Surfers, kayakers, fishers, boaties, swimmers and beach walkers are all passionate about the marine environment but divers are most likely to contribute to marine citizen science projects, according to a national survey by a Southern Cross University researcher.

Consumers of Asian alternative medicine derived from Australian marine life may be inadvertently consuming toxins, according to research by The University of Queensland.
Dr Kathy Townsend of the School of Biomedical Sciences and UQ's Moreton Bay Research Station said the studies identified the presence of toxic substances in devil and manta rays and traced the trade of the animals across Asia.

New IUCN Red List assessments reveal that growing human pressures on whale sharks, winghead sharks and Bornean orangutans are putting these species at an increasing risk of extinction. Whale sharks and winghead sharks are now listed as Endangered and Bornean orangutans as Critically Endangered – only one step from going extinct.

The world needs “to act now to avoid living in a sea of plastic by mid-century,” stresses a publication by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and GRID-Arendal. The report, ‘Marine Litter Vital Graphics,' which summarizes current knowledge on plastic litter in the oceans and highlights areas where more research is needed, predicts 33 billion tonnes of plastic will accumulate around the planet by 2050 if current trends continue.

It’s been a very tempestuous week of political fallout since the UK voted by 52% to leave the European Union in a public vote. Seas At Risk* is determined to continue working with its members inside and outside the UK for a healthy marine environment.

The Annual Meeting of the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission (IATTC) ended on 1st July in La Jolla, California. While no measures were adopted for the management of Tropical Tuna and for the conservation of Bluefin Tuna, good progress was made on shark conservation and on Fishing Aggregating Devices (FADs) management.

In cooperation with the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) and with the support of the European Union, the Government of Japan and the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) of the United States of America, FAO has developed a database to document international, regional and national shark measures.

When it comes to shark conservation, Costa Rica rarely shies away from the spotlight. In February, conservationists applauded as the country made headlines at the February meeting of the Memorandum of Understanding on the Conservation of Migratory Sharks (MOS2), where international conservation measures spearheaded by Costa Rican delegates were formally ratified. But just a week before the meeting, Costa Rica’s president, Luis Guillermo Solís, was named Shark Enemy of the Year for his administration’s conservation policies.

June 1st saw the release of the European Parliament’s draft opinion on the Circular Economy. Authored by Italian Socialist MEP Simona Bonafè, it contains proposals that will be vital to tackling the EU’s contribution to the global marine litter crisis.

Obama Proclamation On National Oceans Month 2016: Covering more than 70 percent of the earth's surface, oceans have a profound impact on our way of life. Home to a great diversity of plant and animal species, their precious ecosystems provide food and energy that are integral to our survival. In bringing tourism and recreation to coastal areas, oceans are important to America's economy, and they help facilitate trade and transportation, give mobility to our Armed Forces, and preserve our Nation's maritime heritage.