News Bulletins

Scotland Bans shark finning - 19/01/2010

Environment Secretary Richard Lochhead today received the 'Shark Champion Award' in recognition of Scotland's new ban on the removal of fins from sharks at sea which came into force on January 1.

MarBEF publishes work on European marine biodiversity

MarBEF has published a PDF detailing the work on European marine biodiversity undertaken by its coalition of marine researchers over the past 5 years. FREE DOWNLOAD - well worth reading!

Kenna Eco Diving joins earthdive

Kenna Eco Diving has joined Earthdive, an online organisation seeking to collate data from divers all around the world to build up a global picture of the status of key coastal species. We will be contributing our Mediterranean observations into their database and divers anywhere in the world can join and contribute too!.

Fifth of corals dead: only emission cuts can save the rest, says IUCN.

The oceans have lost 19% of their coral reefs, revealed the 2008 global update of the world's reef status. The Global Coral Reef Monitoring Network report showed that many of the remaining reefs may be lost over the next 2 to 4 decades if current trends in carbon dioxide emissions continue.

Fast fall of Mediterranean sharks By Richard Black, Environment correspondent, BBC News.

Sharks in the Mediterranean Sea have undergone a massive decline over the last two centuries, scientists have discovered from historical records.

New database of Mediterranean MPAs now Online

The new database of Mediterranean MPAs is NOW online - 12 September 2008 The inventory of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) of the Mediterranean Sea has been recently updated and improved and the online database is freely searchable.

Scientists Reveal First Ever Global Map of Total Human Effect on Oceans

More than 40 percent of world's oceans heavily affected - February 14 2008 More than 40 percent of the world's oceans are heavily affected by human activities, and few if any areas remain untouched, according to the first global-scale study of human influence on marine ecosystems. By overlaying maps of 17 different activities such as fishing, climate change and pollution, the researchers have produced a composite map of the toll that humans have exacted on the seas.

Octopuses Had Antarctic Ancestor - Marine Census OSLO

Many octopuses evolved from a common ancestor that lived off Antarctica more than 30 million years ago, according to a "Census of Marine Life" that is seeking to map the oceans from microbes to whales. Researchers in 82 nations, whose 10-year study aims to help protect life in the seas, found a mysterious meeting place for white sharks in the eastern Pacific Ocean and algae thriving at -25 degrees Celsius (-13 Fahrenheit) in the Arctic. "We are approaching a picture of the oceans ... from microbes to whales," said Ron O'Dor, co-senior scientist of the census of the 2007-08 findings by up to 2,000 scientists.

Marine Biodiversity and Ecosystem Functioning EU Network of Excellence
New MarBEF paper in MarBEF Open Archive Full reference: Franco, M.A.; Steyaert, M.; Cabral, H.N.; Tenreiro, R.; Chambel, L.; Vincx, M.; Costa, M.J.; Vanaverbeke, J. (2008). Impact of discards of beam trawl fishing on the nematode community from the Tagus estuary (Portugal). Mar. Pollut. Bull. 56(10): 1728–1736. Web link: http://www.marbef.org/modules.php?name=moa&module=ref&refid=126431

New journal “Marine Biodiversity”, call for papers Web link: http://www.marbef.org/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&t=333

Science of Marine Reserves on Google Earth Web link: http://www.marbef.org/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&t=332

Marine Biodiversity Wiki: http://www.marbef.org/wiki