Nearly 80% of whale sharks in Indonesia’s West Papua have human caused scars

Whale sharks, the largest living fish species, are classified as endangered on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Over the past 75 years, populations have declined by more than 50% worldwide, and by up to 63% in the Indo-Pacific region. Read more here.

3 Florida Manta Rays captured for Seaworld Abu Dhabi, 1 died, records show

Two years before its controversial videotaped capture of a giant manta ray last month, a Florida company seized two more of the rare creatures for SeaWorld Abu Dhabi, one of which died in captivity, according to new records obtained by the Orlando Sentinel. Read more here.

Can we undo extinction? A growing effort to restore lost sharks

“This is a first for the ocean, and especially for sharks,” Mark Erdmann, ReShark’s executive director, told me. The effort involves breeding sharks in captivity, shipping their eggs across oceans, hatching them in Indonesian nurseries, and releasing them into the wild. In less than three years from its first planning meeting, the team achieved its first release. Read more here.

Leatherback sea turtle habitat in Puerto Rico one step closer to protection

Friday’s decision, known as a 90-day finding, is the first procedural step toward protecting leatherback nesting beaches on Puerto Rico’s California Beach, Maunabo; Tres Hermanos Beach, Añasco; and Grande Beach, Arecibo. Read more here.

Rare sighting of critically endangered Angel Shark in Cardigan Bay offers hope for marine conservation

In a significant breakthrough for marine conservation, The Wildlife Trust of South and West Wales (WTSWW) has successfully recorded footage of the critically endangered angel shark in Cardigan Bay. Read more here.