Seine swimming, 2030 target pushbacks, and an Icelandic glacier for President
Big Blue Bulletin #21
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 -
“Japanese government confirms it will allow whalers to catch and kill up to 59 fin whales, a species conservationists consider vulnerable.”
🐚 Complex life on Earth may be much older than thought
“A group of scientists say they have found new evidence to back up their theory that complex life on Earth may have begun 1.5 billion years earlier than thought.”
🌊 I’m obsessed with ocean sounds: ‘I can’t see but I can hear the whole reef, like an orchestra’
“Padi’s first South African blind scuba diver describes how her other senses enhance her experience underwater.”
🛢️ Starfish and other seabed species plummet near oil and gas rigs off UK coast
“A major study found large seabed predators such as starfish were completely absent near rigs, as Labour's pledge to end North Sea drilling is thrown into doubt.”
🏃♂️ Can the Olympics survive the climate crisis?
“The 2024 Olympic Games opened on the same week Earth recorded its hottest day ever.”
🎣 Seabirds threatened by trawl fisheries
“Seabirds are among the most threatened creatures globally, often due to incidental mortality (bycatch) in fisheries.”
🏖️ Campaign win: 80% drop in carrier bags on UK beaches
“Following the introduction of charges on carrier bags over the last decade, data from our volunteers has shown the number of carrier bags washed up on beaches is coming down.”
🤿 Divers discover new beds of rare seaweed
“Divers have discovered large beds of a rare pink calcified seaweed growing off the coast of south Cornwall.”
✈️ Air New Zealand is first major airline to scrap 2030 emissions target
“Firm says it is now re-adjusting to a realistic end date and blames difficulties in procuring new planes and sustainable jet fuel.”
🏊♀️ Paris 2024 Olympics: is open-water swimming in the Seine safe?
“Open-water swimming events at the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Paris could be scuppered by the Seine river, where bathing has been prohibited since 1923.”
🇿🇦 Landmark win for protected areas: Mabola protected environment saved from coal mining
“The Mbombela High Court overturned the decision to exclude four properties from the Mabola Protected Environment. This ruling blocks the development of a new coal mine in the Protected Area.”
🚢 Sperm whale killed by ship in Strait of Gibraltar
“An endangered sperm whale - nicknamed Julio by scientists - has been killed in a collision with a vessel in the busy Strait of Gibraltar.”
🏞️ Saving Lake Victoria from plastic: Interview with Kenya’s Muchilwa siblings
“Kenyan siblings are examples of a growing global youth movement to fight environmental threats and climate change in their communities.”
🌬️ UK renewable power generation sets new records
“Wind remains the UK’s biggest source of clean power, accounting for more than a quarter of the UK’s total electricity generation last year.”
💰 From Scotland to Malawi: climate survivors are rebuilding with world first loss and damage fund
“Cyclone Freddy left a trail of destruction when it hit southern Africa last year. Sixteen months later, 2,695 households have received relocation payments with no strings attached.”
🐋 Blue whale mother caught feeding her calf on video for first time ever
“A snorkelling tourist in East Timor has filmed a pygmy blue whale calf drinking its mother’s milk for the first time.”
🇮🇸 Icelandic glacier runs for president, sparking rights of nature movement
“Globally, concerned citizens have devised creative strategies for protecting glaciers in the face of climate change, with past campaigns ranging from covering glaciers with blankets to holding a funeral for a glacier.”
🏴 Scottish bog gets world heritage status
“After an almost 40-year campaign, a stunning but little-known UK landscape has been awarded world heritage status.”
🐢 The unique creatures of The Galapagos Islands are under threat from warming waters and stray pets
“Feral cats feed on marine iguana hatchings, and both pigs and cats compete for food with the tortoises.”
💰 G20 countries agree to targeted tax on super-rich - in theory
“A tax to crack down on the world's elite, who currently pay less tax than the poor, has been agreed by each member of the G20, but ways to get it off the ground remain controversial.”
🌞 Wind and solar energy overtake fossil fuels to provide 30% of EU electricity
“Report finds 13 member states generated more energy from wind and solar power than coal and gas for first time in 2024.”
🌊 More algae on surface Adriatic Sea as result of rising temperatures
“Algae has plagued the Adriatic Sea for weeks in Ancona. The natural phenomenon occurs as sea temperatures rise, a pattern seen across European seas.”
🪨 UK coal mine fights for future in court
“The company planning to build a new coal mine in Whitehaven, Cumbria has fought its case in court, saying it can and will build a “unique” net zero mine.”
🗣️ Inside the political struggle at the IPCC that will determine the next six years of climate science
“The UN’s climate science advisory group, the IPCC, is currently meeting in Bulgaria to decide on a timeline for its next “cycle” of reports over the rest of this decade.”
🐋 Anti-whaling activist Paul Watson could face up to 15 years’ prison in Japan if convicted
“Watson, founder of Sea Shepherd and co-founder of Greenpeace, has been arrested on an international warrant and is facing charges including accomplice to assault and ship trespass.”
🐬 Baby dolphin spotted with pod off Yorkshire coast
“A pod of 40 bottlenose dolphins spotted off the Yorkshire coast is one of the biggest seen in the past 12 months, according to an expert.”
🎨 Ocean Artwork
📸 Haunting portrait of young storm victim wins photo award
“Supratim Bhattacharjee has been named overall winner of this year's Mangrove Photography Awards for his image of a young girl in the aftermath of a devastating storm in Frazerganj, Sundarbans, India.”
📚 Ocean Research
🌊 Direct observational evidence of strong CO2 uptake in the Southern Ocean
“Using 7 independent and directly measured air-sea CO2 flux datasets, we identify a 25% stronger CO2 uptake in the Southern Ocean than shipboard dataset–based flux estimates.”
Have a great weekend! 📸
Cover image by Joisey Showaa
Especially enjoyed J Pita’s piece about hearing underwater as a blind diver. Reminded me of the book “An Immense World” by Yong. You may know of it. The book looks at animal sensory perception and how they experience the world differently from us. I think of what I know of the universe versus what I don’t know and am always humbled. Thanks.
Thank you, Amie, for sharing all these important stories with us.