Beaver-bombing, a landmark penguin lawsuit, and the incompetency of the IWC
Beaver-bombing, a landmark penguin lawsuit, and the incompetency of the IWC
Big Blue Bulletin #25
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
💡 Thought piece -
🇯🇵 What US militarism has to do with Japan's quest to slaughter more whales
“Whaling, it turns out, has very little to do with whaling and much more to with how powerful nations want to dominate the world's oceans.”
🐋 Whales are doing well so it’s time to scrap the body that once protected them
“The International Whaling Commission has become a ‘zombie’ and should vote to disband itself, insists Peter Bridgewater.”
🇬🇧 UK government will not fight Rosebank oil field legal challenge
“The UK government will not fight a legal challenge against the decision to grant consent to drill in untapped oil and gas fields off Shetland and Aberdeen.”
🍗 New centre focuses on alternatives to meat
“A new innovation centre dedicated to developing eco-friendly alternatives to meat has been set up at the University of Leeds.”
🐧 South Africa seeks to settle landmark African penguin lawsuit
“South Africa’s new environment minister is calling for an out-of-court settlement with conservation groups that earlier this year filed a case against his predecessor for not doing enough to protect plummeting populations of African penguins.”
🇧🇩 ‘I have lost everything’: Bangladesh floods strand 1.24 million families
“As floodwaters recede after heavy monsoon rains, many have lost their homes – and some blame India for a dam release.”
🦈 How solving the mystery of pregnant tiger sharks in the Maldives could help save the apex predator
“Millions of sharks are killed every year, but a population in the island paradise could hold clues to where they breed and give birth, enabling better protections.”
🩸 Fisherman finds 'vampire fish' in local river
“A fisherman has found a lamprey - which is sometimes known as a "vampire fish" - almost 1m long in the River Exe.”
“The bright blue blood of the horseshoe crab is used around the world to detect bacterial contamination in vaccines.”
🌊 Pacific Islands leaders to meet as region faces ‘polycrisis’ of threats
“Climate change will top the agenda as leaders of 18 nations meet in Tonga from August 26.”
💀 As Amazonian rivers recede under drought, manatees are left exposed to poaching
“Increasingly prolonged and intense droughts in the Amazon pose a deadly threat to the native Amazonian manatee, lowering river levels that expose these giant aquatic mammals to poachers.”
💧 This man saved his town from deadly floodwaters. So why did the US government try to stop him?
“Windell Curole built a vast levee to protect his district from disappearing into the ocean – despite federal resistance to his plan. Had he listened to officials, he says, ‘we wouldn’t have a community’”
🧊 A new cable car hopes to show visitors how climate change is melting glaciers
“A new Glaciorium climate and glacier interpretation centre will show the evolution of glaciers and our relationship with them.”
🆘 UN chief issues climate SOS, warns of ‘unimaginable’ catastrophe
“Speaking at a meeting of Pacific Island leaders in Tonga, Antonio Guterres warned the region was ‘uniquely exposed’.”
🐋 Dead whale washes ashore on beach
“Measuring approximately 3.5m (11.5ft) in length, the mammal was discovered at Braystones, near Whitehaven. It is believed to be a juvenile minke or fin whale.”
🎬 ‘The last wild places’: the Venice show about Earth’s spiralling salt marsh crisis
“They are eco marvels but they are fast disappearing. Sophie Hunter explains why she is using film, music, a few tonnes of salt and a reimagined wife of Lot to sound the alarm.”
🏛️ Over a third of Türkiye and Greece’s heritage sites threatened by rising sea levels
“Some sites, such as the island of Delos near Mykonos, are already seeing structural damage due to increased flooding.”
🌊 Melting glaciers could trigger megatsunamis with 100m-tall waves, scientists warn
“Researchers analysed one such case of a giant tsunami that unleashed destruction in remote parts of eastern Greenland last year.”
🏞️ As removal of dams frees Klamath River, California tribes see hope of saving salmon
“Excavators clawed at the remnants of Iron Gate Dam. Nine miles upriver, machinery tore into the foundation of a second dam, carving away some of the last fragments of the sloping concrete barrier that once towered above the Klamath River.”
🐋 Whaling: why the practice will not go away
“The detention in Greenland of anti-whaling campaigner Paul Watson pending possible extradition to Japan has turned the spotlight on the widely condemned practice of hunting whales.”
🇪🇸 Resorts on Spain’s Costa Brava struggle with invasion of jellyfish as seas warm
“Stings needing medical attention surge by 41% as rising sea temperatures due to the climate crisis boost reproduction.”
🧱 Lego to replace oil in its bricks with pricier renewable plastic
“Toymaker Lego said it was on track to replace the fossil fuels used in making its signature bricks with more expensive renewable and recycled plastic by 2032.”
🦫 ‘Beaver-bombing’: unauthorised rodent releases on the rise in English rivers
“Experts say trend is because of failure by successive governments to approve releases despite promises.”
“Over 40 Chinese vessels, including a massive mothership, were caught skirting the edge of Rapa Nui’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).”
❗ Ocean Action
✍️ Ask your MP to stand up for our seas
“The UK’s seas are home to an astounding array of wildlife but under the waves, they’re at breaking point. Relentless pressure comes from overfishing, the climate crisis, pollution and fossil fuel extraction.”
🎙️ Ocean Audio
“In this episode, we’re tackling the topic of ocean pollution and envisioning what a healthy ocean could look like with Emily Cunningham, a marine biologist and renowned ocean conservationist.”
Have a great weekend! 📸
Cover image by Chris and Monique Fallows/Minden Pictures