Thank you Exmouth and Coral Bay, Western Australia for hosting the first Manta Ray Black Tie Ball in support of Project AWARE. Congratulations and countless thanks to Diana Belton and Alice Martino for organising this amazing event.  This incredible duo went above and beyond to create a truly memorable evening for everyone to enjoy. It’s the magic of swimming with manta rays that inspired Diana and Alice to organise the event which raised an amazing AUD $16,000.

La Agencia Europea del Medio Ambiente (EEA, en sus siglas en inglés), ha denunciado que el aumento de basura arrojada a los océanos está dañando ecosistemas y animales marinos, que quedan atrapados o que ingieren los residuos, e incluso puede comprometer la salud humana.

Schildkröten leiden zunehmend unter der Vermüllung der Meere. Vor allem Plastik-Abfälle können für die Tiere tödlich sein, wenn sie den Unrat gemeinsam mit der Nahrung fressen. Sechs der insgesamt sieben Meeresschildkrötenarten sind inzwischen vom Aussterben bedroht.
Die vom Aussterben bedrohte grüne Meeresschildkröte frisst mehr Müll denn je. Dabei können vor allem Plastikabfälle für die Tiere tödlich sein.

Una su due tartarughe verdi ha spazzatura nello stomaco.
Sei delle sette specie di tartarughe marine, tutte classificate fra quelle in pericolo, ingeriscono con sempre maggiore frequenza rifiuti gettati in acqua dall'uomo, come i sacchetti di plastica, che rischiano di soffocarle. Lo sostiene uno studio.
Il rilascio di sostanze tossiche nell'apparato digerente, inoltre, può avere conseguenze sul ciclo riproduttivo.

Les tortues vertes, une espèce en danger, sont de plus en plus nombreuses à ingérer en mer des déchets rejetés par l'homme, voire des sacs plastiques avec lesquels elles peuvent s'étouffer. Selon une étude publiée dans la revue scientifique Conservation Biology, six des sept espèces de tortues marines ingèrent des débris rejetés par l'homme et toutes les six sont classées comme vulnérables ou en danger.

Green turtles are swallowing plastic at twice the rate they did 25 years ago, according to a University of Queensland study.
Researchers from the School of Biological Sciences and CSIRO's Wealth from Oceans Flagship who analysed global research data from the past 25 years have found green and leatherback turtles are eating more plastic than ever before.
Study leader and PhD candidate Qamar Schuyler said turtles ate more plastic than any other form of debris.

Each June and July near the full moon, the northern Gulf of Mexico hosts a mysterious gathering of whale sharks.
Dozens of the hulking black sharks with white spots glide about with mouths agape as they skim the water’s surface during a 12-hour tuna egg buffet of sorts.
A decade ago, records of these unusual gatherings existed only in fishermen’s tales.
Scientists have spent the past decade piecing together an understanding of the fish’s existence in the northern Gulf and tracking these gatherings that have also been reported in other parts of the world.