States at the United Nations have begun negotiating a new treaty to strengthen the legal regime for marine biodiversity in areas beyond national jurisdiction. Failure to ensure the full scope of fish biodiversity is covered could result in thousands of species continuing to slip through the cracks of a fragmented global ocean governance framework.
In the crystal-clear waters of Cenderawasih Bay, in the Indonesian province of West Papua, two researchers spend their days chasing down one of Earth’s most mysterious creatures: the whale shark.
A new QUT-led study has developed a statistical toolbox to help avoid seagrass loss which provides shelter, food and oxygen to fish and at-risk species like dugongs and green turtles. The paper describes key monitoring and management designs to maximise seagrass resilience to human activitie
Today, there are more robots exploring the ocean than ever before.
A proposal to strengthen protections for both shortfin and longfin mako sharks, hunted for their meat and fins, was adopted today after a 102-40 secret ballot vote at the global wildlife trade summit.
Emissions of mercury have declined, but levels in fish could still increase thanks to overfishing and a changing climate...Released by coal-burning power plants and other industries, mercury—a toxic metal—circulates in the atmosphere, enters the ocean, worms up the food web and, via the seafood w
Countries have agreed to strengthen protections for 18 threatened species of sharks and rays, including those hunted for their meat and fins.The proposal was passed at the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) on Sunday.
For years, Japan has killed about a hundred sei whales annually, claiming the hunts are for scientific research. Earlier this year, Japan announced that it had abandoned its sei whale hunts on the high seas. Link to full article below.
Amid concerns about tourist boats getting too close and scaring whales, tough questions are being asked about how the magnificent marine mammals are to be protected for the future. Link to full article below.
This Toolkit offers a suite of simple tools for collecting the sound scientific data needed for the conservation and sustainable management of shark and ray populations. The kit has been designed for use in regions with limited capacity and resources, and it contains practical step-by-step guidelines for collecting data by a range of methods. Appropriate tools can be selected depending on the particular data gaps relevant to local waters.
