Big Blue Bulletin #3
Suing the government, sewage spills, and some tiger shark assistance
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 -
💩 Water companies in England face outrage over record sewage discharges
“Call for environmental emergency to be declared after data reveals 105% rise in raw sewage discharges over past 12 months.”
🛢️ Chronic oil spills in the North Sea threaten marine protected areas
“A total of 308 tonnes of oil spilled into marine protected areas (MPAs) over the 13-year period.”
🐬 Scientists discover ancient giant dolphin in depths of Amazon
“The remains of the creature are millions of years old and it is thought to be the largest of its kind ever found.”
🐧 ‘Cautious optimism’ as penguins test positive for bird flu but show no symptoms
“Asymptomatic cases may seem reassuring for the penguins, but scientists fear they could act as ‘Trojan horses’ for other species.”
☔ Sewage spills rise blamed on wet weather
“Welsh Water released sewage into rivers, lakes and the sea around Wales for more than 916,000 hours last year, latest data shows.”
🌊 Strongest ocean current on Earth is speeding up and causing problems
“The Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC) is the most powerful current on Earth, and over the last few decades, observations show that it has been speeding up.”
💨 Biden administration approves the nation’s seventh large offshore wind project
“Danish wind energy developer Ørsted and the utility Eversource plan to build a 924-megawatt project, Sunrise Wind, 30 miles east of Montauk, New York.”
🎣 NGO Sues UK Government Over International Fishing Quotas
“UK’s environmental group Blue Marine Foundation has sued the British government for setting fishing quotas above sustainable levels.”
⛑️ Can rescuers win the race against time to save an orphaned orca?
“Experts are trying everything from drums to whale calls to lure the orca out of the Canadian lagoon she has been trapped in since the stranding death of her mother.”
🇬🇧 MPs and activists challenge claim North Sea oil and gas supports 200,000 jobs
“Government has repeatedly used figure to justify more fossil fuel developments despite climate crisis.”
🐟 How raw sewage dumped in UK waters is damaging marine life
“Cocaine in seawater could alter a fish’s decision to fight or take flight, marine biologist warns.”
🚓 “Environmental damage should be criminalised with up to ten years in jail”
“Anti-Brexit campaigner has warned that the UK has fallen well behind the EU in terms of environmental protection.”
⚓ 3 million shipwrecks around the world have become helpful habitats for underwater life
“Drawing on scientific advances the new study describes how wrecked vessels can have second lives as seabed habitats.”
🌊 High Seas Treaty paves the way for ocean protection
“National boundaries at sea are invisible, but it can be a matter of life or death for marine animals swimming across them.”
🌱 Attaching seaweed spores to used scallop shells could restore UK’s coastal kelp forests
“Kelp spores are being seeded and grown on small rocks and scallop shells – a seafood waste product – in efforts to regenerate the UK’s coastal kelp forests.”
🇧🇩 Beneath the surface, a toxic tide threatens Bangladesh’s water lifeline
“Millions in Bangladesh lack safe drinking water due to contamination as unveiled by the nation’s first comprehensive report on groundwater quality assessment.”
🦈 How tiger sharks wearing cameras revealed the world’s largest seagrass ecosystem
“In The Bahamas, tiger sharks have taken on a rather less ferocious role, as assistants to marine scientists.”
🇿🇦 Lawsuit launched against environment minister in bid to halt African penguin extinction
“The lawsuit challenges the minister’s failure to implement biologically meaningful fishery closures around African Penguin breeding areas.”
🏭 UK greenhouse emissions fall as high energy bills see homes cut back on electricity
“Climate-heating greenhouse gases coming from the UK fell last year, partly because soaring costs forced businesses and households to cut back on power.”
❄️ Changes in Antarctica’s glaciers and ice sheets: in pictures
“Anadolu Agency’s photojournalist Sebnem Coskun is documenting Turkey’s eighth national Antarctic science expedition.”
🏞️ Raw sewage spills into England rivers and seas doubles in 2023
“According to the Environment Agency there were 3.6 million hours of spills compared to 1.75 million hours in 2022.”
“The melting of ice in Greenland and Antarctica is said to have slowed the rotation of the Earth because it has changed where the planet's mass is concentrated.”
🇱🇧 Lebanese youths take up rods and reels to learn sustainable fishing
“Lebanon’s fisheries face multiple challenges, including the prevalence of illegal and destructive practices, like dynamite fishing.”
👻 New 'Ghost Shark' Species With Giant Eyes Found Thousands of Feet Deep
“This new huge-eyed species is a type of "ghost shark," or chimaera, which are some of the oldest lineages of fish in existence.”
💧 Shocking stories from the frontlines of the worldwide water crisis
“From dried-up rivers to poisoned water, people around the world are struggling to meet a basic need.”
💂♂️ Thames Tideway Tunnel super sewer completed
“After eight years in the making, London's £5bn super sewer has been completed.”
🤿 Ocean Opportunities
🖥️ International Coral Reef Initiative #ForCoral Webinar - Thursday 4th April
💼 Regional Coordinator @ High Seas Alliance - Eastern, Southern or Central Africa
🖥️ Ocean Uprise Internship @ Parley for the Oceans - Remote. Must be aged 16-30
Have a great weekend! 📸
This has has become one of my favorite Substacks!
We all need to hear this news. Thank you.