6
POPSGreenpeace to sink boulders to stem trawling off Sweden The boulders are to be sunk in zones classified as Natura 2000 in the Lilla Middelgrund (179 square kilometres, 70 square miles) and Flauden (104 square kilometres, 40 square miles) areas. Both sites lie about 20 kilometres (15 miles) from Varberg port, off Sweden's southwest coast. Natura 2000 is a network of sites around the European Union protected by EU directives aimed at protecting wildlife and their habitats. Carrying out Monday's mission will be two Greenpeace vessels -- the Beluga II and the Fehn Coast -- with about 30 people on board. "This is a conservation measure in order to protect habitats, which is what governments are supposed to do," Danielsson said. A similiar initiative was taken last year off Germany, and according to Greenepace it has proven effective in discouraging fishing.
10
POPSMany of Scotland's seabirds are too hungry to lay eggs Most of the seabirds depend on sand eels - which used to shoal in vast numbers. Shetland fishermen have stopped catching them, but scientists believe climate change could be to blame for their continued decline, which is causing the birds to starve. Lower fish numbers lead to lower numbers of adult birds surviving from one year to the next, and not enough chicks being produced and surviving to replace them. Sea temperatures have risen by up to two degrees in the past 20 years and that may be causing the sand eels and the plankton on which they depend to move to cooler waters.
6
POPSJumbo impact of shrimp ACTION! Shift Your Shrimp Consumption ACTION! Shift Your Shrimp Consumption Today, nearly 70 percent of the world's fisheries are fully fished or overfished, and about 60 billion pounds of fish, sharks and seabirds die each year as bycatch -- animals caught accidentally as a result of wasteful fishing techniques. For every 1,000 of us who stop eating shrimp, we can save over 12,000 pounds of sea life per year. To mark this year's World Ocean Day, pledge to shift your shrimp consumption!
1
POPSThe Great Pacific Garbage Patch is twice the size of France
I know this is an old story, but like the plastic and trash we keep throwing away, it just won’t go away. Measurements show there is six times more plastic than plankton in this area. Plastic does not biodegrade; no microbe has yet evolved that can feed on it. Prolonged exposure to sunlight causes polymer chains to break down into smaller and smaller pieces, a process accelerated by physical friction, such as being blown across a beach or rolled by waves. Worldwide, according to the United Nations Environment Programme, plastic is killing a million seabirds a year, and 100,000 marine mammals and turtles. Bottle caps, pocket combs, cigarette lighters, tampon applicators, cottonbud shafts, toothbrushes, toys, syringes and plastic shopping bags are routinely found in the stomachs of dead seabirds and turtles. Every single molecule of plastic that has ever been manufactured is still somewhere in the environment, and some 100 million tons of it are floating in the oceans.
1
POPSDrillers eye oil reserves off California coast Californians have generally opposed drilling since a platform blowout in 1969 splashed 3 million gallons of black, gooey crude oil on 35 miles of beaches around Santa Barbara, killing otters and seabirds. The destruction of shoreline and wildlife sparked activism and led to the creation of the Coastal Commission. But when gas prices peaked a few months ago amid cries of "drill, baby, drill" at rallies for GOP presidential candidate John McCain and running mate Sarah Palin, 51 percent of Californians said they favored more offshore drilling, according to a survey by the Public Policy Institute of California.
0
POPSThe Unintended Catch of Seabirds International commissions recognize the impacts of longline fishing practices to endangered seabirds and are taking steps to improve fishing gear and techniques.
7
POPSRats wipe out Seabirds on Alaska Island They intend to try and get rid of the rats with rat poison, they seem optimistic, and say that if successful it will be third largest rat free island in the world. They have two problems. People have tried to get rid of rats before, with out much success. The other problem, is that with rat poison, while it may be ok if there are only rats on the island, it doesn't break down easily, and residue can remain in the food chain and environment, causing, bleeding in whatever ingests it.
0
POPSAn end to man's destruction of the 'web of life' "Scottish waters are home to colonies containing more than five million seabirds, nearly half the total in the European Union. More than a third of the world's grey seals live in Scotland and it is home to 29 species of whales and dolphins, including the world's most northerly bottlenose dolphin population, in the Moray Firth. Scottish sea lochs, such as Loch Sween and Loch Etive, are a unique environment within the EU, with the likes of maerl beds, reefs of flameshells and horse mussels, communities of northern sea fans and coldwater corals. The sea contributes an astonishing amount to our livelihoods: the value of its "ecosystem services" - food production and the flows of nutrients, material and energy - has been put at £14 billion. In more concrete terms, some £370 million worth of fish were landed by Scottish boats in 2006, while Scotland accounts for 90 per cent of the UK's farmed fish, with a "farm gate" value of £300 million."
1
Pops
Newest Clips
Latest Comments
Most Pops
Print
Save
Turn on live update