October 2014 - Page 3 of 7 - Oceana USA

Ocean Roundup: Baby Sea Turtles Tracked with Tiny Tags, Canada Restricts Large Area from Commercial Fishing, and More

– For years, scientists have used satellite tags to track adult sea turtles and learn more about their behavior, but technology didn’t exist to sufficiently study smaller sea turtle hatchlings. Now, scientists have used nanoacoustic tags to track baby sea turtles’ movements after West Africa during their first few days in the ocean. Science – … Read more

New Shark Repellent May Keep Sharks from Becoming Bycatch

It’s estimated that tens of millions of sharks die from incidentally being caught in fishing gear each year—more commonly known as bycatch—from longlines, trawls, and gillnets. Commercial pelagic longlines are particularly dangerous, dangling thousands of baited hooks into the water for extended periods of time, typically intending to catch swordfish, mackerel, and tuna. But these … Read more

Ocean Roundup: Lionfish Being Fed to Reef Sharks, New Polymer Could Reduce Shark Bycatch, and More

– New research shows that deep-sea microbes use vitamin B12 to break down toxic chemicals on the seafloor. Scientists that found microbes using this vitamin reduced the toxicity of dangerous polychlorinated biphenyals (PCBs), dioxins, and other dangerous substances. Forbes – A company that specializes in shark repellants has created a polymer that they say deters … Read more

CEO Note: President Obama Designates Largest Marine Reserve in the World

Last month, President Obama finalized the expansion of the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument ­­— the largest marine reserve in the entire world. First created by President George W. Bush in 2009, the reserve is centered around several islands and atolls in the central Pacific Ocean. The newly expanded reserve will protect an area … Read more

Oceana Magazine, Dr. Pauly Column: How Do We Know How Many Fish There Are in The Sea?

To set sustainable fishing quotas, fisheries scientists must first understand how big populations are so that species can continue to reproduce and build their populations while being fished. In this column, Oceana board member and fisheries professor Dr. Daniel Pauly discusses the methodology in determining stock assessments. This article first appeared in the summer 2014 … Read more