Ocean news from around the world

North America /

Ocean Pollution

Trump's "utter contempt" for ocean protection faces first legal action

Before leaving office in January this year, the former President Joe Biden moved to protect large swathes of ocean around the North American coastline from future oil and gas leasing - an order that current President Trump is now trying to revoke. Read More

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Hawaii /

Ocean Plastics

Fungi at the plastic party: Researchers find microplastic munching microbes

Researchers at the University of Hawaii have made an exciting discovery which could help tackle plastic pollution in the ocean: Fungi with plastic degradation superpowers. And some, they argue, can even be trained to do it faster. Read More

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Marine Life /

Papua New Guinea

Tuna stakes: Pacific Islands land 'tuna safeguarding' fund

A $150 million fund has been secured to support each of the 14 Pacific Island nations adapt to the impact that a warming ocean has - and will have - on the tuna stocks that underpin their economies and enable tuna fisheries to contribute greater to local food security. Read More

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Climate change /

Scotland

Melting glaciers behind nearly 2cm in sea level rises

Melting glaciers around the world have been losing ice at a rate of 273 billion tonnes a year for the last 25 years, making them the second-largest contributor to global sea-level rises, a new international study has detailed. Read More

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Marine Protected Areas /

UK

Trawl fishing is 'economic and climate time bomb' say UK scientists

More than 20 of the UK's leading names in marine science have signed an open letter to the UK government calling on the implementation of a promised blanket ban on bottom-trawl fishing across the UK's Marine Protected Areas before it's too late for the environment Read More

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Exploration /

Hawaii

Ten new sponge species discovered off Hawaii

The amount of new marine species being discovered around the globe is testament to the fact how much there is left to explore in the oceans. The latest discoveries - ten new marine sponge species - were made off Hawaii. Read More

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Germany /

Marine Life

Ayu! Scientists surprised wild fish recognise individual humans

Researchers from the Max Planck Institute of Animal Behaviour launched a study to determine whether fish could distinguish individuals humans... and, guess what? Findings suggest that an elephantfish - or any fish - may never forget... Read More

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Ocean Pollution /

UK

Ocean alliance lifts veil of 'opaque oil spill reporting' in UK waters

Uncovering the scale of toxic pollution caused by the oil and gas industry in UK seas, a new live map has - for the first time - brought data together from across government databases to provide a clearer view of just how damaging these spills can be. Read More

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Australia /

Climate change

Severe bleaching leaves swathes of coral on brink of death

Conservation groups have called for the "strongest response from government" while the environment minister has called for an urgent briefing to understand the full extent of a mass coral bleaching event documented across Ningaloo Reef, West Australia. Read More

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News from around our blue planet