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 -
🌊 Mysterious 'dark oxygen' discovered at bottom of ocean stuns scientists
“Chugging quietly away in the dark depths of Earth's ocean floors, a spontaneous chemical reaction is unobtrusively creating molecular oxygen, all without the involvement of life.”
💰 Extreme wealth has a deadening effect on the super-rich – and that threatens us all
“In a kayak off the Devon coast I witnessed the kind of entitled mindlessness that has ravaged society, and our planet.”
🪨 African countries must make their voices heard on deep-sea mining
“Africa stands at a pivotal moment where its decisions could profoundly influence the trajectory of the industry and the preservation of marine ecosystems.”
🇵🇭 Race to contain 'enormous' oil spill after ship sinks off Philippines
“The Philippines is in a race against time to contain an oil spill after a tanker carrying close to 1.5 million litres (400,000 gallons) of industrial fuel capsized.”
🐋 Anti-whaling campaigner Paul Watson arrested in Greenland
“Greenland police said they apprehended veteran environmental activist and anti-whaling campaigner Paul Watson on an international arrest warrant issued by Japan.”
🐝 Tories failed to do impact check before approving banned pesticide
“UK campaigners say it is ‘unacceptable’ no nature assessments were made on bee-killing Cruiser SB.”
🍥 Japan’s NYK finds novel way to gain carbon credits and feed the nation
“Japanese shipping giant Nippon Yusen Kaisha (NYK) has found a novel way to earn carbon credits while also feeding locals with a much-loved delicacy.”
🦐 In choice of mangroves or livelihood, Vietnam shrimp farmers choose the latter
“Shrimp farming is a leading driver of mangrove deforestation the world over. As demand for the sweet crustaceans boomed over the past few decades, swaths of vital coastal forests were cleared at unprecedented rates.”
🇮🇹 'The sea has taken everything': How Italy's coast was reclaimed
“Farmers and residents of the Po River delta are struggling as landmarks are lost to the water and crops are poisoned by salt.”
🇺🇸 U.S. is making progress on its climate goals — but still falling short
“New analysis by Rhodium finds that the nation is reducing planet-warming emissions, but not fast enough to cut such pollution in half by 2030.”
💰 EPA awards $4.3B for climate pollution reduction projects
“The Biden administration has announced more than $4 billion in Environmental Protection Act (EPA) grants to cut climate pollution across 30 states.”
“Research shows that participating in beach cleans is good for our mental health and encourages people to adopt more environmentally friendly behaviours.”
🐋 Entangled humpback whale is finally freed off Dana Point
“The young whale was seen off Southern California, struggling, its tail flukes dangerously entangled in rope. The animal may have been injured for as long as half a year.”
🦈 Sharks found with cocaine in their systems. How did that happen?
“Illegal drug-production labs may be releasing substances into the water that could harm Brazilian sharpnose sharks and other marine animals.”
🇰🇭 Can a carbon offset project really secure Indigenous rights in authoritarian Cambodia?
“The Cambodian Ministry of Environment has blocked Indigenous communities from receiving ownership over thousands of hectares of customary farmlands and culturally significant forests.”
🥤 Donkeys in Kenya are dying with stomachs full of plastic – and other animals are at risk
“With little grass for grazing on the island of Lamu, donkeys are rummaging through rubbish – and scientists now fear it is a global problem affecting many species.”
🏄♀️ How Tahiti's location and seafloor help create one of the world's best spots to surf
“While most 2024 Olympians will be battling for glory in Paris, the world's best surfers will be going for gold 16,000km away on Tahiti, where the spinning blue barrels of Teahupo'o might be the real star of the show.”
🚤 Breaching whale capsizes boat and sends two people overboard
“A breaching whale has capsized a boat and sent two people flying into the water.”
🌳 Trees reveal climate surprise
“Microbes living in bark remove methane from the atmosphere.”
🔥 Monday breaks the record for the hottest day ever on Earth
“Driven by oceans that won’t cool down, an unseasonably warm Antarctica and worsening climate change, Earth’s record hot streak dialed up this week.”
🇭🇷 Locals hope Croatian bay becomes world's smallest sea
“Residents of a bay on Croatia's Adriatic coast are hoping it can be officially designated the world's smallest sea, bringing more tourism and more environmental protection.”
💩 Sewage crisis: Four water firms 'responsible for 90% of serious pollution incidents'
“The Environment Agency says the pace of change at water firms in England continues to fall short of what is needed, with only three achieving the top ranking for performance.”
🫑 How to live without plastics for a month, according to the founder of a global movement
“The Plastic Free July movement aims to engage individuals to reduce single-use plastic consumption as well as push for systemic change.”
🟠 JSO pair told to expect jail over soup on painting
“Two Just Stop Oil (JSO) activists who threw soup over Vincent van Gogh's Sunflowers have been found guilty of criminal damage.”
🚫 Why so many people drown at the water’s edge
“In the UK, drowning is a leading cause of accidental deaths, surpassing even home fires and cycling accidents.”
🌵 Key Largo tree cactus becomes 1st-ever US species to become extinct due to rising sea levels
“The rapid decline of the species could signify a similar fate for other plants.”
🏞️ River campaign group hits back at 'alarmist' claim
“The River Action group raised concerns in June about the levels of E.coli in a stretch of the River Thames used for the Henley Royal Regatta.”
🎥 Ocean Film
👨🏼🦳 David Attenborough to partner with National Geographic on new documentary
“Sir David Attenborough is partnering with National Geographic for the first time on a documentary that will explore the health of the world oceans.”
Have a great weekend! 📸
Cover image by Rosalaura
Interesting about sea urchins, I saw a similar article about sea urchins in Australia where they are choking reefs, so they’re being harvested and exported to Japan! Meanwhile, here in Malta, where sea urchins are also considered a delicacy they became so overfished there’s a moratorium on collecting them at all. It used to be a thing to do when out on a day at sea in the summer but it was sustainable, it was only when fishing for urchins became commercialised that they were fished almost to extinction. It’s always a balance.
The Tories failed to check the impact of a policy before they enacted it? Colour me surprised!