Big Blue Bulletin #8
A whaling mothership, PFAs, and a finally free baby orca
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 vast new whaling ‘mother ship’ that Japan hopes will revive a shrinking industry
“A new $47m vessel is preparing for its maiden voyage in coastal waters, but there are fears the Kangei Maru could one day mean a return to hunting in the Southern Ocean.”
🐬 Orca calf successfully returned to open water after bold rescue in Canada
“Two-year-old calf one step closer to reuniting with family group after tragic accident that left her stranded in remote lagoon.”
🇬🇧 UK urged to ‘stand strong’ against EU on fishery closures to help seabirds
“Ministers are being urged to “stand strong” on moves to close a fishery in UK waters to protect puffins and other wildlife in the face of EU opposition.”
🛢️ Sunak to allow oil and gas exploration at sites intended for offshore wind
“Decision to grant licences condemned by critics as a stunt that shows Tories are ‘playing politics with climate’.”
🥤 Plastics treaty talks: Slow progress, yet restored hope
“The latest negotiations on a global treaty to address plastic pollution concluded in Canada, advancing the dialogue despite significant debates.”
🇦🇶 Ozone hole: Why Antarctic wildlife is being 'sunburnt’
“For Antarctic wildlife, exposure to the Sun's damaging rays has increased in recent years, scientists say.”
“Scientists stunned by scale of destruction after summer of storm surges, cyclones and floods.”
🐟 Hundreds of thousands of fish die in Vietnam as Asia swelters in searing heat
“Residents say smell from reservoir after mass die-off of fish has been overwhelming.”
💰 Shell reveals $3.5bn share buyback as it faces AGM showdown over emissions
“Group of major shareholders plans to table resolution, accusing company of watering down climate pledge.”
“Human sewage can carry diseases and viruses, although molluscs are then soaked in sterile tanks so they can usually purify themselves before they are sold.”
🦠 Plastic-eating bacteria can help waste self-destruct
“Scientists have developed a "self-digesting plastic", which, they say, could help reduce pollution.”
💰 How the overseas owners of England’s water companies clean up by polluting our rivers
“Soiled seas and huge shareholder dividends: where has the £64bn borrowed by firms since privatisation gone?”
🌍 Conservation efforts lending a helping hand to global biodiversity, study says
“The decade-long research is the biggest of its kind ever completed.”
🏊♀️ UK water sports demand clean-up, blaming sewage for illness and event cancellations
“The Clean Water Sports Alliance says dirty water is forcing event cancellations and making athletes ill. It wants the government to tackle the problem, and hold polluters to account.”
🏭 G7 commits to phasing out coal by mid 2030s - but environmental groups aren't happy
“The Environment, Energy and Climate G7 meeting concluded on Tuesday at the Palace of Venaria in Turin.”
🎣 Fewer fish and more rules lead to illegal catches, Italian fishers say
“The line between legal and illegal fishing off Italy’s Calabria region is often blurred, with fishers blaming stringent top-down regulations for constricting their traditional practices.”
🥤 Landfill waste enters beaches and sea, say scientists
“On the banks of the Dee Estuary, separating Wales and England, scientists are concerned about what at first glance appear to be ordinary sand dunes.”
🦈 Rare European eel and tope shark among 81 species found along Sussex coastline
“Scientists say there is the urgent need to address destructive fishing practices globally.”
👏 'Exciting' discovery of material that can store greenhouse gases faster than trees
“The findings were hailed by researchers who said the material could help "solve society's biggest challenges."
☔ Heavy rain provides boost for chalk stream wildlife
“One of the wettest winters on record has been "great" for chalk rivers, the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) has said.”
🏞️ All we wanted was to protect the River Wye from pollution. Now we’re stuck in a catch-22
“To protect our local river we had to prove it was being used for swimming. But that, bizarrely, is the reason we were rejected.”
🦭 Seal releases halted after fish stock concerns
“The RSPCA has paused releasing rescued seals into a Lincolnshire river after concern they have been damaging fish stocks.”
🔥 More than 70% of key resources imperilled by climate - report
“Global production of crucial raw materials may be at risk of disruption due to climate change and businesses need to find adaptation solutions.”
🐬 Education & research bring Rio’s dolphins back from the brink of extinction
“Just 37 miles outside the city of Rio de Janeiro, dozens of Guiana dolphins swim cautiously past the motorboat, cutting through the water’s surface to breathe.”
☢️ Rapidly rising levels of TFA ‘forever chemical’ alarm experts
“Trifluoroacetic acid found in drinking water and rain is thought to damage fertility and child development.”
🎥 Film lifts lid on Great Pacific Garbage Patch voyage
“A documentary about an all-female crew's journey through an area of ocean dubbed "the Great Pacific Garbage Patch" is set for release this month.”
🇺🇳 Developed countries accused of bowing to lobbyists at plastic pollution talks
“Campaigners say last-minute compromise plays into the hands of petrostates and industry influences.”
🌊 El Niño not climate change key to drought that caused Panama Canal disruption
“Low rainfall saw the Panama Canal Authority restrict the number and size of ships passing through the canal.”
🧪 PFAS increase likelihood of death by cardiovascular disease, study shows
“In a first, researchers were able to compare records of people who drank polluted water in Veneto, Italy, with neighbours who did not.”
🐟 From petri dish to plate: meet the company hoping to bring lab-grown fish to the table
“People want more seafood than the oceans can sustainably supply, so a German firm aims to plug that gap with cultivated fish – but are consumers ready to buy it?”
❗ Ocean Action
✍️ Support the manifesto for our seas
“Will you help us remind political leaders why our ocean is so important and what needs to be done to protect it?”
Have a great weekend! 📸
Cover image by Tim Watters - Sea Shepherd
Thanks so much Amie, for all the news and updates.
So pleased too that the calf made it out to the ocean. Such needed good news! Hope she will find her family.
Amie, I've run out of superlatives to describe your site. This week's issue is particularly excellent! The possibility that that whaling vessel sails anywhere makes my blood boil (figuratively) and those new chemicals building up everywhere that take thousands of years to degrade makes my blood run cold.