Science
A world‑first DNA study of thousands of brittle star specimens reveals that the deep sea forms a vast, globally connected “superhighway”, where marine life has silently migrated across oceans over millions of years, linking ecosystems from Iceland to Tasmania.
Scientists have finally identified the bacterium, Vibrio pectenicida, as the cause of the sea star wasting disease epidemic, responsible for the loss of 90 per cent of sunflower sea stars along North America’s west coast in the last 10 years.
Japanese rice fish display similar courtship behaviour in laboratories as in the wild, but at different times of day, highlighting the importance of replicating natural environmental cues in laboratory studies to ensure accurate behavioural observations.
Researchers have uncovered a puzzling genetic divide in great white sharks: while their nuclear DNA remains remarkably uniform across global populations, their mitochondrial DNA shows significant variation.
Fisheries
A no-fishing zone in Comoros has helped fish return near the shore, encouraging plans to create more protected areas.
Antarctica’s krill fishery has been closed early this year after catches surpassed the seasonal limit for the first time, following the collapse of conservation agreements. This threatens vital krill populations that sustain marine life and play a crucial role in combating climate change.
U.S. shrimpers in North Carolina have formed a coalition of coastal counties in response to a proposed inshore trawling ban.
Endangered angelsharks, which are illegal to catch in Brazil, have been served in school lunches for years, prompting authorities to announce they will stop purchasing them.
India’s seafood exports to the UK could increase by up to 70 per cent.
UK Overseas Territories
A new study shows that the Chagos Archipelago’s huge marine protected area, covering about 640,000 km², supports over 95 per cent of tracked sea turtles, manta rays, and seabirds throughout their lives, highlighting the importance of large protected areas for effective marine conservation and encouraging the creation of more reserves like these worldwide.
Conservation
Ocean acidification has weakened sea urchin shells compared to historical samples.
A diet high in anchovies is causing vitamin B₁ deficiency and deaths in California Chinook salmon, especially in hatchery young.
Scientists tracked the northward migration of young northern fur seals using satellite tags and discovered they exploit powerful ocean eddies to conserve energy while foraging along their route. In a similar study, researchers fitted lightweight cameras to red-footed boobies in the Indian Ocean, capturing the first-ever footage of them catching flying fish mid-air while expertly using wind patterns to travel efficiently across vast ocean distances.
The rapid expansion of mangroves along Florida’s coast is acidifying nearby oyster reef sediments, causing oyster shells to dissolve; efforts are now underway to balance restoration so both ecosystems can thrive together.
The population of one species of coral in the Brazilian archipelago absorbs an amount of carbon equivalent to the emissions from burning 324,000 litres of petrol annually.
Climate Crisis
As climate change accelerates, Nordic countries are experiencing an extreme heatwave, Pakistan endures devastating monsoon floods, the Great Barrier Reef suffers its worst coral decline on record, and unusually high numbers of jellyfish have appeared in UK seas. Meanwhile, kelp forests off Scotland have been shown to reduce wave heights by up to 70 per cent, highlighting their vital potential as natural buffers against coastal erosion and flooding.
Machine learning has been used to estimate erosion rates for about 85 per cent of the world’s glaciers, revealing that 99 per cent erode at roughly the thickness of a credit card each year.
Scientists now warn that chemical pollution from hundreds of thousands of synthetic substances poses a threat to human and environmental health comparable to climate change.
The United Nations’ 30th International Seabed Authority (ISA) meeting ended without imposing a moratorium on deep-sea mining, raising widespread concern that proceeding without a pause could cause significant damage to marine ecosystems.
Policymakers and officials vastly underestimate public willingness to act on climate change, believing only around 37 per cent would contribute to the cause, even though actual support is about 69 per cent.
Plastics
Microplastics are everywhere, even in our bodies, and as delegates from 184 countries begin the final round of UN negotiations in Geneva on a global plastics treaty, deep divisions persist: over 100 nations support capping plastic production, while major fossil-fuel-producing states favour recycling and waste management instead. Campaigners have warned that the presence of over 200 industry lobbyists threatens to undermine meaningful progress.
Misc
See this week’s wildlife photos.
“To truly protect the natural world, conservation needs to happen at the level of entire landscapes—not single species—to maintain complex networks that allow biodiversity to thrive. Ecological processes underpin the stability of ecosystems—making them resilient and adaptable to environmental change. If we don’t protect these processes—from migration and pollination to seed dispersal and predator-prey interactions—ecosystems may become increasingly vulnerable to the rapid changes now happening worldwide.”
