Sea Save Foundation
Contributor
Week in Review--100 Nations Discuss Whale Hunting, Two-headed Sharks, Drones Get WiFi
1. International Whaling Commission Attendees Discuss Hunting and Sanctuary
Focus at the recent International Whaling Commission (IWC) meeting ranged from discussions about accidental ship strikes, fishing gear ensnarement, hunting, poaching, scientific allowances and the economic evaluation of harvesting vs tourism.
Seventy years ago, the IWC first convened. The international community and a successful global campaign to protect marine mammals has proved successful and today an aboriginal subsistence whaling license is required to hunt whales.
Whaling nations exploit loopholes and continue to harvest whales in large numbers. The recent meeting found representatives from over eighty nations discussing topical issues. Additional pressure was applied to traditional whaling nations; such as Japan, Norway, and Iceland. A proposal was introduced to institute a South Atlantic whale sanctuary.
Click to Read More.
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2. A Scientific Review of International Whaling Regulations
The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) of the United States of America recently published, "Whales, Science, and Scientific Whaling in the International Court of Justice". The author, Mark Mangel, University of California at Santa Cruz, researched the success of whaling regulations established by the International Convention on Regulation of Whaling in 1986.
Mangel's studies suggest that the regulations fall short of their intended outcome and suggest modifications that if integrated, could yield better results. Click to Read More.
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3. Ocean Drones May Soon Have Their Own WIFI
Recently a forty-five day oceanographic expedition to the Arctic Circle used underwater drones to explore a submerged mountain's topography flora and fauna. The drones surfaced every few minutes to send the data they had collected. However, ocean scientists are seeking for a more efficient way to communicate information complied by their autonomous, robotic fleets. Project Sunrise, which brings together forty European marine researchers and computer scientists is striving to create a vast network of underwater modems docked to wireless modems. Boosting data capacity and speed isn't the only goal of the researchers. They are also analyzing ways that would allow for all of the research devices and technology to "speak" to one another as well. The Sunrise team is using Janus, a specialized coded language, for this digital communication. Click to Read More.
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4. Could Genetic Mutations in Sharks be Due to Over Fishing?
A two-headed cat shark embryo was recently observed among other specimens. Researchers dissected the transparent egg to learn more about what may have caused the mutation. Lead scientist Valentin Sans-Coma believes the mutation was due to artifact since it was conceived "in vitro" or in a laboratory.
Many marine biologists believe there is an increase in two headed mutations in the open ocean. The implication is that these are caused by indirect consequences of shark overfishing. Click to Read More.
For additional reading, consult the 2011 study "Embryonic Bicephaly in the Blue Shark, Prionace glauca, from the Mexican Pacific Ocean." Click to Read More.
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5. NASA Unveils Online Visualization Focused on Arctic Sea Ice Loss
The oldest sections of the frozen sheath of seawater located on the Arctic Ocean has been under serious pressure over the past twenty years due to climate change. Normally, only the newly formed sea ice would melt during the spring and summer months, but the latest research shows foundational ice to be less stable and shrinking, making the structure more vulnerable. According to NASA, only 110,000 square kilometers of older sea ice was left in September of this year. Their new online visualization tool takes the viewer on a journey that shows the changes in Arctic sea ice mass from 1984 to present day. Click to Read More.
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1. International Whaling Commission Attendees Discuss Hunting and Sanctuary
Focus at the recent International Whaling Commission (IWC) meeting ranged from discussions about accidental ship strikes, fishing gear ensnarement, hunting, poaching, scientific allowances and the economic evaluation of harvesting vs tourism.
Seventy years ago, the IWC first convened. The international community and a successful global campaign to protect marine mammals has proved successful and today an aboriginal subsistence whaling license is required to hunt whales.
Whaling nations exploit loopholes and continue to harvest whales in large numbers. The recent meeting found representatives from over eighty nations discussing topical issues. Additional pressure was applied to traditional whaling nations; such as Japan, Norway, and Iceland. A proposal was introduced to institute a South Atlantic whale sanctuary.
Click to Read More.
-----------------------------------------------
2. A Scientific Review of International Whaling Regulations
The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) of the United States of America recently published, "Whales, Science, and Scientific Whaling in the International Court of Justice". The author, Mark Mangel, University of California at Santa Cruz, researched the success of whaling regulations established by the International Convention on Regulation of Whaling in 1986.
Mangel's studies suggest that the regulations fall short of their intended outcome and suggest modifications that if integrated, could yield better results. Click to Read More.
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3. Ocean Drones May Soon Have Their Own WIFI
Recently a forty-five day oceanographic expedition to the Arctic Circle used underwater drones to explore a submerged mountain's topography flora and fauna. The drones surfaced every few minutes to send the data they had collected. However, ocean scientists are seeking for a more efficient way to communicate information complied by their autonomous, robotic fleets. Project Sunrise, which brings together forty European marine researchers and computer scientists is striving to create a vast network of underwater modems docked to wireless modems. Boosting data capacity and speed isn't the only goal of the researchers. They are also analyzing ways that would allow for all of the research devices and technology to "speak" to one another as well. The Sunrise team is using Janus, a specialized coded language, for this digital communication. Click to Read More.
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4. Could Genetic Mutations in Sharks be Due to Over Fishing?
A two-headed cat shark embryo was recently observed among other specimens. Researchers dissected the transparent egg to learn more about what may have caused the mutation. Lead scientist Valentin Sans-Coma believes the mutation was due to artifact since it was conceived "in vitro" or in a laboratory.
Many marine biologists believe there is an increase in two headed mutations in the open ocean. The implication is that these are caused by indirect consequences of shark overfishing. Click to Read More.
For additional reading, consult the 2011 study "Embryonic Bicephaly in the Blue Shark, Prionace glauca, from the Mexican Pacific Ocean." Click to Read More.
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5. NASA Unveils Online Visualization Focused on Arctic Sea Ice Loss
The oldest sections of the frozen sheath of seawater located on the Arctic Ocean has been under serious pressure over the past twenty years due to climate change. Normally, only the newly formed sea ice would melt during the spring and summer months, but the latest research shows foundational ice to be less stable and shrinking, making the structure more vulnerable. According to NASA, only 110,000 square kilometers of older sea ice was left in September of this year. Their new online visualization tool takes the viewer on a journey that shows the changes in Arctic sea ice mass from 1984 to present day. Click to Read More.
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