Marine News Roundup

Welcome to the latest edition of the Respect Our Seas Marine News Roundup. Please share with your friends and, as always, feel free to comment below.

10 Marine Species on the Brink of Mass Extinction Due to Ocean Acidification
The ocean is a delicate place, and tiny changes to its composition can cause serious devastation. Adding carbon to the atmosphere contributes to global warming and climate change. Another less-discussed impact is ocean acidification - whereby carbon molecules diffuse into the ocean from the atmosphere, causing a steady rise in acidity - even though the impacts are already being felt by many species. Check out these beautiful photos of ten marine species currently under threat from ocean acidification.

Anchovy Explosion
They’re back. After a nearly half-century of rarity, big schools of anchovies - an important prey for both wildlife and humans - are again showing up in Europe’s North Sea. A new study tries to explain why, and finds climate shifts are probably playing a role.

Cargo boat and US navy ship powered by algal oil in marine fuel trials
Substituting biofuel for bunker fuel may bring about revolution in world's shipping fleets. Giant cargo boats and US navy warships have been successfully powered on oil derived from genetically modified algae in a move which could herald a revolution in the fuel used by the world's fleets – and a reduction in the pollution they cause. The results of substituting algal oil for low-grade, "bunker" fuel and diesel in a 98,000-tonne container ship are still being evaluated by Maersk, the world's biggest shipping company, which last week tested 30 tonnes of oil supplied by the US navy in a vessel travelling from Europe to India. Last month, the navy tested 20,000 gallons of algal fuel on a decommissioned destroyer for a few hours. Both ran their trials on a mix of algal oil – between 7% and 100% – and conventional bunker fuel.

Carbon Dioxide Affecting Fish Brains
Rising human carbon dioxide emissions may be affecting the brains and central nervous systems of sea fish, with serious consequences for their survival, according to new research. Carbon dioxide concentrations predicted to occur in the ocean by the end of this century will interfere with fishes' ability to hear, smell, turn and evade predators, the research found. The Australian Research Council's Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies said it had been testing the performance of baby coral fish in sea water containing higher levels of dissolved CO2 for several years.

Seal death mystery could stay unsolved
Scientists examining dead seal pups found on South Australia's Eyre Peninsula say the creatures are so badly decomposed it may not be possible to determine how they died. The bodies of 51 New Zealand fur seal pups and two young adults were found washed up near Port Lincoln and at Wanna Beach in the Lincoln National Park. Post-mortems have been carried out on three of the pups by University of Adelaide veterinary pathologists. There are no signs of malicious treatment. The seals were found along a six-kilometre stretch of shoreline and more bodies were expected to be found as volunteers search nearby beaches. New Zealand fur seals are a protected species found along Australia's south coast and along the coast of New Zealand's South Island. They can grow to weigh up to 250 kilograms, but males usually average about 125kg and are considered docile, although they will attack if provoked.

Man cited for allegedly poaching lobsters inside marine sanctuary State wildlife officials cited a Riverside County man Sunday for allegedly poaching dozens of lobsters inside one of Southern California's new marine sanctuaries, in what authorities called the first major violation of fishing restrictions that took effect January 1st. The state Department of Fish and Game said Marbel A. Para, 30, of Romoland and a companion were diving off Laguna Beach shortly after midnight when wardens stopped them and found 47 spiny lobsters, most of them below the legal size limit. Para was cited for several alleged poaching violations, including unlawful take and illegal possession of lobster and holding more than the legal limit of seven lobsters per diver. His companion was not cited. The lobsters were photographed and returned to the ocean.

Secret sex life to help save world's endangered seagrasses
Sex plays a much more important role in the reproduction of vitally important seagrasses than previously thought, according to important new findings by researchers from The University of Western Australia. Their work, published today as the cover story in the journal Bioscience, forms a major re-think of the way seagrass populations spread and is regarded as critically important to help conserve and restore endangered seagrasses meadows. The research is expected to lead to better ways to help manage and restore depleted seagrass meadows.

Group to develop deep-sea vehicle
A group of small factories mainly in Tokyo has launched a project to build a deep-sea research vehicle that would submerge to depths of roughly 8,000 meters. The group concluded a contract the same day with the state-run Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology to develop the vehicle, called the Edokko 1, aiming to finish it in about two years. The privately run Shibaura Institute of Technology and the state-run Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology will help the group in developing the vehicle, it said. The group plans to hold down development costs to about ¥20 million and said it plans to launch test runs of the vehicle this summer and to complete it in fiscal 2013, which starts in April that year. The team plans to build a research vehicle that can contribute to discovering seabed resources in waters around Japan.

Modified 'bugs' turn seaweed into fuel
Scientists have genetically engineered microbes to process brown seaweed into biofuel. The work could see large underwater farms become a source of renewable energy. Scientists focused on brown seaweed because its high sugar content provides a good biomass, and the seaweed doesn't compete with food crops for land and fresh water. Researchers successfully isolated a 36,000 base pair DNA fragment from V. splendidus which encodes enzymes that metabolise alginate. The researchers say if this process can be successfully scaled-up, seaweed could help meet the growing demand for sustainable fuel, with it being grown on long submerged ropes. Reasearchers hope that, by using three per cent of the world's coastlines, they can replace five per cent of total oil consumption. That's 60 billion gallons of fuel.

Australian divers reach record depths in caves
A group of Australian divers has broken yet another cave diving record in the depths of the Pearse River resurgence and revealed the underwater cave system is linked to Mt Arthur's Nettlebed Cave system. The group returned from the remote Motueka Valley river head after spending a fortnight exploring the intricate underwater cave system. Diver and explorer Craig Challen pushed the human limit, reaching 221m, breaking the 194m record he set in the river cave last January and setting an Australasian record. The 17-hour dive saw him stop four times at underwater "habitats" which were filled with trapped air. They provided a base for divers to rest and decompress before continuing their return to the surface. Team leader Adelaide's Dr Richard Harris said marker dye dropped by Nelson cavers in the Nettlebed system was seen by divers below 200m and indicated the system was more than 1000m long. However, the connection could be proved only when it was travelled and charted. It was the third time the group had explored the system in the last three years.

The cost of captivity - ball removed from dolphin's stomach
Doctors at a Jiangsu Province aquarium in Nanjing, issued an emergency plea yesterday for someone with long arms to retrieve a ball swallowed by a performing dolphin. The ball has now been successfully removed, but at what cost? The SOS issued yesterday by Nanjing Andover Underwater World, came after one of its performing dolphins swallowed his toy volleyball on Wednesday. Five-year-old Jiang Bo was playing with the ball, when he was observed taking it underwater and then resurfacing without it. Attempts to remove the ball had been unsuccessful, forcing Chinese doctors to issue a plea for help from someone with long arms. Eventually, it was removed and the operation was hailed a success. Others however, saw it simply as another sad side-effect of marine mammal captivity. What this dolphin endured during the entire three-hour process was nothing short of horrific, considering he was awake.

Alarms 'saving whales' from shark nets
An underwater alarm has reduced the number of whales becoming entangled in shark nets off Queensland, the state government says. The alarms, known as pingers, transmit a sonic warning to whales, alerting them they are close to the nets that are designed to protect swimmers. From 2000 to 2009, 27 whales were caught in shark control equipment in Queensland. There was just one in 2010 and another in 2011 after the pingers were introduced, Fisheries Minister Craig Wallace said last week. Both of those whales were apparently successfully released. There are 130 pingers between the Gold Coast and Cairns - four on every shark net.

Mussels in protection racket

A £7m fine and more for every day that horse mussels in Northern Ireland are not protected. That is what could be on the cards in a few weeks time following a complaint to Europe over an alleged breach of the EU Habitats Directive. The complaint is over the protection and restoration of reefs of horse mussels on the bed of Strangford Lough. They are one of the main reasons why the Lough enjoys some of the most stringent legislation in Europe. Its unique habitat includes hundreds of species that depend on the mussels for their survival.

Ningaloo manta rays under threat
Ningaloo Marine Park's manta rays are threatened by the growing worldwide demand demand for their gill rakers, according to a new report. The report also highlights the need for protection in Australia waters. Each year large numbers of Manta birostris and M. alfredi, the world's biggest ray species with wingspans of up to eight metres, visit the marine reserve as part of seasonal migrations. These migrations cover hundreds of kilometres, and may follow a similar path to Ningaloo's whale sharks, into Indonesian waters and beyond. Manta rays are filter feeders, and during daylight hours they tend to accumulate in large numbers around 'cleaning stations' where small fish species clean them of any parasites and algal growth. This habit, combined with their large size, makes them highly vulnerable to being harpooned from above, or caught in fishing nets. While they are protected from fishing in the waters of Ningaloo, once they leave the Marine Park, they are at risk of being targeted by fishermen - even in Australian waters where they have no protection.

87 marine mammals still eaten by people
Threats to marine mammals usually include climate change, drowning as by-catch, pollution and depletion of prey - but what about eating marine mammals? A new study in Biological Conservation finds that a surprising 87 marine mammals (including polar bears, small whales and dolphins) have been eaten as food since 1990 in at least 114 countries.

That's all for this edition - come back in two week's time for the next Marine News Roundup.

Marine News Roundup

The best marine news stories from throughout the week, hand-picked for you. Please feel free to comment and tell us what you think!

"Seeking Protection for Coral Sea 'Hotspot'"
The Coral Sea is best known for the Great Barrier Reef, the world's largest barrier reef, which was designated as a World Heritage Site in 1981. The Australian government designated the area a marine park in 1975 due to it's extensive biological diversity and richness, so some activities (e.g. fishing) are regulated in some areas and banned completely in others. A new report, "Australia's Coral Sea: A Biophysical Profile", by Pew Environment Group, is now suggesting that a similar level of protection should be extended to the sea as a whole, creating the world's largest marine park covering an area of nearly 1 million square kilometers or 386,000 square miles. The report notes that the Coral Sea contains 18 shallow reef systems which, due to their, "small size, isolation from each other and high exposure to cyclones and storms," may actually be more vulnerable than the better-known Great Barrier Reef. The Coral Sea is a global biological hotspot and some species are endemic, i.e. found nowhere else in the world. However, the report also notes that 341 bird and animal species in the sea are listed on the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species, with 51% of these showing declining population trends. This is why Pew Environment Group are calling for protective action for the area. The Australian government has established a Coral Sea Conservation Zone whilst it assesses the area's potential designation as a permanent marine reserve, meaning that most commercial activities in the region now require permits. The government is expected to announce a formal decision later this year.

"Monster Algae Bloom Off Jersey Shore"
Images from a NOAA satellite have identified a "monster" algae bloom off the New Jersey coast, stretching from Brooklyn all the way down to Cape May, a distance of more than 100 miles. The bloom could soon affect fishing and beach goers and, when the algae dies within the next couple of weeks, it could create a huge 'dead zone' just off shore that will impact on marine life if the oxygen in the area in not replaced. The bloom was caused by, "an unfortunate combination of southwesterly winds that allowed the upwelling of cold, nutrient-rich waters to come to the surface... [that] gave the algae so much food they could quickly multiply". Some of the nutrients appear to have come from New York Harbour, where heavy rains have caused an overflow of sewage and storm drain systems. As bacteria feed on the dead algae, they consume the oxygen in the water which can suffocate fish, or drive them away to more oxygen-rich waters. This could impact on fishing, and beachgoers may notice a brown foam on their skin as they get out of the water.

"BBC/Discovery 'Life' Giant Cuttlefish sequence"
This beautiful video of Australian Giant Cuttlefish mating strategies was filmed by cameraman Doug Anderson in South Australia.

"Sea Jelly Blooms in the UK: research continues to point towards manmade causes"
Mass gatherings of jellyfish of various species are becoming more frequent worldwide and the Marine Conservation Society (MCS) has reported that the UK's seas are becoming more like a jellyfish 'soup' as huge swarms appear during summer. Scientists are unsure as to why, as little is known about these invaders. Research is now suggesting that pollution, overfishing and climate change may be responsible. Pollution run-off from the land into the sea can boost jellyfish numbers by causing plankton blooms, which they feed on along with fish. Overfishing removes jellyfish predators and competitors which usually regulate population growth. Climate change may cause more favourable conditions for jellyfish, "with their adaptability giving them an advantage over some other sea creatures." Jellyfish swarms can have serious economic consequences and in more developed nations, they can spoil entire commercial catches. Jellyfish numbers are a important indicator as to the state of our seas so do keep an eye out for them and report any sightings to the MCS for inclusion in their jellyfish survey data.

"Public urged to report whale shark sightings"
The Dubai-based research body, Sharkwatch Arabia, are asking members of the public to report any sightings of whale sharks in the wild, dead or alive, to them after a missed opportunity in Musandam last week. A dead whale shark washed ashore but was not reported to anyone, so scientists missed the opportunity to take tissue samples and analyse the whale's stomach contents. It is globally a very rare occurrence for a whale shark to wash ashore and scientists are keen to gather as much information as they can in order to determine where whale sharks feed, whether they are from a genetically different population or native to the area, sex, breeding maturity and possibly cause of death. If you see a whale shark contact Whaleshark Arabia as soon as possible, on sharkwatcharabia@gmail.com.

"NOAA rescuers free whale calf from fishing line"
NOAA officials have managed to rescue a 5-month old humpback whale that had become entangled in a buoy line. Tourist boats spotted the calf and it's mother and helped to keep track of them until NOAA were on the scene. Luckily the buoy, believed to have possibly come from a crab or shrimp pot, was only wrapped around the calf. The team analysed the ropes and realised they could remove it with a single snip, which they managed to do successfully after a few hours. A small of line remained on the calf but the team believe it will drop off on it's own.

"Scottish seas in good shape, say scientists"
A team of researchers from the University of Plymouth have been studying how acid can affect the sea, and ultimately the fish life within it. By focusing on a series of giant underwater volcanoes that emit CO2, they have established that the waters around Scotland are in good condition and should be able to survive the rising levels of carbon dioxide that are causing serious problems in other parts of the world. Scottish waters contain more food, which is likely to make them less vulnerable to acidification. Acidification can have dramatic consequences for marine life and is set to get worse, as more chemicals and materials are dumped into the sea.

"Experts start work on finding solutions to shark attacks"
Following the recent shark attacks in the Seychelles, it looks like the Seychelles government has now listened to concerns about indiscriminate sharks hunts. They have called in two experts from South Africa to work out what factors have led to the attack, and how best shark attacks can be avoided in the future. The experts are also attempting to work out the species of shark behind the attacks, now believed to have been a Great White or a Tiger shark. The swimming ban is still in place in Anse Lazio, Petit Anse Kerlan, Anse Georgette, Curieuse and St Pierre with swimmers and divers being asked to take necessary precautions in other areas. Air Seychelles pilots are flying over the area regularly on the lookout for sharks and the Government has stated that it does not want a bounty being put on the shark responsible for the attacks, nor an indiscriminate cull of sharks.

"Orphaned seal pups 'fall in love' after charity rescue"
This lovely story was spotted by Seal Scotland. The Scottish SPCA in Oban rescued two orphaned seal pups in June after they became separated from their mothers. The two pups, Jellyfish and Sand, have formed an unusually close bond whilst being cared for together, touching noses and sniffing each other frequently and even sleeping side by side. This is unusual behaviour for seals but they can't seem to bear being apart. The seals are set to be released together when they are old enough to fend for themselves and there is, "every chance" they will remain together in the wild.

"Shark Bay dolphins astound university researchers"
Researchers at Murdoch University have found an increased number of dolphins practicing the technique of 'conching' in Western Australia. The behaviour was first observed in bottlenose dolphins in 2007 and again in 2009, and involves the dolphin trapping small fish in an empty conch shell with it's beak, then taking the shell to the surface and shaking it, causing the water to drain out and the fish fall into it's mouth. The previously rarely witnessed phenomenon appears to be spreading, possibly through close associates of 'conching' dolphins watching them and then imitating the behaviour. Researchers are excited at the possibility of watching this learned behaviour spread, and hope to set up experiments to test how the dolphins are using the conch shells to trap small fish.

That's it for this week - please do leave your comments below and let us know what you think!