Appeal for 'a new understanding' on fishery stocks

Galway conference hears how data from fishing industry would benefit sustainability.

Lorna Siggins, Marine Correspondent, Irish Times, Thursday 2 September 2010

Scientists plumb the depths to ask how many fish in the sea

First global census of marine life logs 230,000 species – but 10-year study by 360 scientists warns of mass extinctions. (Article & Gallery)

Study warns that Mediterranean marine life in greatest peril.

Interactive map.

How did they count all the fish in the sea?

guardian.co.uk, Monday 2 & Tuesday 3 August 2010

Census of marine life released

New species are continually emerging from the ocean depths, comprehensive record of biodiversity reveals.

3 August 2010 Nature doi:10.1038/news.2010.386

Biggest marine biology project in the world

The Irish Times, Thursday, September 2, 2010

Coral doctor sounds the alarm about more acidic seas

The critical role of the microscopic plants that act as a 'carbon sink' comes at a potentially devastating cost for the world's oceans: acidification.

from Grist, part of the Guardian Environment Network, guardian.co.uk Monday 23 August 2010

Britain prepares for mackerel war with Iceland and Faroe Islands

Scottish fishermen and politicians call for EU action after two countries raise combined quota from 27,000 to 215,000 tonnes

guardian.co.uk Sunday 22 August 2010

Fragile habitat of French mystery island 'risks being trampled underfoot'

Scientists say 'wonderful biological laboratory' of island that rose from stormy seas is under threat until official status guarantees protection

guardian.co.uk Wednesday 11 August 2010

Jellyfish sting hundreds on Costa Blanca beaches

Biologists blame climate change and overfishing for attacks along coast near eastern city of Elche

guardian.co.uk Wednesday 11 August 2010

Plankton decline across oceans as waters warm

The amount of phytoplankton - tiny marine plants - in the top layers of the oceans has declined markedly over the last century, research suggests.

bbc.co.uk, Wednesday 28 July 2010

Lionfish boom threatens Atlantic ecosystems

Population explosion of Pacific species is threatening wildlife in western Atlantic and Caribbean waters.

guardian.co.uk, Monday 26 July 2010

Eel checks out Deepwater oil leak

An eel has been caught on camera investigating the oil streaming from the damaged underwater well in the Gulf of Mexico.

guardian.co.uk, Thursday 10 June 2010

Red Sea coral growth 'to halt by 2070'

A species of coral in the Red Sea could stop growing by 2070 if current warming trends continue, say scientists.

bbc.co.uk, Friday, 16 July 2010

Marine scientists emerge from the deep with 10 newly discovered species

A six-week voyage into the deep seas of the Atlantic Ocean has yielded 10 possible new species which have revolutionised thinking about deep-sea life. Among the scientists on board the ECOMAR cruise were Monty Priede, Mark Shields & Thomas Linley. All also work on CoralFISH from OceanLab in the University of Aberdeen.

guardian.co.uk, Friday, 09 July 2010

Deep-sea sponges have healing qualities

Irish researchers have joined forces to search for new drugs and antibiotics retrieved from an unusual source, writes Beth O’Donoghue in the Irish Times

irishtimes.com, Thursday, 10 June 2010

Hooking the high seas' fishing 'pirates'

It's time to close the net on fishing "pirates" who threaten to undermine vital marine ecosystems, says Karen Sack. In this week's Green Room, she highlights the scale of the problem of illegal fishing and calls on the international community to act.

news.bbc.co.uk Viewpoint Tuesday, 1 June 2010

Acidified landscape around ocean vents foretells grim future for coral reefs

Underwater vents allow scientists to assess the acidic effect of carbon dioxide on ocean life.

Robin McKie, science editor, The Observer, Sunday 21 February 2010

Deep-sea trawling is destroying coral reefs and pristine marine habitats

A survey of the world's reefs and submerged mountains has revealed widespread damage from deep-sea trawling.

Ian Sample, San Diego, guardian.co.uk, Thursday 18 February 2010

New marine species discovered

Marine researchers have discovered 5,000 previously unknown species of fish, worms, anemones and other creatures living in our oceans as a result of the Census of Marine Life

Dick Ahlstrom of the Irish Times reports from the American Association for the Advancement of Science's annual meeting in San Diego.

irishtimes.com, Friday 19th February 2010

Meet the creatures that live beyond the abyss

The University of Aberdeen's Oceanlab features in this special on the BBC (UK) website.

news.bbc.co.uk, Friday 22nd January 2009

Shell shock! Octopus spotted using coconuts as shelter in first sign of tool use among invertebrates

Researchers 'gobsmacked' after watching species off Indonesia collecting and adapting shells for use as hiding place.

Associated Press / guardian.co.uk, Tuesday 15 December 2009

2009 Seamounts Cruise

A new project led by the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) plans to unveil the mysteries of seamounts in the southern Indian Ocean, and help improve conservation and management of marine resources in the area. A number of CoralFISH scientists are aboard the cruise.

The cruiseblog is at http://seamounts2009.blogspot.com/, and the BBC have also picked up the story and have some galleries of the weird and wonderful marine life that is being discovered on the cruise.

Tuesday 2 December 2009

New deep sea marine creatures revealed

Thousands of newly discovered creatures brought to light by a census of marine life survey, a 10-year study by thousands of scientists from more than 32 countries (link to video and gallery)

guardian.co.uk, Monday 23 November 2009

Commercial fishing threatens survival of albatross, conservationists warn

Scientists call for new measures to protect the seabirds as experts warn one albatross drowns every five minutes after becoming entangled in fishing gear (link)

Press Association guardian.co.uk, Monday 9 November 2009

Protected zones will help to save Britain's marine wildlife

Harmful fishing practices will be banned from UK coastal waters under new legislation to protect endangered species (link)

Lisa Bachelor, The Observer, Sunday 8 November 2009

Mediterranean EU countries block bluefin tuna ban

Malta, Cyprus, Spain, Italy, France, and Portugal block ban at Brussels meeting despite support from 21 EU governments (link)

Ian Traynor, Europe editor, guardian.co.uk, Tuesday 22 September 2009

Fish capture per country

Another link to the Guardian Newspaper's Environment pages, this time looking at the global fishing statistics.

Marine life: Illuminating the ocean

Twelve thousand feet below the ocean surface, biologists have discovered an entirely new family of sea creatures. (link)

This article is by Alex Rogers of the Institute of Zoology in London, scientific director of the International Programme on the State of the Ocean, and leader of WP6 in CoralFISH. In it he argues that 'Europe's fisheries policy is a showcase for mismanagement, characterised by disregard for science and sustainability.'

The murky waters of EU fisheries. (link)

This is a special guest post by Ken Stump of the Marine Fish Conservation Network for Deep Sea News, intended to help build awareness about how political action translates into deep-sea research and fisheries management.

New Habitat Authority for Fishery Managers and a Research Program at NOAA Raise the Profile of Deep-Sea Corals, But Will Protection Follow? (link)

Greenpeace in Stockholm has started dumping boulders into the North sea to prevent seabed trawling. (link)

Associated Press in Stockholm, Tuesday August 11 2009, The Guardian

Rather than compromise for EU membership, Reykjavik is in a strong position to protect its marine stocks for the future, writes David Cronin in The Guardian

Yes, Iceland can talk fish to Europe (link)

guardian.co.uk, Tuesday July 28 2009

Experts uncover secrets of the seas' past? Global study used to 'backcast' fishing trends ? Findings may help efforts to conserve stocks. (link)

David Adam, The Guardian, Monday May 25 2009

After a long history of overexploitation, increasing efforts to restore marine ecosystems and rebuild fisheries are under way.
Boris Worm and colleagues report in this paper from Science magazine.

Rebuilding Global Fisheries (link)

Science 31 July 2009: Vol. 325. no. 5940, pp. 578 - 585; DOI: 10.1126/science.1173146

The paper was highlighted by David Adam in The Guardian

"The End of the Line began life as a ground-breaking book by the environment journalist Charles Clover in 2004. It was an impassioned description of the wanton destruction being wreaked on fish stocks by industrial fishing round the world. It left me feeling both angry and despondent. Now it's been turned into a film of the same title, and it's a must-see" ...writes Felicity Lawrence in The Guardian.(link)

June 19 2009

No tuna, no salmon. No oysters, no skate. No cod and chips.
Imagine a world without seafood for supper. It's nearer than you think.

Andrew Purvis on the decline of seafood (link)

The Observer, Sunday 26 April 2009