MEMO: Action Plan for the Atlantic Ocean area

The Atlantic Action Plan aims to revitalise the marine and maritime economy in the Atlantic Ocean area. It shows how the EU's Atlantic Member States, their regions and the Commission can help create sustainable growth in coastal regions and drive forward the "blue economy while preserving the environmental and ecological stability of the Atlantic Ocean.

Seabird bones reveal changes in open-ocean food chain

Remains of endangered Hawaiian petrels -- both ancient and modern -- show how drastically today's open seas fish menu has changed. A research team, led by Michigan State University and Smithsonian Institution scientists, analyzed the bones of Hawaiian petrels -- birds that spend the majority of their lives foraging the open waters of the Pacific. They found that the substantial change in petrels' eating habits, eating prey that are lower rather than higher in the food chain, coincides with the growth of industrialized fishing.

Western Indian Ocean Earthquake and Tsunami Hazard Potential Greater Than Previously Thought

Earthquakes similar in magnitude to the 2004 Sumatra earthquake could occur in an area beneath the Arabian Sea at the Makran subduction zone, according to recent research published in Geophysical Research Letters.

Richard Benyon vows to drive through 'ambitious' EU fishing reforms

Richard Benyon, the UK's fisheries minister, has vowed to drive "ambitious and radical reform" of the EU's common fisheries policy at a key meeting in Brussels this week.

Ocean ridges not home to ‘more’ marine life

Undersea mountain ranges have long been thought to contain more marine life than flatter parts of the deep ocean, but now an international team of scientists has evidence that this is not the case. The findings have implications for how these areas should be managed and fished.

Plastics - An Ocean Of Grief

“Plastics will prove the worst, most insidious invention of humanity. Plastics kill everything and anything in their path on all four corners of the planet. Plastics kill without violence, without warning and without provocation. Plastics float, sink and never break down. Of all of humanity’s folly on this green planet, plastics take the trophy for man’s inhumanity to all other life on Earth.” - Frosty H. Wooldridge

Latest from World Ocean Radio: More About Wind

Wind is of particular relevance to the ocean, as evidenced by the number of near and offshore wind turbine proposals currently projected and in motion. In this episode of World Ocean Radio, host Peter Neill will describe a variety of innovative wind projects in varying stages of development and use around the globe.

EU's 'wasteful' fish discards policy nears the end of the line

Crucial negotiations in Brussels in the next few days will decide one of the thorniest European environmental issues of the past four decades – the wasteful practice of throwing millions of healthy fish back into the sea each year after they have been caught, because of the way the EU's quotas are managed.

Are We Missing the Big Picture in our Ocean Ecosystem?

Fishing for shad on the Potomac River at Fletcher’s Boathouse is a spring tradition for many Washington-area anglers, including me. As a food source for larger fish, birds of prey, and other animals, shad provide a great example of the interconnectedness of nature—which for decades hasn’t received enough attention from fisheries managers.

Richard Branson Gets Ocean Protector Award

British entrepreneur Sir Richard Branson has been presented with a federal government award for being a protector of the world's oceans. Environment Minister Tony Burke presented Sir Richard with the inaugural Global Ocean Protector Award in Sydney on Friday.

Rodust writes letter to ministers: Parliament is ready to compromise

In a move to prevent a looming deadlock, Ulrike Rodust, the European Parliament’s negotiator, has sent a letter to fisheries ministers with proposals for compromises on key issues in the fisheries reform.

Greenland's Ice Loss May Slow, But Still Won't Save Coasts

The flow of Greenland’s glaciers toward the sea may have increased significantly in the past decade, but a new report in Nature finds that rate of increase is unlikely to continue. “The loss of ice has doubled in the past 10 years, but it’s not going to double again,” said lead author Faezeh Nick, a glaciologist at the University Centre in Svalbard, in Longyearbyen, Norway, in an interview.

Illegal Fishing Costs Billions Of Dollars Per Year, New Study Shows

Fish piracy - seafood caught illegally, not reported to authorities or outside environmental and catch regulations - represents as much as $10 billion to $23 billion in global losses each year, a non-profit conservation group estimated Wednesday.

Brazilian 'Atlantis' Discovered: Japanese Submersible Finds Evidence Of Continent Beneath Atlantic Ocean

Brazilian and Japanese experts have discovered undersea rock structures, which could be evidence of a sunken landmass similar to that of the legend of Atlantis. The Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC) and the Geology Service of Brazil (CPRM) announced on Tuesday the discovery of granite at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean, about 900 miles off the coast of Rio de Janeiro.

Polar Pod plan to explore Southern Ocean

Frenchman Jean Louis Etienne is planning an audacious expedition to spend six months travelling around the Southern Ocean is a floating structure called a Polar Pod.

Deep sea diving robots to save world’s coral reefs

Scientists in the Capital are raising funds to create robots capable of repairing endangered coral reefs unreachable by deep sea divers. The experts at Heriot-Watt University have teamed up with a Marine Systems Engineering Laboratory at Northeastern University’s Marine Science Centre in Massachusetts and a coral “nursery” in Belize to create the “Coralbots”, which will use special arms to repair damaged 
underwater ecosystems.

Marine debris summit to focus on Africa

The first-ever summit to focus specifically on the issue of marine debris around the African continent will be taking place during World Environmental Week and World Ocean Day, 6-8 June 2013 in Cape Town, South Africa.

Scientists sound alarm at Arctic Ocean's rapid acidification

Scientists expressed alarm on Monday over the rapid acidification of the Arctic Ocean caused by carbon dioxide emissions, which could have dire consequences on the region's fragile ecosystem.

Australia's Barrier Reef set for heritage downgrade: UNESCO

Australia insisted it was committed to protecting the Great Barrier Reef on Saturday after the UN warned that the natural wonder's world heritage status could be in downgraded in 2014.

Iceland to resume disputed fin whale hunt in June

Iceland plans to resume its disputed commercial fin whale hunt in June with a quota of at least 154 whales, the head of the only company that catches the giant mammals said Saturday.

Ocean pursuit leaves toothfish pirates with nowhere to run

An Australian-backed illegal fishing watchdog in Asia is on the heels of some of the last toothfish pirates, as a long-plundered fishery moves to a sustainable catch - and to local meal tables.

Latest from World Ocean Radio: 220 Fisheries Crime

Fisheries crime is on the rise and the consequences are dire. In most instances of illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing (IUU), enforcement is a major issue: lack of personnel, commitment to prosecution, and the capacity to survey and arrest on the vast, open ocean. 

In this episode of World Ocean Radio, host Peter Neill will discuss efforts being made my Interpol and other organizations to combat unreported fishing loss, the cost to the global economy, and the ever-shrinking core group of owners and corporate structures at the heart of this illegal activity.

New population of rare Irrawaddy dolphins found in Palawan

A new Philippine population of critically-endangered Irrawaddy dolphins was reported recently by WWF-Philippines.

Farming fish as demand goes up but supply is down

A proposal to establish an aquaculture zone off Western Australia's Mid West coast is attracting criticism from environmentalists.

Fugro GEOS introduces airborne ocean current measurement system

Combining recent advances in remote sensing and aerial survey, a new system for airborne current measurement has been developed to bridge the gap between satellite- and vessel-based ocean current measurements.

With Arctic sea ice vulnerable, summer melt season begins briskly

The Arctic saw a record loss of summer sea ice in 2012, and the 2013 melt is off to a faster start than a year ago. Another record is uncertain, but warming has sapped the ice's staying power.

Legal battle over who owns the fish in the sea

The High Court is being asked to make a judgement over the question of who owns the fish in the sea. The government wants to reallocate unused quota worth more than £1m from big firms to small-scale fishermen. But the UK Association of Fish Producer Organisations says the government cannot do this without its consent. It is asking the High Court to rule on whether the allocation of a quota confers a permanent right to fish yet to be caught.

The Atlantic Ocean Off the East Coast Was the Warmest Ever Recorded in 2012

During the second half of last year — the hottest recorded year in U.S. history — ocean temperatures off the East Coast hit their highest temperatures in the 150 years measurements have been kept. It's not a comforting record.