Shark ‘eco-barrier’ nets for New South Wales’ north coast to be installed
Unlike traditional shark nets, the eco-barriers stretch from seabed to surface and shoreline to shoreline. They are made of thick, rigid nylon that does not trap marine wildlife, as the older nets tend to do.
Sea Lions Exposed To Toxic Algae At Risk Of Brain Damage and Memory Loss
A toxin in algae may be erasing the memory of sea lions, which wash ashore by the hundreds each year off the coast of California, disoriented and suffering seizures, scientists said .
Leatherback sea turtles choose nest sites carefully, study finds
After hatching and dispersing across the world’s oceans, the female leatherbacks return to their natal beaches to lay clutches of eggs in the sand. A new study offers fresh insights into their nesting choices. However, human encroachment on leatherback nesting beaches, in the form of beachfront construction and sand mining, is a major threat to the animals’ continuation as a species.
337 Whales Beached in Largest Stranding Ever
Scientists made a startling discovery on an observation flight over a remote fjord in southern Chile’s Patagonia: 337 dead whales. That is the biggest single whale stranding event known to science.
Sea Turtle Eggs Have Turned Beach into a Battleground
Moin Beach in Costa Rica has long served as nesting grounds for leatherback turtles, but it is also one of the most dangerous beaches in Central America.
California’s Crab Fiasco Is Worse for Marine Life Than Humans
Something strange started happening to California sea lions. Over the course of just a few months, hundreds of them hauled themselves onto beaches near Monterey Bay and began convulsing uncontrollably.
New Study Provides First Field Observations of Rare Omura’s Whales
An international team of biologists has made the first-ever field observations of one of the least known species of whales in the world—Omura’s whales—in the shallow waters of coastal Madagascar.
Record Number of Seals Are Dying On California Shores
Along California’s coast, an increasing number of endangered Guadalupe fur seals have died after stranding themselves on shore. Since January, almost 80 dead fur seals have been found in the area, leading the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to declare an “Unusual Mortality Event” (UME).
NOAA Declares Deaths of large Whales in Gulf of Alaska an Unususal Mortality Event
NOAA is declaring the recent deaths of 30 large whales in the western Gulf of Alaska an “unusual mortality event,” triggering a focused, expert investigation into the cause.