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155 news posts in Environment

Environment

30 Sep 2016

Restoring the world’s oceans and seas

by Emily Barker, Frontiersin.org In the Bay of Biscay, the anchovy catches went from 90,000 tons to less than 10,000 tons in the early 2000s. After intervention from scientists and the European Union, the population recovered and is now at its highest level since the 1980s. Anchovies are an important resource for people living on the coast, and just one of the stories, which show that by linking science and policy – we have helped restore the world’s oceans. Angel Borja, Frontiers’ Specialty Chief Editor for Marine Ecosystem Ecology, is not completely pessimistic about the world’s oceans. “The oceans are not being destroyed, this is a bit of a mediatic issue;” he said. Despite the view that there is no hope left for the world’s oceans in the news, there are many areas that are beginning to be restored. “We are doing much better than twenty or thirty years ago;” he said. Angel Borja is the coordinator of the EU funded DEVOTES project, (DeVelopment Of innovative Tools for understanding marine biodiversity and assessing good Environmental Status). He explained that there are some areas where we have seen great improvements in the last decade. This includes estuaries, where the sea meets the rivers, […]

Environment

05 Aug 2016

Under-reporting of fisheries catches threatens Caribbean marine life

by Brittany Alexander, Frontiersin.org Marine fisheries catches have been drastically under-reported in the Turks and Caicos Islands in the Caribbean, threatening the marine environment and livelihoods of the local community, reveals a recent study published in the open-access journal Frontiers in Marine Science. Actual catches on the islands were an alarming 2.8 times, or 86% higher than that reported to the FAO, and this has very troubling implications. Lead researcher Aylin Ulman, recently based at the Sea Around Us, and her team call for urgent action from policy-makers to ensure the future sustainability of the fishing industry in this archipelago nation. Fishing has historically been the main industry in the Turks and Caicos Islands and in some areas up to 75% of locals are involved in the fishing industry. The rise in tourism is creating more demand for locally caught seafood and is placing increasing pressure on local marine life. The islands operate small-scale fisheries for queen conch, Caribbean spiny lobster, and finfish as the three main targets. The local government is required to report all catches to the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) to be able to trade with signatory nations of CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered […]