Ocean News: Nicaragua Dispatches Military to Protect Baby Turtles, New Zealand Bans Shark Finning, and More - Oceana USA
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August 20, 2014

Ocean News: Nicaragua Dispatches Military to Protect Baby Turtles, New Zealand Bans Shark Finning, and More

As sea turtle hatching season gets underway in Nicaragua, the nation’s military has been sent to the coast to protect baby sea turtles from poachers. Poaching has historically been an issue in Nicaragua, but has improved in recent years. The Dodo

Today, New Zealand officials announced they are banning shark finning, effective this October. This ban, which prohibits fishermen from removing fins from dead sharks and dumping the carcasses at sea, builds upon a previous ban that outlawed shark finning on live sharks. The Washington Post

Codfish spawning numbers in the Gulf of Maine are at an all-time low, according to the National Marine Fisheries Service. In the Gulf of Maine, one of two key fisheries on the East Coast, cod are at three to four percent of their spawning target level. The Washington Post

Long Read:

– In this in-depth look into clear, see-through ocean creatures, scientists analyze how being a transparent creature in the open ocean has its benefits, but also a few downsides—like getting sunburnt. The New York Times

Video:

– Have you ever wondered why jellyfish stings are so painful? In a new video, experts put stinging capsules under a microscope and track just how they penetrate the skin. The Huffington Post