Marine Science Today

Vote for Your Favorite Underwater Photo from UMiami

Emily — Fri, 06 Apr 2012 19:26:15 +0000

The University of Miami Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science is in the process of judging the entries from their annual Underwater Photography Contest. This year the contest includes a “Fan Favorite” category for users to vote online. Five photographs have been selected and voting will continue untill 11:59pm on Sunday April 8th. Vote [...]

MPAs Succeed in Protecting Sea Turtles

Emily — Tue, 20 Mar 2012 12:57:45 +0000

Emily Tripp Senior Writer A new study shows that Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) are helping sea turtles survive. The study from an international team of scientists, led by the University of Exeter, explains that MPAs provide an ideal habitat for foraging and protects turtles from the negative aspects of fishing. The research team found that [...]

James Cameron to Explore the Mariana Trench

Emily — Sat, 17 Mar 2012 23:44:39 +0000

Emily Tripp Senior Writer Filmmaker James Cameron has revealed his plans to visit the deepest place on the planet aboard a deep-diving craft called the Deepsea Challenger. If successful, this will be only the second time humans have been to the bottom of the Mariana Trench, 7 miles below the surface of the Pacific Ocean. [...]

768 Whales Saved from Japanese Whale Hunt

Emily — Fri, 16 Mar 2012 22:59:56 +0000

Emily Tripp Senior Writer Japan’s whaling fleet killed less than one third of the animals it planned this season, due primarily to sabotage by activists. They killed 266 minke whales and one fin whale, much less than the 900-whale goal they set out with. “The catch was smaller than planned due to factors including weather [...]

A Success Story for Dolphins in Switzerland

Emily — Thu, 15 Mar 2012 21:18:11 +0000

Emily Tripp Senior Writer Switzerland has joined Norway, Luxembourg, Slovenia, and Cyprus in banning the captivity of dolphins. Switzerland’s House of Representatives has voted to outlaw the keeping of dolphins in aquariums or for entertainment purposes. The Senate also banned the future importation of dolphins, meaning that the dolphins living in the country’s only dolphinarium, [...]

High Concentrations of Neurotoxins Found in Shark Fins

Emily — Sat, 25 Feb 2012 16:55:57 +0000

Emily Tripp Senior Writer Sharks are among the most threatened marine species in the world due to unsustainable fishing practices. They are killed primarily for their fins that are used in the Asian delicacy, shark fin soup. A new study by University of Miami (UM) scientists, published in the journal Marine Drugs, has discovered high [...]

Shark’s Skin Aids in Swimming

Emily — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 15:15:48 +0000

Emily Tripp Senior Writer Sharks are known for their effortless swimming, but past studies have focused only on how their streamlined bodies contribute to the ease with which they swim. George Lauder from Harvard University focused his efforts on how the shark’s skin boosts is swimming capabilities. The skin of a shark is coated in [...]

World Oceans Summit 2012

Emily — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 15:16:59 +0000

Emily Tripp Senior Writer The Economist’s World Oceans Summit will begin one month from today, from February 22 to 24, in Singapore. The Summit will be chaired by John Micklethwait, Editor-in-chief of The Economist and will focus on how the increasing activity in and around the oceans can be managed successfully and sustainably. More than [...]

Decrease in Sea Ice Increases Harp Seal Mortality Rates

Emily — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 16:05:02 +0000

Emily Tripp Senior Writer Over the last 32 years, warming in the North Atlantic has dramatically reduced winter sea ice cover in harp seal breeding grounds. According to a new study from Duke University, this has led to a sharp rise in death rates among seal pups. “The kind of mortality we’re seeing in eastern [...]

Saving Whales by Creating Harvest Quotas

Emily — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 14:21:21 +0000

Emily Tripp Senior Writer An economist and two marine scientists have suggested that we could save whales by creating tradable harvest quotas. Every year, anti-whaling nonprofit organizations spend nearly $25 million on efforts to end commercial whaling. Unfortunately, every year, commercial whaling still continues to grow. The number of whales harvested annually has doubled since [...]