Big Blue Bulletin #4
Baby orca rescue operation, more sewage, and the world's tiniest violin
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 -
🐙 ‘The finger-touch sent shivers down my spine’: my encounter with a common octopus
“Marine biologist Helen Scales had seen octopuses before – but she had never had a meeting quite like this one.”
🐌 Invertebrate of the year 2024: all hail Earth’s spineless heroes
“Highly diverse and charismatic, these creatures deserve recognition as a sixth great extinction dawns.”
⛑️ Orca calf stranded in Canadian lagoon to be airlifted and reunited with family
“Plans are underway to airlift a stranded killer whale calf from a remote tidal lagoon off northern Vancouver Island.”
🛢️ Warning remains after lake contaminated with oil
“North Northamptonshire Council said it appeared the oil had been deliberately dumped into a culvert, which feeds into the lake.”
🛶 Boat Race: Oxford rowers criticise sewage levels in River Thames
“High levels of E. coli have been found in the river where universities race every year.”
🎻 Greenpeace deliver ‘world’s tiniest violin’ to Shell CEO in response to lawsuit
“The oil and gas company is suing the charity for $2.1m in damages over a fossil fuel protest in the North Sea in 2023.”
🏞️ Campaigners fear plan to fight River Wye pollution has been shelved
“Letters revealed under FoI laws show council asked environment secretary to investigate plan.”
🧊 Melting glaciers unleash invasive species into unexpected areas
“These non-native invaders threaten to disrupt the island’s delicate, isolated ecosystem.”
🇰🇪 To make water last year-round, Kenyans in dry regions are building sand dams on seasonal rivers
“Seasonal rivers flow a few times a year here, and with little piped water and few reliable alternatives, many people here depend on them for water.”
💩 Faulty sewage spill monitors spark accusations of 'environmental cover up' by water firms
“The number of devices not working properly has fuelled concerns the scale of the sewage scandal is far bigger than previously thought.”
🇪🇸 Spain on track for hottest first quarter on record: Have heavy rains helped with severe drought?
“Despite recent rains topping up reservoirs, an unusually warm winter has made water shortages worse and drought is a consequence of a bigger problem.”
🦑 Deep-sea mining’s future still murky as negotiations end on mixed note
“Members of the International Seabed Authority (ISA), the U.N.-affiliated regulator of deep-sea mining activities in international waters, met for talks.”
“Sewage flowed into capital's rivers for almost 10,000 hours last year.”
“This finding suggests that net zero targets set by the Paris climate change agreement in 2015 are yet to make a significant impact on fossil fuel production.”
🎈 Female photographers celebrate Jane Goodall’s 90th birthday
“Ninety wildlife and landscape photographers from around the world are marking the primatologist Jane Goodall turning 90.”
🇦🇺 Australia could see decades-long ‘megadroughts’, scientists warn
“Megadroughts are exceptionally severe, long-lasting, and widespread drought events, spanning multiple decades or even centuries.”
🚢 What exactly is 'destructive fishing'? Time for a clear definition
“Experts are concerned about something called “destructive fishing,” which harms marine ecosystems and the livelihoods of communities that depend on them.”
🦭 Seals rescued by RSPCA swim 30 miles inland - and eat all the fish
“Angling Trust says rehabilitated animals are causing ‘unsustainable and damaging impact’ on river wildlife and must be released further out.”
☀️ Extreme heat is the silent assassin of climate change
“We need to raise our voices and start taking precautions now.”
🐟 Windermere char under threat from raw sewage
“The fish can no longer be caught by commercial nets – but now pollution puts their future in doubt.”
🐬 Over 100 Dead Dolphins Wash Ashore on Russia's Black Sea Coast
“A total of 137 cetaceans died in the last month. This is a serious figure.”
🍷 Your favourite wine could disappear thanks to climate change. These are the areas most at risk
“Some wine producers will need to relocate to higher altitudes if businesses are to survive, new analysis has found.”
🌱 Seagrass meadows and climate change: An uncertain future
“A team of experts has issued a dire warning: climate change and human activities could devastate these fragile habitats without swift and decisive action.”
🐻❄️ ‘Wonderful experience’: Researcher’s close encounter with Svalbard polar bears
“Meteorologist says bears were not aggressive but they fired signal gun to scare them away.”
🇮🇩 Indonesian court jails environmentalist for flagging illegal farms in marine park
“Environmental activist sentenced to seven months in jail for a Facebook post in which he criticised the growing problem of illegal shrimp farms operating inside a marine park.”
🇳🇿 Thousands of eels die mysteriously in New Zealand
“Mass death may be due to a ‘stress event’ linked to climate change, officials say.”
🏞️ 77,000 live salmon catapulted into river after lorry overturns
“Tanker driver transporting 102,000 fish from hatchery loses control of vehicle on tight bend in Oregon.”
🎨 Ocean Artwork
📸 SINK/RISE by Nick Brandt - Photographer
❗ Ocean Action
✍️ Tell World Leaders to Protect 30% of the Ocean by 2030
“Scientists say we must protect at least 30% of the ocean by 2030 to stabilize our climate, stop wildlife exploitation, and secure an equitable, healthy future for life everywhere.”
“Join our coalition and demonstrate to the Faroe Islands that the world will not stop watching its inexcusable treatment of dolphins and whales.”
Have a great weekend! 📸
Another great Bulletin! Thanks for all the work you put into these!
Another important roundup. Thanks so much Amie.