September 12, 2014
Ocean Roundup: Western Australia Recommended to Halt Shark Cull, Orca Pod Saves Member from Fishing Gear, and More
– In a remarkable rescue, members of an orca pod helped save one of their own from fishing gear off New Zealand. Rescuers say the pod pushed the orca, who was carrying a 77-pound cray pot line, to the ocean’s surface to breath, and rescuers were then able to take over to free her from the gear. The Dodo
– Two new studies predict that shark populations could face steep declines by 2010. Both studies looked at how ocean acidification and climate change will have negative impacts on shark species. Discovery News
– Western Australia’s Environmental Protection Authority has recommended that the state stop their controversial shark cull because of “a high degree of scientific uncertainty.” The first installment of the shark cull caught 172 sharks this past January and April, but none were the intended great white shark. The Guardian
– California may become the first state in the U.S. to create a sea level rise planning database, which will compile data from cities, counties, airports, and companies about their sea level rise adaption plans. Proposed in Assembly Bill 2516, it will direct the California Natural Resources Agency to compile this database by 2016. Climate Central
Long Read:
– Last week, a federal judge found BP of “gross negligence” and “willful misconduct” in regards to the 2010 Deepwater Horizon spill. This article explores how oyster harvests have not recovered for one Gulf harvester since the spill, and how catches for many other species are still down. Mother Jones