Welcome to the latest edition of the Big Blue Bulletin – a weekly roundup of marine conservation news and updates. Expect good news, bad news, and a cute creature in your inbox every Friday.
Let’s dive in 🐬
Ocean news
🗞️ Big news of the week -
🔴 Labour wins UK general election as Keir Starmer says: ‘We did it! Change begins now’
“Labour win historic landslide election as Liz Truss and many cabinet ministers lose seats in Tory wipeout.”
🌡️ New maps show how the climate is changing in each UK constituency
“During the UK general election campaign, we worked with colleagues to create a series of maps that show both how the climate has changed over the past two generations in each constituency, and how it will change over the next decade.”
🐋 Environmental groups decry attempt to delay shipping rules intended to save whales
“A Georgia congressman has proposed a year-long delay in changes to federal rules meant to protect vanishing whales.”
🌊 Five ways to improve marine conservation around Britain
“Our oceans are important socially and economically – they provide us with healthy food and other resources, they benefit our mental health and physical wellbeing, and offer endless recreational opportunities.”
🟢 After asking ‘What about the climate?’ for 14 years, I’m standing down as an MP
“Voters and politicians now know slow, incremental change just won’t cut it. The next government must be bold and brave.”
🇵🇭 Philippine diving town swaps trash for rice to clean up its beaches
“Green campaigners in a diving resort in the Philippines have come up with a novel way to clean up the town's shores - offering to swap a bag of rice for every sack of trash gathered.”
🌪️ Shocking aerial photos show widespread devastation as Hurricane Beryl moves through Caribbean
“Hurricane Beryl ‘flattened’ Carriacou Island and destroyed thousands of buildings in the eastern Caribbean.”
🐋 All female Pacific crew set to sail Hinemoana II for research on whales
“"This voyage is a chance to weave together ancestral wisdom with scientific research, to ensure the health of our oceans and the whales that grace them," she said.”
❄️ Arctic 'dirty fuel' ban for ships comes into force
“A ban on the dirtiest and most climate-damaging fuel for ships has come into effect in Arctic waters.”
🌆 Artificial light on coastlines lures small fish to their doom, coral reef study finds
“Light pollution acts as ‘midnight fridge’, drawing in young fish, then predators, according to tests in French Polynesia.”
💩 New tests show the Seine remains unswimmable with three weeks to the Olympics
“A rehearsal for the Paris Olympics opening ceremony was cancelled yesterday due to dangerous water in the Seine.”
🐋 Humpback whale sighting thrills excited children
“A humpback whale was spotted by Jersey schoolchildren returning from a day trip to Sark.”
🐟 For the first time ever, we’re farming more seafood than we’re catching: FAO
“At the same time, overfishing of wild fish stocks continues to increase, and the number of sustainably fished stocks declines.”
🎣 Paddleboards, swim kit and fishing gear pose a biosecurity risk – here’s why
“Visitors to the Lake District have been unwittingly spreading invasive plants, including New Zealand pigmyweed, from lake to lake on paddleboards, fishing and swimming gear.”
🧊 Alaska glaciers may hit irreversible melting point sooner than expected, study finds
“Glaciers in the Juneau Icefield in southeastern Alaska are melting at a faster rate than previously thought and may reach an irreversible tipping point sooner than expected.”
🦅 New wetland sees rapid influx of wildlife in a year
“An RSPB warden has admitted he is "startled" by how rapidly wildlife has started colonising a reserve's newest piece of wetland.”
🇰🇭 Cambodia jails 10 environmentalists in ‘crushing blow to civil society’
“Activists from the award-winning Mother Nature found guilty on charges of plotting against government.”
🚮 What’s behind the new attached bottle caps? Inside the EU directive causing drink spills everywhere
“A new requirement for a tethered design for plastic caps on drinks bottles officially comes into force in the EU on Wednesday, but what’s behind the move?”
🇪🇸 In northern Spain, climate change is killing shellfish — and women’s livelihoods
“In Galicia in northwestern Spain, shellfish harvesting is traditionally women’s work. But the clams and cockles the shellfish pickers’ livelihoods depend on are increasingly harder to come by.”
🐡 'Eye-popping' rare fish fossil on display
“A rare collection of nine preserved fossil fish is on display at a Gloucestershire Museum.”
👀 Environment Agency refuses to reveal directors’ possible conflicts of interest
“Agency rejected FOI request about potential conflicts of financial and business interests held by regional directors.”
🛢️ New shipping fuel requirements in Arctic risk worse oil spills, report says
“The Arctic could face more severe environmental impacts from oil spills if shippers switch to very-low sulfur fuel oil following new, restrictive fuel regulations in the region.”
🐋 Humpback whale entangled in 800kg of fishing equipment freed in Australia
“Heavy ropes and fishing equipment had severely restricted animal’s ability to swim.”
💩 Ruling paves way for businesses and public to sue water firms over sewage
“Decision by supreme court means water companies could be sued for damage caused by dumping of human waste.”
⛴️ Whistleblower claims foreign supertrawlers are pillaging Irish waters
“The issue of law enforcement against foreign supertrawlers in Irish waters was raised again amid claims of significant discrepancies in how fisheries regulations are enforced across different national fleets.”
🇺🇸 Biden says Trump will ‘undo’ progress on tackling climate crisis
“Trump claims his presidency saw ‘best environmental numbers ever’.”
💔 US stingray who became pregnant without mate dies
“A stingray who miraculously became pregnant earlier this year, despite not sharing her tank with a male stingray, died over the weekend.”
💩 Renationalising water could fix sewage crisis – but no major party will do it
“Privatised water companies discharged raw sewage into rivers and the sea around England and Wales for 3.6 million hours in 2023 – double the previous year’s total.”
🦪 Fibreglass found in oysters and mussels at harbour
“A “disturbing” level of fibreglass has been found in oysters and mussels, a new study has revealed.”
📚 Ocean Research
🐦 Seabird bycatch in European waters
“Seabirds are one of the most threatened groups of birds in the world. Of the 369 seabird species identified globally, 30% are threatened.”
Have a great weekend! 📸
Cover image by Shantou Special Economic Zone Newspaper