Japanese bid to lift whaling ban fails
The Guardian reports that Japan’s bid to lift the international ban on commercial whaling has been rejected at the International Whaling Commission’s (IWC) congress in Brazil.
Articles & News Tagged “Environmnet”
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Ascension Island marine reserve announced
The UK and Ascension Island Governments, along with the Blue Marine Foundation have announced the creation of a marine reserve in the Atlantic. An area of 234,291 sq. Km (90,460 sq. Miles) around Ascension Island has been set aside and the Bacon Foundation has donated a £300,000 grant to monitor and enforce the reserve’s provisions. (Image from Shutterstock).
Paper shows cooperation between rabbitfishes
Nature has published a paper that illuminates the complex nature of relationships among fishes. A study carried out around Lizard Island, Greta Barrier Reef, Australia has shown that rabbitfishes (Siganus corallinus, S. doliatus, S. puellus, and S. vulpinus) operate as pairs, with one partner maintaining a look-out while the other feeds. behavior suggests that the fish have powers of cognition, reciprocity and cooperation that were previously not associated with fishes in general. (Image by BS Thurner Hof).
Manta ray images required for science
The Marine Megafauna Foundation is asking citizen scientists and photographers to submit their images of reef manta rays (Manta alfredi) to its Manta Matcher database. This is in an effort to support additional protection for the species by getting them included onto the Conservation for Migratory Species listing.
CITES shark and manta protection comes into force
As agreed at the Bangkok Conference in March 2013, international trade in products from 5 species of shark and all species of manta ray will need to be accompanied by documents showing that they were sustainably and legally harvested from 14 September. CITES and the Food and Agriculture Organization on the UK (FAO) have been provided with funding by the EU and other bodies to implement and enforce the new regulations.