Plastics pose a major threat to seabirds and other animals, and most don’t ever break down - they just break up. Every piece of petrochemical-derived plastic ever made still exists on the planet.
Animals shed bits of DNA as they go about their lives. A new study of the Hudson River estuary tracked spring migration of ocean fish by collecting water samples and seeing whose DNA was present when.
Any relapse of piracy is likely to foster an even more dangerous brand of hijackings on Somali waters. It’s therefore an opportune time to address piracy once and for all.
Professional surfers have called for culling sharks to reduce the risk of attacks. A shark biologist explains why culling will not work and surfers should accept risk when they enter the water.
Marjolaine Krug, Council for Scientific and Industrial Research
The Agulhas Current is important to South Africa for a variety of reasons. Studying how it impacts the coast has been difficult using traditional methods. But gliders are changing that.
Coastal indigenous peoples consume nearly four times more seafood per capita than the world average and have strong cultural ties to the sea. Global ocean policies should preserve these connections.
One of the environmental legacies of the Obama administration is ocean reserves. Two ocean scientists explain why these are a critical but not sufficient piece of conservation.
The two countries share huge marine resources and opportunities. At the same time both face increasing challenges to their oceans and coastal regions from climate change and over-exploitation.
Plant-eating fish control the spread of seaweed and algae on coral reefs. New research explaining why populations of these fish vary from site to site could lead to better reef protection strategies.
Ships in Australian waters are getting bigger and more numerous all the time. We need a plan to help them avoid crashing into whales and other large sea creatures.
Thousands of seabirds die every year from consuming plastic trash in the oceans. But why do they eat plastic? New research shows that it produces odors that help some species find prey.
They ‘engulf living prey, suck out their innards, poison them, harpoon them, make them explode, and steal and reuse body parts’. And we ignore them at our peril.