Twin Capes, a ferry christened 43 years ago on the Delaware Bay and retired after thousands of runs between her namesakes Cape Henlopen, Del. and Cape May, N.J., was sunk on 15 June, to become part of Delaware’s acclaimed artificial reef system. The sinking is expected to expand fish habitat and offer opportunities for deep-sea diving.
The small island countries of the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States face serious challenges, coupled with low growth, natural disasters, high debt, unsustainable approaches to resource management. Efforts by the World Bank on behalf of the Caribbean’s blue economy have delivered significant results.
When vessels slow down, underwater noise is reduced, and so does the impact on whales, according to a Vessel Slowdown Trial led by the Port of Vancouver’s ECHO Program. Whales use sound to locate prey and ship noise can interfere with their ability to do this.
USCG has contracted salvage company Resolve Marine to conduct an underwater assessment of the tanker ‘Coimbra’, located 30 miles southeast of Shinnecock, N.Y.. The ship sunk during World War II by a German U-boat. The operation will assess the condition of the tanker and potential to have an environmental impact.
In this video , representatives and experts from the United Nations, the WWF, the World Bank Group and the Coca Cola Company and more comment on the concrete steps we can take towards a sustainable use of the ocean.
UK Environment Secretary Michael Gove will present the plans to create more than 40 new Marine Conservation Zones across the UK. This move aims to protect almost 12,000 square kilometres of marine habitats and marks the most significant expansion of the UK’s ‘Blue Belt’ of protected areas until today.
WWF released the report “Out of the plastic trap: saving the Mediterranean from plastic pollution.” In the report WWF says that plastic represents 95% of the waste floating in the Mediterranean and lying on its beaches, and presents ways to reduce plastic. Excessive plastic use and poor waste management are affecting the Mediterranean.
Plastics make up 85% of marine litter globally and are even reaching people’s dinner tables. But where does all this plastic lie? The largest accumulation of ocean plastic in the world can be found between Hawaii and California, in the North Pacific and is no other than the so-called Great Pacific Garbage Patch. The GPGP covers an area three times the size of France.
The short film, released by WWF Australia, focuses on a specific aspect of how plastic pollution is having a detrimental affect on the world’s marine species. For endangered green sea turtle hatchlings, ocean plastics now stand in their way from reaching the ocean, making them even more vulnerable to predators.
A national workshop took place in Luanda, Angola from 30 to 31 May, regarding the treaty covering dumping of wastes at sea, the London Protocol. The workshop aimed to raise awareness on the practical aspects of effective implementation of the London Protocol. Angola ratified the London Protocol in 2006.
