Israeli Scientists Discover Why Soft Corals Have Unique Pulsating Motion; 'Siestas' Remain Unexplained
Jerusalem, Israel - Apr 23, 2013 23:26 EST
Scientists from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology have discovered why Heteroxenia corals pulsate. Their work, which resolves an old scientific mystery, appears in the current issue of PNAS (Proceedings of the National Academy of...

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...

Researcher Creates 'Boutique' Fish Farms For Ugandans To Combat Lake Victoria's Depleted Fish Supplies
Jerusalem, Israel - Feb 9, 2010 17:27 EST
In a unique project to combat depleted fish supplies in Lake Victoria, researchers from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and Makerere University in Kampala, have established 'boutique' fish farms in small villages around the Lake's shore in Uganda. Predators Local fishermen...

Researcher: Tsunami Waves Reasonably Likely To Strike Israel; '5 Meters High And As Far As 2 Km Onshore'
Haifa, Israel - Nov 5, 2009 09:38 EST
"There is a likely chance of tsunami waves reaching the shores of Israel," says Dr. Beverly Goodman of the Leon H. Charney School of Marine Sciences at the University of Haifa following encompassing geoarchaeological research at the port of Caesarea....

Study: Could Cannon Balls From The Early 19th Century Really Sink Warships?
Haifa, Israel - Jul 20, 2009 21:06 EST
A joint experiment carried out by researchers from the Leon Recanati Institute for Maritime Studies at the University of Haifa and staff of Rafael Advanced Defense Systems Ltd. has solved the riddle that has been puzzling researchers ever since they...

Japanese Corals Change Sexes On The Sea Floor; 'Males Are Less Expensive To Maintain'
Tel Aviv, Israel - Feb 20, 2009 18:18 EST
Trees do it. Bees do it. Even environmentally stressed fish do it. But Prof. Yossi Loya from Tel Aviv University's Department of Zoology is the first in the world to discover that Japanese sea corals engage in "sex switching" too. His...

UAE Environmental Ministry Issues Decree To Regulate Hunting Of Sharks
United Arab Emerates - Sep 28, 2008 18:28 EST
Minister of Environment and Water, Dr. Rashid Ahmed bin Fahd, has issued a ministerial decree on bye-laws of Federal Law no. 23 of 1999 dealing with the use, protection and development of water resources in the UAE. According to the decree,...

New Species of Blue Coral Found Off the Coast of Oman; 'Discovering a New Species is Very Exciting'
Muscat, Oman - Apr 30, 2007 14:47 EST
Two new species of coral have been discovered off the Omani coast, as well as other existing coral species that had previously not been known to live in the area. There are now estimated to be approximately 130 species of...

Researcher: Arabian Gulf, Coasts Facing Serious Environmental Pressures as Construction, Dredging, Reclamation Take Toll
Doha, Qatar - Sep 24, 2006 17:48 EST
The Arabian Gulf and the coasts surrounding various Gulf countries are undergoing tremendous pressure due to massive construction activities, says a researcher. With massive dredging and reclamation activities becoming common, the sea and its shores are facing serious environmental challenges, researcher...

Greenpeace: Lebanon Oil Spill Could Take a Year to Cleanup
Beirut, Lebanon - Aug 27, 2006 20:56 EST
Cleanup of a massive oil spill caused by Israeli air strikes on a fuel oil depot could take up to one year, the environmental group Greenpeace Mediterranean said Tuesday. The watchdog released pictures it said showed oil that had sunk to...

Group: Impact of Lebanese Oil Spill Not as Bad as Feared; 'We Don't Have Corals Here'
Beirut, Lebanon - Aug 25, 2006 17:47 EST
The impact on marine life of an oil slick off the Lebanese coast, caused by Israel's bombing of a power plant, might not be as devastating as had been feared, a Lebanese environmentalist group said on Friday. Shellfish, fish larvae and...

Dubai's Man-Made Palm Island Being Readied for Residents; Largest Land-Reclamation Project in the World
Dubai, United Arab Emirates - Aug 9, 2006 09:46 EST
With 14,000 laborers toiling day and night, the first of Dubai's three palm-shaped islands is finally about to get its first residents. The Palm Jumeirah, a 31-square-kilometer island group, is part of what's billed as the largest land-reclamation project in the...

British Millionaire's Dolphin 'Husband' Dies; 'He Vomited and Did Not Look Good'
Jerusalem, Israel - Jun 18, 2006 19:06 EST
Cindy the dolphin, who grabbed headlines after British millionaire Sharon Tendler said 'I Do' to him last year, died on Sunday following illness and like all creatures of the deep was given a burial at sea. "Cindy swam slowly and he...

Scientists: Hidden Prehistoric Ecosystem Discovered in Israel Cave; Eight New Species Found
Jerusalem., Israel - May 31, 2006 11:12 EST
Discovery of eight previously unknown, ancient animal species within "a new and unique underground ecosystem" in Israel was revealed today by Hebrew University of Jerusalem researchers. In a press conference on the Mt. Scopus campus of the Hebrew University, the researchers...

Lebanese Diver 'Threatened with Death' for Calling Out Dynamite Fishermen; 'The Situation is Worsening'
Sidon, Lebanon - Mar 23, 2006 18:19 EST
Replying to the fishermen's denial that they were using dynamite to fish, Lebanese Professional Divers' Association president Mohammad Sareji said he was "threatened with death" by one of the fishermen because he called for putting an end for this method. In...

The Big Deep: Behind the Scenes of the World's Deepest Wreck Dive
Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt - Mar 2, 2006 09:47 EST
I checked in at Gatwick Airport on Saturday, the third of December, with three very large dive bags containing all the necessary equipment to make a descent, hopefully, to the deepest wreck ever dived. Astraeus flights and Red Sea.com were more...

Obsessed tourist 'marries' Israeli dolphin; 'I'm not a pervert'
Eilat, Israel - Dec 29, 2005 00:00 EST
Till death do us part? An unusual wedding ceremony was held in the southern resort town of Eilat on Wednesday, as Sharon Tendler, a 41-years-old Jewish millionaire from London married her beloved Cindy, a 35-years-old dolphin, Israel's leading newspaper Yedioth...

Dubai to Build Massive Artificial Reef; 'A Surfers' Paradise'
Dubai - Dec 12, 2005 00:00 EST
Dubai is building a massive artificial offshore reef in the Arabian Gulf. The reef, in addition to promoting surfing will also protect the coastline and improve its marine life, a report said. The reef, called Narrow-Neck, will span 73,000 sq m...