Study: Fish the Primary Source of Mercury Contamination in Women
Ashville, North Carolina - Feb 8, 2006 16:11 ESTInterim results of the nation’s largest mercury hair sampling project were released today by the Environmental Quality Institute (EQI) at the University of North Carolina-Asheville. The report found mercury levels exceeding the EPA’s recommended limit of one microgram of mercury...
Galapagos Tour Operator Banned for Two Months Following Illegal Shark Fishing
Galapagos, Ecuador - Feb 7, 2006 19:20 ESTThe regulatory authority of the Galapagos National Park suspended Celebrity Xpeditions from operating tours in the Galapagos Islands for two months as a consequence of an illegal shark-fishing incident.
The authority also ordered Celebrity to pay a fine equivalent to the...
Research: Over 15,000 Shipwrecks Lie Buried on the Irish Seabed
Dublin, Ireland - Feb 7, 2006 18:35 ESTLustiania, the Cunard Line steamer sunk by a German U-boat off the coast of Cork in 1915 drowning all 1,200 on board, is one of the most famous shipwrecks in Irish waters. But a new study has discovered that the...
Researchers: Parachuting Allows Krill to Eat and Run
Cambridge, United Kingdom - Feb 6, 2006 19:18 ESTAntarctic researchers have recorded a novel behavior in krill that may help regulate greenhouse gases. Antarctic krill, one of the largest animal resources on Earth, parachute into the deeper layers of the ocean many times a night and sequester large...
Deaths Push Rare Asia DolphinsNearer to Extinction; 'This is Terrible News'
Gland, Switzerland - Feb 3, 2006 19:16 ESTThe death of ten Irrawaddy dolphins in the Mekong River in Cambodia is raising serious concerns about the survival of this already critically endangered population, warns WWF.
The global conservation organization estimates that there are only 80–100 Irrawaddy dolphins left in...
Whale soul for sale -- one tragic owner
London, England - Feb 3, 2006 19:08 ESTIt used to be a practice confined to pacts with the devil, but now an anonymous vendor in America is offering to sell the soul of the London whale.
The Northern Bottlenosed Whale died two weeks ago after swimming up the...
One fish, two fish: New sensor improves fish counts
Cambridge, Massachusetts - Feb 2, 2006 18:38 ESTResearchers at MIT have found a new way of looking beneath the ocean surface that could help definitively determine whether fish populations are shrinking.
A remote sensor system developed by Associate Professor Nicholas Makris of mechanical engineering, along with others at...
Shark kills US Peace Corps worker in Tonga
Tu’anuku Village, Tonga - Feb 2, 2006 18:31 ESTReports from Tonga say a US Peace Corps Volunteer died in Vava’u on Wednesday after losing a leg in a shark attack in the water off the village of Tu’anuku.
Tessa Horan was 24 years old and from New Mexico, and...
Aussie Croc Killed After Jumping on Passing SUV; 'No Time to React'
Jabiru, Australia - Feb 1, 2006 19:12 ESTA saltwater crocodile has launched itself at a vehicle in Kakadu National Park, sparking an unusual warning from rangers.
Croc expert Garry Lindner said the episode – on the Kakadu Highway near Jabiru last week – followed a swag of reports...
Dog Trainer Teaches Sharks Some Table Manners at Dutch Zoo
Rotterdam, The Netherlands - Feb 1, 2006 00:00 ESTBiology student Kavita Khemlani is a dog trainer in her spare time. For her studies, she works with animals that she can’t pet if they do their tricks right. Amazingly, she managed to teach the bullsharks and blacknose...
Water Can Used on London Whale Sold on eBay for £2,050
London, England - Feb 1, 2006 00:00 ESTThe watering can used to hydrate the whale stranded in the Thames has been sold on online auction site eBay for £2,050.
All proceeds will go to the British Divers Marine Life Rescue which led the operation to save the creature.
The...
Despite rescue effort, Maine salmon may be facing extinction
Maine - Jan 31, 2006 00:00 ESTMaine salmon might be facing extinction despite a $20 million, five-year rescue effort and inclusion on the federal government's list of endangered species.
The recovery program has focused on restocking Maine's rivers with native salmon bred in a hatchery, but few...
Tuna Industry Confirms FDA Findings on Safety of Canned Tuna
Washington, D.C. - Jan 27, 2006 00:00 ESTThe U.S. Tuna Foundation today called the continuing series of reports in the Chicago Tribune irresponsible journalism designed to alarm the public about a healthy and popular food when all government studies in the U.S. and abroad confirm that canned...
Cargo Ship Runs Aground at Philippines' Apo Reef National Park
Apo Island, Philippines - Jan 26, 2006 00:00 ESTSTRONG WINDS and rains caused by a low pressure area drove a Manila-bound Indonesian vessel from Malaysia to run aground at the Apo Reef Natural Park, a protected area in Occidental Mindoro.
The 2,003-ton M/V Marthen hit parts of the Apo...
Researchers: Killers Whales Demonstrate 'Cultural Learning'
Snowbird, Utah - Jan 25, 2006 00:00 ESTKiller whales, which lure gulls by setting traps, are now among the animal species known to demonstrate “cultural learning,” a phenomenon in which animals of the same species learn from other members of their group.
The new discovery was made by...
12 hungry crocs die at Zimbabwe farm, more rescued
Harare, ZImbabwe - Jan 25, 2006 00:00 ESTAt least 12 crocodiles have starved to death at a Zimbabwe farm, while more than 250 have been rescued, the Herald newspaper said on Wednesday.
It said the reptiles were at a farm owned by the chief executive of the Zimbabwe...
Rare Bit of Whale Vomit May Net Aussie Family over $1 Million
Streaky Bay, Australia - Jan 24, 2006 00:00 ESTA family on South Australia's west coast has discovered a rare specimen of whale vomit on the beach that is tipped to be worth over $1 million.
The specimen, known scientifically as ambergris, is sought after by perfume companies and worth...
Bends Bummer: Bahamas Recompression Chamber Dumps US DAN Insurance
Nassau, Bahamas - Jan 23, 2006 00:00 ESTIn a press release effective today, the Bahamas Hyperbaric Centre, LTD announced that they will no longer accept the Divers Alert Network (DAN) America insurance for payment of diving related injuries. All divers traveling to the Bahamas are advised to...
Watering Can from River Thames Whale Rescue Put for Bid on Ebay
London, England - Jan 23, 2006 00:00 ESTThe whale's would-be rescuers call it a "symbol of hope," but really it's a small, bright red plastic watering can of the sort usually favored by gardeners.
On Monday, the can - which was used to moisten the skin of a...
Study: Killifish thrive on pollution
New Bedford, Massachusetts - Jan 23, 2006 00:00 ESTNew Bedford Harbor in Massachusetts is one of the most toxic bodies of water in the United States, yet it is home to a thriving population of killifish.
"You'd think nothing, absolutely nothing, would be able to live in New Bedford...
Scuttled: Family Feud Threatens to Sink Cousteau's Legacy
La Rochelle, France - Jan 22, 2006 00:00 ESTIn an obscure corner of the old trawler harbour of La Rochelle, hidden from view by the building-site that was once the city’s fish-market and forgotten by all but a devoted few, lie the rotting remains of one of the...
Government Tests Confirm Mercury Levels in Canned Tuna Are Low
Washington, D.C. - Jan 20, 2006 00:00 ESTUnderscoring the safety of canned tuna for all Americans, new findings from the government's food safety agency -- the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) -- confirm that canned tuna contains
mercury levels that are very low and are considerably less than...