CITES4sharks: Historic Shark Decisions Survive Final Threat at CITES Plenary

Five commercially valuable shark species, manta rays & freshwater sawfish listed CITES plenary today accepted Committee recommendations to list five species of highly traded sharks under the CITES Appendices, along with those for the listing of both manta rays and one species of sawfish. Japan, backed by Gambia and India, unsuccessfully challenged the Committee decision [...]

WWF Statement on Drilling in the Arctic

August 30, 2012 – Following the Department of the Interior’s announcement to grant permits to Shell for drilling in America’s Arctic Ocean this summer, WWF issued this statement: WWF is dismayed by the administration’s decision to allow drilling in the Arctic. The technology simply doesn’t exist to effectively contain a spill in the extreme environment [...]

Study shows widespread climate changes underway in B.C’s Oceans affecting fisheries, deep sea-diversity and coastal habitats

VANCOUVER, BC – A newly-released report by WWF and the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society (CPAWS) reveals that the effects of climate change are reducing fish habitat on B.C.’s coast, threatening the province’s lucrative groundfish and shellfish fisheries. The study is the first regional synthesis of its kind to document observed and expected impacts of [...]

Coral Sea makes ocean conservation history

The Australian government today announced the creation of the world’s largest marine reserve in the Coral Sea, including the world’s second largest highly protected zone at more than 500,000 km2 – a historic moment for ocean conservation in Australia and globally. Australia’s Coral Sea, east of the Great Barrier Reef, is one of the last [...]

Glass sponge reefs: New marine protected areas, 1 of 12

British Columbia’s prehistoric glass sponge reefs are an international treasure. Found in Hecate Strait and the Southern Strait of Georgia, these fragile reefs provide vital habitat to a wide range of marine animals including endangered rockfish, but are very sensitive to disturbances. Learn more about this area and discover eleven other proposed marine protected areas at [...]

NOAA releases new views of Earth’s ocean floor

NOAA has made sea floor maps and other data on the world’s coasts, continental shelves and deep ocean available for easy viewing online. Anyone with Internet access can now explore undersea features and obtain detailed depictions of the sea floor and coasts, including deep canyons, ripples, landslides and likely fish habitat. The new online data [...]

WODC: Eleven critical issues affecting our oceans

Leading up to World Oceans Day on June 8th, World Oceans Day Canada (WODC) provides this list of 11 critical issues affecting the world’s oceans. While it’s not very often everyone agrees on anything. Remarkably, the world’s top scientists and marine researchers virtually all agree on the issues facing our oceans health, and the demands [...]

The Coral Sea: Our Ocean Paradise

The Coral Sea is a tropical marine jewel. Lying east of the Great Barrier Reef in Australia the Coral Sea is an abundant ocean paradise where big fish like tuna and marlin can still be found in large numbers. This Serengeti of the seas is home to isolated coral reefs, underwater canyons, sandy cays and [...]

MARTI Tips for “Reef Friendly” Diving

Of course we know that divers are some of the strongest and most effective advocates for coral reef conservation, but it’s always good to review. MARTI – the Mesoamerican Reef Tourism Initiative – has provided a list of simple guidelines to become a “Reef Friendly” diver. There are also lists for “Prior” to your dive, [...]

WWF Canada: Sobey Fund for Oceans gives students an opportunity to demonstrate ocean leadership

Graduate students at Dalhousie University who are interested in finding solutions to the problems facing Canada’s Oceans have the opportunity to compete for two awards of $10,000 each for the 2012-2013 academic year, thanks to a new partnership between WWF and Dalhousie University, “Canada’s Ocean University”, funded by a gift from the Sobey Fund for [...]

Next Page »