According to a JRC co-authored article published in Nature Scientific Reports, the shark and ray communities in the Adriatic Sea have been highly depleted in recent years, with fishing being a key driver of the decline.

Have you made a New Year Resolution for 2013? Why not keep it simple and aim to reduce, recycle and Dive Against Debris? For the the GoPro Family a resolution to go green developed into a real fixation. "This eco-friendly mission soon became an obsession and Angel was collecting cans and bottles from everywhere and anywhere to recycle," said Jo Armitage, Master Instructor.

It’s that time of year when many of us take stock. What happened in 2012? How can we make the New Year the best that it can be? Project AWARE is hitting the ground running in 2013 and we’re committed to ensuring progress for sharks and rays under CITES this March. You can help push for these protections: Sign the petition today!   

It was a lucky day for two large Hawksbill Turtles stuck in a turtle net off the coast of Viti Levu near Vuda Marina, Fiji.
On December 30th, Tony Koens – director/owner of Subsurface Fiji Adventure Diving  and Watersportsand his partner Carina Bjers, also with Subsurface Fiji, decided to take their SUP (Standup Paddle Board) out for a leisurely afternoon paddle.
They left the beach and were headed towards Naisoso when a few hundred metres down the coast they spotted a large turtle net that had 250mm square mesh and was about 200 metres in length according to Tony.

In a future shaped by climate change, only the strong – or heat-resistant – will survive.

A Kiwi man's dream to establish a shark sanctuary the size of Mexico has been realised in the Cook Islands.
On December 12, the Cook Islands declared its 1997 million square kilometre Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) a sanctuary for sharks and rays - the largest in the world and with the toughest shark conservation regulations to date.
The sanctuary is the product of an 18-month grassroots campaign led by Auckland-born Stephen Lyon, a marine scientist and founder of the Rarotonga-based NGO the Pacific Islands Conservation Initiative (PICI).

Manta rays, close to the heart of every diver, are at risk of extinction. The time is now to protect them! If you take a PADI course in 2013 you can choose the Project AWARE limited edition manta ray card and make a donation to help protect manta rays.
FACT: Manta ray catch has nearly quadrupled in seven years according to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).

Marine litter is damaging and costly. Commitments to reduce debris globally are being made but data on marine debris is seriously lacking. Volunteers from Bain & Company, Sydney Australia have chosen to be part of the solution. They organized a Community Impact Day with 17 employees and Dive Centre Manly.

In Miami, the world’s leading plastics associations launched a Progress Report on the Global Declaration of the Plastics Associations for Solutions on Marine Litter originally announced in March 2011 at the 5th International Marine Debris Conference.