautilus Mineral Limited plans to use a specialized deep sea mining vessel to explore the [ocean] under their Solwara Project in Papua New Guinea. The company has entered into a heads of agreement with Belgium based Jan De Nul,...

Malaysians Come Up Empty Handed in Search for Man-eating Crocodile 'Bujang Bako'
Kunching, Malaysia - Oct 1, 2006 16:21 EST
Efforts to catch a man-eater crocodile, nicknamed "Bujang Bako" by the residents here after it devoured a primary school boy last month, have been futile despite numerous attempts by crocodile hunters. This morning a 3.35m-long crocodile was hauled up by a...

Study: Indonesia Coral Reefs Survive Tsunami But Not Cyanide Bombs
Aceh, Indonesia - Sep 27, 2006 22:33 EST
The impact of a tsunami on a coral reef is minimal in comparison to human-caused damage according to a new study published in the journal Atoll Research Bulletin. The research, conducted less than 100 days after the massive Indian Ocean tsunami...

World Fin Trade Industry Estimated to Harvest 23 to 73 Million Sharks per Year; 'Real Data'
Miami, Florida - Sep 25, 2006 20:06 EST
The first real-data study of sharks harvested for their valuable fins estimates as few as 26 million and as many as 73 million sharks are killed each year worldwide—three times higher than was reported originally by the United Nations, according...

Big Rush for 'Viagra' Fish in India; 'Spurt in Fishing Activity' for Once Little Known Fish
Mettur, India - Sep 20, 2006 20:35 EST
Business is booming for local fishermen here as demand has sharply risen for a fish variety, locally called Ayrai Kunchu, found abundantly in the Mettur reservoir, which people here believe is a sure cure for male impotency and a cheap...

Official: Over 80% of Coral Reefs in Philippine's Davao Gulf Degraded; Pollution, Cyanide Fishing Blamed
Davao City, The Philippines - Sep 20, 2006 19:47 EST
Less than 20 percent of coral reefs in the Davao Gulf are in good condition, an environment official in Southern Mindanao said in Wednesday's Ugnayan sa Royal Mandaya. “The coral reefs in almost all areas of Davao Gulf are in bad...

Renewed Dolphin Slaughter Prompts New Campaign; 'An Assault on Intelligent, Sentient, and Emotional Beings'
Providence, Rhode Island - Sep 20, 2006 19:26 EST
s the annual dolphin drive hunts begin in the Japanese villages of Taiji and Futo, a consortium of scientists and zoo and aquarium professionals has launched a campaign to end the practices through public awareness and by appealing to the...

Report: 'Health Time Bomb' as Hong Kong Fish Vendors Accused of Using Toilet Water in Fish Tanks
Hong Kong, China - Sep 19, 2006 17:21 EST
A microbiologist has warned of a potential health time bomb after it was disclosed that two government departments were sitting on their hands nearly two months after police had accused three Mong Kong fish vendors of filling their tanks with...

Death on a Plate: The Deadly Blowfish Could Be Your Last Meal in Tokyo
Tokyo, Japan - Sep 18, 2006 18:54 EST
ACT: Eat the wrong part of a blowfish and you can die within hours. Death on a plate arrives in so many shapes and textures and pretty arrangements that for a moment I forget this meal can kill me. But soon my...

Scientists: Two Sharks Among 52 New Species Found in Indonesian Waters; 'This is the Epicenter of Marine Biodiversity'
Oslo, Norway - Sep 17, 2006 19:23 EST
Scientists said on Sunday they found two types of shark, exotic "flasher" fish and corals among 52 new species in seas off Indonesia, confirming the western Pacific as the richest marine habitat on earth. They urged more protection for seas around...

Argh! Passing Pod of Whales Sink Indonesian Boat; 'Those Animals Hit Our Boat'
Jakarta, Indonesia - Sep 13, 2006 19:54 EST
A wooden boat carrying a crew of six sunk in Indonesian waters after it was hit by a pod of passing whales, a report said on Wednesday. The crew were rescued early on Tuesday by passing fishing boats after spending five...

Philippine Locals Threaten Oil Company Boycott Over Slow Spill Clean-up Efforts
Manila, The Philippines - Sep 13, 2006 18:14 EST
Local government officials and residents have called for a boycott of the products of Petron Corporation, the country's biggest oil refinery, because of its alleged inability to clear the 5,000-gallon oil spill. The spill in early August has destroyed livelihoods and...

Report: Philippines Oil Slick Spares 4,700 Acres of Corals
Guimaras, Philippines - Sep 10, 2006 15:46 EST
More than 47,000 hectares of hard coral in the coastal areas of southern Guimaras were found to have been spared from destruction by the oil spill, according to a team of scientists from Silliman University. Doctor Angel Alcala, director of the...

Local Gov't Gets OK to Build Dive Tourism Facilities on Sipadan Island; 'Foreign Press Exaggerated' Earlier Reef Damage Claims
Semporna, Malaysia - Sep 9, 2006 17:42 EST
The RM1.5 million tourism infrastructure boost for Sipadan Island has been given the thumbs-up, with industry players describing the decision as a step in the right direction to conserve one of the world's top diving spots. Managing director of Sipadan-Mabul Resort,...

Indonesia to Auction 10th-Century Sunken Treasure After Embarrassing Legal Row
Jakarta, Indonesia - Sep 7, 2006 19:18 EST
Indonesia plans to soon auction thousands of ancient ceramics, gold coins and glassware from a 10th-century shipwreck after ending a dispute with police who had seized the booty and arrested foreign salvage divers, a newspaper reported Thursday. In what turned out...

Report: Renown Philippine's Dive Destination Apo Island Not Exempt from Terrorists; Firearms Kept Hidden
Apo Island, The Philippines - Sep 7, 2006 19:02 EST
Apo Island's dive site is not exempted from the threat of terrorism, island village chief Mario Pascobello said. Pascobello said issued firearms of police officers are kept inside bags or they cover them in order not to frighten the visitors. Aside from...

Report: Divers Illegally Overcrowding Sipadan, Again; Over 200 Visiting the Environmentally Sensitive Island a Day
Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia - Sep 5, 2006 20:04 EST
An increasing number of divers are going to the environmentally sensitive diving haven of Pulau Sipadan, off the east coast of Sabah, illegally. The permitted number of divers per day is 120, but dive operators have been taking as many 200...

NBA Star Tracy McGrady Criticized for Eating Shark Fin Soup While in Hong Kong
Hong Kong - Sep 5, 2006 19:57 EST
US basketball player Tracy McGrady was criticized by wildlife campaigners Tuesday for eating shark's fin soup during a visit to Hong Kong. The 26-year-old NBA star, known as T-MAC, reportedly said he had been impressed by the soup - a controversial...