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Science
Scientists are fighting coral disease with a surprising blend of chlorine, cocoa, and butter!
The first assessment of Atlantic cold-water corals has found that over 30 per cent face threats like fishing, ocean warming and acidification.
Great Barrier Reef coral larvae travel vastly different distances, highlighting how long-distance dispersal strengthens reef genetic connectivity and resilience.
Using old aerial photos combined with AI and satellite data, researchers have been able to identify early signs of Antarctic ice-shelf collapse, improving predictions of sea-level rise.
Fisheries
This year, scientists have added yet another stock to the list of fish stocks receiving zero-catch advice. The International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) now recommends no fishing for cod, haddock, whiting, and herring in the Celtic Sea, due to alarmingly low stock levels.
The government’s recent proposal to ban bottom trawling in 41 English Marine Protected Areas (MPAs), covering around 30,000 km², offers a silver lining.
Artisanal octopus fishers in Spain and Mexico are facing declining catches due to overfishing and warming waters.
Overfishing by foreign industrial fleets, particularly from Spain and China, is depleting fish stocks in Senegal.
UK Overseas Territories
The Marine Conservation Society hosted an event at the 2025 UN Ocean Conference, calling for stronger ocean protection, highlighting local efforts through showcasing vital work from the UK Blue Belt and Darwin Plus programmes.
Turks and Caicos officials say Providenciales’ infrastructure is under pressure from rapid tourism growth, prompting plans for sustainable upgrades to support the island’s future.
Tiny sea urchins and crabs in the Caribbean are helping coral reefs by eating harmful algae, and scientists are breeding them to restore damaged reefs.
Marine Protection
Research indicates that deep-sea mining in the Pacific could lead to ‘significant declines’ of many marine species, from tiny bottom dwellers to big predators like sharks, by damaging their habitat. Despite this, Japan plans to begin the world’s first deep-sea extraction for rare minerals in January 2026.
In 2024, Pakistan designated Churna Island as a MPA to help preserve its coral reefs and diverse fish species, marking an important step forward in the country’s efforts to protect the ocean.
Illegal shark products are being smuggled into Australia and New Zealand, threatening shark and ray species that are already at risk. More than 50 countries want to protect over 70 shark and ray species, by banning their international trade to help stop their populations from declining.
A monitoring project for UK-protected shipwrecks has started to address the threat that potting activities pose to these historically important sites, their surrounding ecosystems, and the biodiversity they support.
Conservation
Recent wildlife observations reveal electric rays using shocks to deter sharks, sensory traits shaping hermit crab behaviour, orcas offering food to humans, and concerns over an invasive snakehead fish spotted in Sri Lanka. Brittle stars are amazing creatures that help keep the seafloor healthy, but their skeletons made of calcium carbonate make them vulnerable to ocean acidification.
Giant river otters have been reintroduced to Argentina’s Iberá National Park for the first time since the 1980s.
A marine biodiversity credit project in Kenya’s Marereni region is revitalising mangrove ecosystems and supporting local livelihoods.
With Scotland’s spring salmon nearly gone, a major project is planting trees and reshaping rivers to cool the water and help bring the fish back.
Climate Crisis
It has been revealed that 104 major companies are responsible for 20 per cent of global environmental conflicts, disproportionately impacting local and Indigenous communities. Meanwhile, the U.S. government’s decision to halt satellite data sharing, threatens climate research by hindering the monitoring of sea ice and efforts to combat climate change. Adding to these concerns, key U.S. climate reports have been removed from government websites under the Trump administration, making vital information difficult to access.
Rising ocean temperatures from climate change are causing marine life to migrate.
Drones showed that more than 92 per cent of corals at Lizard Island on the Great Barrier Reef died after the 2024 bleaching event, one of the worst coral deaths ever recorded.
Young forests between 20 and 40 years old absorb carbon much faster than new forests, helping fight climate change.
The EU plans to cut greenhouse gas emissions gas emissions by 90 per cent by 2040 and reach climate neutrality by 2050, but some groups worry that allowing carbon credits might weaken real progress.
Misc
See this week’s wildlife photos.
“Observing the mass movement of underwater sediment is something that hasn’t been studied much.”
