Ocean Conservation

Decline of rare right whale appears to be slowing, but big threats remain

https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/decline-rare-whale-appears-slowing-scientists-big-threats-104217324

The decline of one of the rarest whales in the world appears to be slowing, but scientists warn the giant animals still face existential threats from warming oceans, ship collisions and entanglement in fishing gear.

Thousands of illegal shark fins found during Pacific patrol

https://bc.ctvnews.ca/dfo-says-thousands-of-illegal-shark-fins-found-during-pacific-patrol-1.6603600

Canadian fisheries officers discovered more than 3,000 shark fins while conducting a maritime surveillance and enforcement mission in the North Pacific Ocean, according to Fisheries and Oceans Canada.

ACU launches new marine scholarships

https://thepienews.com/news/acu-ocpp-scholarships/

Scholarships for marine science research degrees driven by the Association of Commonwealth Universities have been announced for students from Ghana, India, Bangladesh and Belize.

China hires thousands of people to solve a seaweed problem

https://maritime-executive.com/editorials/china-hires-thousands-of-people-to-fix-its-seaweed-problem

In 2023, the smallest amount of seaweed washed up on Qingdao’s beaches since records began in 2007, the local authorities stated on 3 August. That record did not come easy: the government says more than 8,000 people spent two months controlling the seaweed that forms offshore of this east-coast port city.

Billions of Alaska snow crabs went missing around Alaska. Scientists now know what happened to them

https://edition.cnn.com/2023/10/19/us/alaska-crabs-ocean-heat-climate/index.html

Billions of snow crabs have disappeared from the ocean around Alaska in recent years, and scientists now say they know why: Warmer ocean temperatures likely caused them to starve to death.