African Fisheries Plundered by Foreign Fleets
A study to determine how much fish had been taken out of the world’s oceans since 1950 in order to better avoid depleting the remaining populations of fish, found that the global catch was 40 percent higher than officially reported.
An expanded Panama Canal opens for giant ships
A mammoth ship bearing 9,472 containers, on Sunday will become the first vessel to officially pass through the new expanded Panama Canal, a $5.25 billion project designed to modernize a 102-year-old landmark. Others worry about the ability of the nearly 300 canal pilots to safely guide the new giant ships through the snug locks and channels.
California’s nuclear plant to close amid longstanding earthquake concerns
California’s Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant will close by 2025 under an accord announced Tuesday, ending three decades of safety debates that helped fuel the national anti-nuclear power movement. The facility, which sits along a bluff on California’s central coast, supplies 9% of the state’s power.
Mangrove forest in SW China endangered
The vast tracts of mangrove forest in the Beibu Gulf of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region have been almost erased by the immense construction of marine reclamation lands and industrial plants.
Could Seismic Tests Harm Fish?
Eight companies are currently seeking to conduct seismic surveys in areas off the southern Atlantic coast between Delaware and Florida to look for oil and natural gas resources.
Fishing For Bright Spots in a World of Sick Reefs
An unprecedented ecological analysis of fish survey findings from more than 2,500 reefs worldwide revealed that the Muluk villagers of Karkar Island, Papua New Guinea, do better jobs than almost anybody of managing fish stocks for the long term bounties they can provide.
Malaysia establishes a 1-million-hectare marine park
Malaysia has just established the biggest marine protected area (MPA) in the country. The Tun Mustapha park (TMP) occupies 1m hectares (2.47m acres) of seascape off the northern tip of Sabah province in Borneo.
A Disaster-in-Waiting
In a recent interview with BBC, India’s minister of water resources unveiled the government’s massive plan to divert major rivers including the Ganges and Brahmaputra. This unilateral move by India is a clear violation of the basic tenet of all the international regulations regarding water bodies.
New International Accord to Tackle Illegal Fishing
A new international accord to tackle illegal and under-reported fishing will come into force on June 5. Under the Port States Measures Agreement (PSMA) governments will be required to inspect foreign fishing vessels that dock in their ports…