Marine News Roundup

Welcome to our second edition of the Marine News Roundup; hand-picked stories we feel you will find interesting! Please feel free to comment and tell us which stories you liked best, as well as any feedback.

"Shell North Sea Oil Spill Worst in a Decade"
Last week, Shell's Gannet Alpha production platform, 112 miles off Aberdeen, began to leak oil into the North Sea. So far it has discharged around 218 tonnes (1,300 barrels) of oil, making it the biggest spill on the UK continental shelf since the spill in the Hutton field in 2000, when around 350 tonnes of oil were released. An enquiry has been launched by inspectors from the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) and it is already known that the oil is not originating from the well, which has been shut off, but from the network of pipes on the seabed 300ft below the platform. Shell have said that the initial leak point was sealed off last Thursday, but a smaller "residual" flow was still leaking from another source, as yet unidentified but believed to be a relief valve within the same area of piping. Conservationists have expressed fears about potential harm to seabirds and other marine life. The oil spill has received national news coverage, for example from The Independent and The Telegraph. With reports of fish still falling sick in the Gulf, for which the BP oil spill is being blamed, and oil companies now claiming they can drill "safely" in the Arctic Ocean, questions are being raised as to what would happen if there was on oil spill in the Arctic? It is a fragile and more forbidding environment and already suffering the effects of climate change. Shell Oil have this month been granted conditional approval to drill four exploratory wells next summer in Alaska's Beaufort Sea. Campaigners and scientists are currently monitoring the oil companies’ plans closely and hope to win more protections to keep coasts safe from oil spills.

"Offshore Windfarms May Promote Biodiversity"
A new Dutch study has found that offshore wind farms may promote biodiversity. The base of the turbines and surrounding rocks can provide habitats for marine animals that live on the sea floor, and can attract numerous fish species and even porpoises. Location and sea depth play a crucial role in minimising the effects of a wind farm, and strategic placement of wind farms can prevent them from interfering with birds' flight patterns. However, offshore wind turbines generate undersea noise that can disorient or damage the eardrums of cetaceans such as whales and porpoises. Greenpeace and the German Federal Agency for Nature Conservation advocate the use of a 'bubble curtain' to soften noises around construction sites and protect cetaceans' hearing, and construction should wait if cetaceans are present. Further studies will be needed to verify the results of this study.

Are Unicorns Real?
BBC Earth's latest blog takes a light-hearted look at their Top 5 Mythical Creatures. Check out number 4 - Mermaids. According to BBC Earth, "...these marine temptresses are more real than their mythology suggests." It is believed that sightings of mermaids could in in fact have been dugongs ('sea cows'), manatees or dolphins, which deluded sailors mistook for women with fish tails.

What is so special about the white whale?
In an earlier BBC Earth blog post, Adelle Havard delved into the lives of Beluga and Narwhal whales. Beluga whales were nicknamed the 'Sea Canary' by early Arctic sailors and are social marine mammals, using high-pitched whistles, screeches, clicks and squeaks to communicate. These noises can even be heard through the hulls of ships! Narwhals are also very vocal, and love cold water and deep sea diving. Their tusks can be up to 3m long and perform a function similar to a lion's mane or a peacock's tail feather. Narwhal's are unique in their ability to hunt in the deep waters in winter, and shallow waters in summer. The blog also discusses Narwhal migration and mating.

"Seabirds on the Decline"
The RSPB has said that the population of UK seabirds is in decline. The UK has long been renowned for it's populations of seabirds but the RSPB has claimed that too many seabird sites are no longer being protected. Most seabird nesting sites are protected, but the areas where they feed at sea are not.

"GBR: Rising Turtle Deaths Prompt Warnings of Wildlife Crisis"
Unusually large numbers of dead and dying turtles are washing up dead along the coast of the Great Barrier Reef. Researchers believe this may be linked to cyclones and flooding earlier in the year which wiped out the seagrass beds that turtles feed on. 649 turtle deaths were reported in the first seven months of 2011, an increase of 200 in the same period last year. Dugongs are also suffering, with 96 reported dead in the first seven months of 2011, compared with 79 in the whole of 2010. Environmental groups have warned of a wildlife crisis in the region, with WWF urging the Queensland government to overhaul regulations surrounding fisheries and coastal development, and reduce the amount of pollution released into the sea.

"Blue shark saved by amateur fishermen"
A fisherman in Malta has saved a blue shark by removing a plastic ring that was wrapped around it's body. The fisherman was out at sea on a fishing trip last weekend when he encountered the shark, and observed that the ring was already putting pressure on the shark's skin. He used a fillet knife to remove the ring of plastic from the shark's body. Had he not removed it, it would have started to dig in to the shark's skin as it grew and would have caused the shark difficulties.Nature Trust (Malta) have encouraged anybody who encounters plastic at sea to collect it and dispose of it properly on land, preferably by recycling it, as plastic can cause numerous problems in the marine environment. At least this shark has had a lucky escape!

"Human Pathogen Killing Corals in the Florida Keys"
Human sewage has been identified as the source of a pathogen that is killing coral the Florida Keys. The research team from Rollins College, Florida, and the University of Georgia have found that the pathogen causes white pox disease in Caribbean elkhorn coral. This species, which was once the most common coral in the Caribbean, was listed for protection under the United States Endangered Species Act in 2006 after suffering greatly from white pox disease. Researchers hope to solve the problem with advanced waste water treatment facilities.

"Scientists Study 'World's Most Robust Marine Reserve'"
A study of Mexico's Cabo Pulmo National Park, near the southern tip of the Baja peninsula, has been completed after a decade of research and has determined that the location is the, "most robust marine reserve in the world". Researchers from the Scripps Institution completed the ten-year study and found that the previously fishing-depleted area has experienced a 460% increase in total biomass from 1999 to 2009. This increase represents tons of new fish produced every year and no other marine reserve in the world has shown such a fish recovery. Ten years ago the reserve only had medium-sized fishes; now, there are large parrot fish, groupers, snappers and even sharks. Whilst the percentage of recovery isn't unprecedented, the density of the fish (4 tons per hectare) is the best the researchers have seen anywhere on record.

"Debris Month of Action"
 September sees the launch of Project AWARE’s new Dive Against Debris program, coinciding with their Marine Debris Month of Action. Participants are asked to collect critical data whilst taking part in underwater cleanups, to help address marine debris problems at their source. The data collected will help initiate policy change to prevent debris in the future. Project AWARE are looking for both organisers and volunteers to take part in a Dive Against Debris next month.