Ocean Conservation

Forest fires in Madeira put future of Europe's rarest seabird under threat: Click here

Independent: Europe's rarest seabird, the Zino's Petrel, found only in Madeira, has suffered potentially devastating losses from a forest fire which struck the birds' breeding area on the Atlantic island. The fire on Madeira's central mountain massif killed 25 chicks -- 65 per cent of this year's young birds -- with only 13 fledglings found alive in their underground burrows. These remaining few will have to contend with the effects of severe soil erosion which the fire has caused. Three adult ...

Fuel tanker runs aground in Canadian Arctic: Click here

Reuters: A fuel tanker loaded with 9 million liters (2.4 million gallons) of diesel fuel has run aground in Canada's Far North but none of the fuel has spilled, the Canadian Coast Guard said on Thursday. The 117 meter (384 foot) vessel, called the Nanny, got hung up on a sand bar southwest of the community of Gjoa Haven in the territory of Nunavut on Wednesday, said Larry Trigatti, superintendent of environmental response in the Canadian Coast Guard's central and Arctic region. "There's ...

African livelihoods at risk as species threatened: IUCN: Click here

AFP: Millions of Africans may lose a key source of livelihoods as a fifth of freshwater African species are threatened with extinction, the updated Red List of endangered species showed Thursday. Scientists conducting a survey on 5,167 African freshwater species found that some 21 percent of species of fish, molluscs, crabs, dragonflies and aquatic plants were at risk of becoming extinct, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) said in a statement. As fish is ...

Four held after Arctic storm halts Greenland protest: Click here

AP: Four Greenpeace activists who clung to an oil rig off western Greenland using rock-climbing gear have been arrested after an Arctic storm forced them to abandon their protest. The four men -- from the US, Finland, Poland and Germany -- faced preliminary charges of violating a 1,650ft security perimeter around the Stena Don rig and trespassing by climbing on to the installation. The activists had been suspended under the rig since Tuesday to protest over British oil exporter ...

Cove star stages protest over Japanese dolphin hunt: Click here

Guardian: The star of an Oscar-winning film about dolphin hunting in Japan delivered a petition to the country's US embassy calling for an end to the practice. Ric O'Barry, 70 – who appeared in The Cove and trained dolphins for 1960s TV show Flipper – was flanked by police and dozens of supporters carrying banners. The petition was signed by 1.7 million people from 151 countries. O'Barry had hoped to deliver it to the Japanese fisheries agency but cancelled the plan after threats from a ...

No injuries, signs of spill in Gulf rig explosion: Click here

Reuters: An oil and gas platform operated by Mariner Energy burst into flames on Thursday and unleashed a mile-long oil sheen into the Gulf of Mexico, in the region's first major offshore disaster since BP's oil spill began in April. All 13 crew members were rescued with no injuries from the ocean near the burning platform and were taken to another offshore platform, the U.S. Coast Guard said. The fire has been contained but is not yet extinguished. It is not known whether the oil sheen ...

Oil Rig Explodes In Gulf Of Mexico: Click here

AP: An offshore petroleum rig exploded and was burning Friday in the Gulf of Mexico about 80 miles south of Vermilion Bay. The Coast Guard says no one was killed in the explosion, which was reported by a commercial helicopter flying over the site around 9 a.m. CDT. All 13 people aboard the rig have been accounted for, with one injury. The extent of the injury was not known. Coast Guard Cmdr. Cheri Ben-Iesau says seven Coast Guard helicopters, two airplanes and three cutters were ...

Gulf oil rig explodes off La. coast: Click here

AP: An offshore oil rig has exploded in the Gulf of Mexico, west of the site of the April blast that caused the massive oil spill. Coast Guard Petty Officer Casey Ranel says the blast was reported by a commercial helicopter company about 9:30 a.m. CDT Thursday. Seven helicopters, two airplanes and four boats are en route to the site, about 80 miles south of Vermilion Bay along the central Louisiana coast. Ranel says it hasn't been determined whether the structure is a production ...

Ecologists fear Antarctic krill crisis: Click here

Nature: The humble Antarctic krill (Euphausia superba) bears a heavy burden. It may be just a small, shrimp-like crustacean, but its sheer abundance makes it one of the largest protein sources on Earth, eagerly sought by fish, penguins, whales -- and man. Ecologists are now warning that the rapid growth in krill fishing is adding to the pressure of environmental changes threatening the creatures, and are calling for better monitoring and precautionary management of krill fisheries. The ...

Legal challenge to drilling ban scores court victory: Click here

Business Green: The US ban on deep water oil and gas drilling could be overturned for a second time after a federal judge yesterday rejected the Obama administration's request to dismiss an oil industry lawsuit challenging the six-month moratorium. US district judge Martin Feldman, who controversially overturned the administration's first ban, yesterday ruled that a second ban imposed by the Interior Department in July "arguably fashions no substantial changes from the first moratorium" and as such ...

Japan to sentence Greenpeace anti-whaling activists: Click here

AFP: Two Greenpeace activists will face possible jail terms in Japan on Monday for stealing a box of whale meat in a trial the environmental group says will test the country's limits on political activism. Prosecutors have demanded 18-month prison sentences for each defendant, Junichi Sato and Toru Suzuki, on charges of trespass and theft, in a case that started more than two years ago with their arrests in dramatic Tokyo police raids. The two activists admit taking the box of ...

Greenpeace activists arrested after abandoning occupation of Arctic oil rig: Click here

Guardian: Four Greenpeace activists who halted drilling by a British-owned oil exploration rig off Greenland have been arrested after they abandoned their occupation because of severe weather. Greenlandic police arrested the four after high winds buffeted the Stena Don drilling rig overnight, forcing them to abandon mountaineering-style platforms they had suspended by ropes underneath the platform less than 48 hours earlier. Morten Nielsen, deputy head of Greenland police, said the four ...

Mariner Energy oil rig fire extinguished, no sign of oil spill in Gulf: Click here

Christian Science Monitor: A fire on an offshore oil platform in the Gulf of Mexico has been extinguished, and officials say oil does not appear to be leaking from the facility. The US Coast Guard is at the platform roughly 80 miles south of Vermillion Bay in Louisiana, and will continue to monitor the facility for signs of a leak, a Coast Guard official said on Thursday. The announcement was welcome news along the beleaguered Gulf coast "" a region that is still working to overcome the effects of the ...

Hurricane Earl closes in on East Coast: Click here

Reuters: Hurricane Earl began to strafe North Carolina's barrier islands with dangerous surf and winds on Thursday as it spun parallel to the U.S. East Coast on a northward trek toward New England and Canada. Earl was downgraded to a Category 2 storm on the five-step Saffir-Simpson scale of intensity and had top sustained winds of 110 mph after weakening on Thursday from its Category 4 peak, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said. Additional weakening was expected but Earl was still a ...

Fishing reopened in 5,130 square miles of Gulf: Click here

AP: Federal authorities have lifted a fishing ban in part of the northern Gulf of Mexico from the Florida Panhandle to the far eastern coast of Louisiana. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration officials said Thursday about 5,130 square miles of federal waters from Pensacola west through Alabama and Mississippi are open to fishing and shrimp harvesting. NOAA also said shrimping could resume in federal waters east of Pensacola, which reopened to other fishing last ...

Hurricane Earl a Harbinger of Worse to Come?: Click here

National Geographic: Hurricane Earl--now a Category 3 hurricane with winds of up to 115 miles (185 kilometers) an hour--is expected to nearly miss North Carolina's Outer Banks (map) early Friday morning. But the storm could be the first of several intense hurricanes to menace the U.S. East Coast as the 2010 Atlantic hurricane season heats up, according to Jeff Masters, meteorological director for the Weather Underground website. Hurricane Earl's path is expected to pass about a hundred miles (160 ...

Temporary Cap That Stopped BP Gusher Removed: Click here

AP: Engineers have removed a temporary cap that stopped oil from gushing into the Gulf of Mexico from BP's blown-out well in mid-July. No more oil was expected to leak into the sea, but crews were standing by with collection vessels just in case. The cap was removed as a prelude to raising the massive piece of equipment underneath that failed to prevent the worst offshore oil spill in U.S. history. The government wants to replace the failed blowout preventer first to deal with any ...

Environmental Forensics for BP Gulf Spill: Click here

Inter Press Service: Stealthy submarine gliders slide through the depths of the Gulf of Mexico with the precision of birds of prey. Robot-like rovers search for droplets of oil thousands of metres under the surface. Powerful computerised analysers send instant results to scientists on board the ship above. All of this to assess the impact of disaster. The specialised equipment, ordinarily used to measure the number of plankton suspended in ocean water, or to search for hydrothermal vents on the ocean ...

Oil spill seen in Gulf platform explosion: Click here

Reuters: An oil and gas platform in the Gulf of Mexico exploded on Thursday, setting off a blaze and a small oil spill, but the accident does not appear to be as serious as BP's deadly rig explosion and oil spill in April. The U.S. Coast Guard said an oil sheen of 100 feet by 1 nautical mile has been reported at the site. All 13 crew members on the burning platform were evacuated to another offshore platform, the U.S. Coast Guard said. The fire has been contained but is not yet ...

Greenpeace Activists Held After Leaving Arctic Oil Rig: Click here

AP: Four Greenpeace activists who had clung to an oil rig off western Greenland with rock-climbing gear were arrested Thursday after an Arctic storm forced them to abandon their environmental protest. Police spokesman Morten Nielsen said the four men -- from the U.S., Finland, Poland and Germany -- faced preliminary charges of violating a 1,650-feet security perimeter around the Stena Don rig and trespassing by climbing onto the installation. The activists had been suspended under ...

No sign of oil leak after Gulf of Mexico rig blast: company: Click here

AFP: There is no sign of an oil spill after a rig caught fire in the Gulf of Mexico, a spokesman for rig operator Mariner Energy said. "In an initial flyover by company personnel over the site, there was no hydrocarbon spill that was reported," spokesman Patrick Cassidy told CNN. Everything "appears to be" contained "at this time," he added.

Oil rig explodes in Gulf of Mexico: Click here

Guardian: Another oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico suffered an explosion today, raising fears of more pollution just months after the BP oil spill hit the area. There were 13 crew on the rig, of whom one was known to be injured. Most of the crew took to the water when the explosion occurred. The United States Coast Guard said the rig was not in production, suggesting there would be no oil leak, but it could not be sure. The blast comes as states surrounding the Gulf are still ...

BP begins removing cap from Gulf well: Click here

Reuters: BP Plc said it had begun removing a cap from equipment atop its ruptured Gulf of Mexico oil well on Thursday, the first of several steps in advance of plugging the leak for good. "We expect that to happen this afternoon," spokesman Scott Dean said. The cap has shut off all oil flow from the leak since July 15. Once it is gone, BP can remove a failed blowout preventer and replace it with another before plugging the leak through a relief well. (Reporting by Kristen Hays; ...

Coast Guard responding to possible rig blast in Gulf: Click here

Reuters: The U.S. Coast Guard was flying helicopters to a possible offshore drilling rig explosion in the Gulf of Mexico, a Coast Guard spokesman said. Helicopters were an hour away from the site of the possible explosion, said Coast Guard Petty Officer Prentice Danner.

Gulf oil rig explodes off La. coast: Click here

AP: An offshore petroleum platform exploded and was burning Thursday in the Gulf of Mexico about 80 miles off the Louisiana coast, west of the site where BP's undersea well spilled after a rig explosion. The Coast Guard says no one was killed in the blast, which was reported by a commercial helicopter flying over the area Thursday morning. All 13 people aboard the rig have been accounted for, with one injury. The extent of the injury was not known. Coast Guard Cmdr. Cheri Ben-Iesau ...

Changing Weather Depletes Fish Stocks: Click here

New Era: The decline in Namibia's fish resources is a result of environmental conditions and failed recovery of the resources despite conservative management strategies, says Beau Tjizoo of the Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources. "Warm events" that have occurred since 1995 have increased along the coast in recent years. This has led to the displacement and mortality of fish species. Reporting to the ongoing meeting of the Food, Agriculture and Natural Resources Policy Analysis ...

Risks remain with Gulf well cap coming off: Click here

AP: The image of thick crude gushing from a blown-out oil well a mile beneath the Gulf of Mexico was turned off when a tightly fitting cap was secured on top a month-and-a-half ago. Engineers weren't expecting that sight again Thursday when they planned to delicately remove the cap as a prelude to raising the massive piece of equipment underneath that failed to prevent the worst offshore oil spill in U.S. history. But the government wasn't offering a guarantee no more oil would ...

Cairn says Greenland ops resume after protest: Click here

AFP: Scottish oil exploration group Cairn Energy said Thursday it had resumed operations on a rig off the coast of Greenland after Greenpeace ended a protest. "Cairn can confirm that operations have started again on the Stena Don (oil rig), where safety remains Cairn's priority in this drilling exploration activity," the group said in a statement. "The actions taken by Greenpeace remain a matter for the Greenlandic authorities." Four Greenpeace activists had climbed on to the ...

Hurricane threatens US holiday islands: Click here

Reuters: Visitors and some residents were evacuated from low-lying holiday islands off the North Carolina coast yesterday as Hurricane Earl bore down on the US eastern seaboard, churning up dangerous swells. Earl, still a major (Category 3) hurricane, weakened slightly overnight as it swept across the Atlantic east of the Bahamas. It was on track to approach North Carolina's coast early tomorrow, the US National Hurricane Centre (NHC) said. The second major hurricane of the season was ...

Climate change report says a meter of water would completely over Jamestown Island: Click here

Daily Press: As Virginia braces for a possible bashing by Hurricane Earl, two environmental groups on Wednesday released a report that suggests things may only get worse for low-lying areas in Hampton Roads, especially area National Parks. The report -- issued jointly by the Natural Resources Defense Council and the Rocky Mountain Climate Organization -- details the effects of climate change on Colonial National Historical Park, Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge and Shenandoah National Park. ...

Nanaimo Estuary has strong potential for carbon storage: Click here

Nanaimo News Bulletin: The Nanaimo Estuary is one of the most important estuaries in the province for carbon storage, deemed critical for slowing climate change and absorbing spent carbon. In a report titled Blue Carbon – British Columbia, authored by Colin Campbell, science advisor for Sierra Club B.C., the Nanaimo Estuary is ranked in the top seven of 442 B.C. estuaries for effective sea burial of carbon because of its high concentration of eelgrass and salt marshes. "Eelgrass and salt marshes bury ...

Hurricanes Could Carry Gulf "Oil" Inland: Click here

National Geographic: Could pollutants from the BP oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico end up as far north as New England? That could happen if a hurricane or tropical storm hits the Gulf region and moves northward. Siddhartha Mitra, Geochemist, East Carolina University "On land, no one's really though about the effect of material coming over from the ocean, marine areas onto land." Geochemist Sid Mitra, from East Carolina University, is studying how far hydrocarbons, released as the oil ...

Judge refuses to toss suit vs federal drilling ban: Click here

AP: A federal judge who overturned the Obama administration's initial six-month moratorium on deepwater oil drilling has rejected the government's bid to have the court challenge thrown out. Government lawyers argued that a lawsuit filed by several offshore service companies over the May 28 moratorium was moot because the Interior Department imposed a new, temporary drilling ban on July 12. But U.S. District Judge Martin Feldman rejected that argument Wednesday, saying the second ...

Judge rules against government on drilling halt: Click here

Reuter: A federal judge in New Orleans rejected on Wednesday the U.S. government's request to dismiss a lawsuit challenging its original 6-month deepwater drilling moratorium. Hornbeck Offshore Services Inc and other oil companies sued the government when it first ordered a halt to deepwater drilling in the Gulf of Mexico in May after BP Plc's well rupture that killed 11 workers and caused the world's worst offshore spill. The drilling halt was subsequently amended, so the government ...

BP ad spending tripled after spill: US lawmakers: Click here

AFP: Energy giant BP spent more than 93 million dollars on advertising in the three months after the April 20 Gulf oil spill, triple what it spent over the same period in 2009, US lawmakers said Wednesday. Leaders of a key US House of Representatives Committee said the embattled firm, still reeling from the disaster's impact, told them Monday that it had shelled out 93.4 million dollars on ads from the spill through July 2010. "This is more than three times the amount the company ...

Hurricane prompts US evacuations: Click here

BBC: Evacuations have begun in areas of the US East Coast likely to be hit by Hurricane Earl. The hurricane strengthened to a category four storm again, generating sustained winds of 215km/h (135mph). President Barack Obama said officials needed to be ready for a "worst case" scenario in a call to the US Federal Emergency Management Agency (Fema). One island in North Carolina's Outer Banks is being evacuated and visitors are being asked to leave another. The narrow ...

BP to remove equipment at Gulf well by Sunday: Click here

Reuters: BP Plc expects to remove a failed blowout preventer atop its ruptured Gulf of Mexico oil well by Saturday or Sunday and later plug the leak for good, the top U.S. official overseeing the spill response said on Wednesday. "We believe in the next 24 to 36 hours, we will enter a weather window that will allow us to proceed," retired Coast Guard Admiral Thad Allen said at a briefing in Houston. Rough seas near the Macondo well site on Monday suspended work to remove the giant stack ...

Tar balls coat Indian beaches after ship dumps oil: Click here

AP: Wave after wave of tar balls floated ashore Wednesday on the renowned Goa beaches after a ship dumped tons of waste oil off India's western coast, officials said. Semisolid lumps of oil formed layers up to six inches deep (15 centimeters deep) on beaches in the popular tourist destination. Scores of civic workers used brooms to collect and clear the oily debris, but still more tar balls were washing ashore about three days after officials believe a ship dumped burnt oil at ...

BP Prepares To Resume Efforts To Kill Gulf Well: Click here

National Public Radio: Work should resume later this week to remove the temporary sealing cap and failed blowout preventer from BP's busted oil well in the Gulf of Mexico, the government's point man on the spill said Wednesday. Rough seas have delayed underwater operations intended to kill the well. Retired Coast Guard Adm. Thad Allen said that when conditions are calmer, BP will bring up the current stack of pipes and valves, and put a new blowout preventer atop the well. "We are making preparations ...

Judge rules against U.S. government on oil drilling: Click here

Reuters: A federal judge on Wednesday rejected the U.S. government's request to dismiss an industry lawsuit challenging its deepwater oil and gas drilling moratorium, dealing another blow to the Obama administration. Hornbeck Offshore Services Inc and other drilling companies sued the administration on June 7 after it first ordered a halt to deepwater drilling in the Gulf of Mexico following BP Plc's well rupture that killed 11 workers and caused the world's worst offshore oil spill. As ...

All Eyes Fixed On Hurricane Earl: Click here

redOrbit: Mandatory evacuations have gone up for visitors along parts of North Carolina's coastal islands on Wednesday as Hurricane Earl continues its path toward the eastern seaboard of the United States, churning up dangerous swells. Earl weakened slightly overnight as it moved across the Atlantic east of the Bahamas. It is still a strong Category 3 hurricane and is on track to approach the North Carolina coast early Friday, according to the National Hurricane Center (NHC). Earl had ...

BP spent $93M on advertising after Gulf spill: Click here

AP: Oil giant BP says it has spent more than $5 million a week on advertising since the Gulf Coast oil spill -- more than three times the amount it spent on ads during the same period last year. BP PLC told the House Energy and Commerce Committee that it spent a total of $93 million on advertising from April to the end of July. The company says the money was intended to keep Gulf Coast residents informed on issues related to the oil spill and to ensure transparency about its actions. The ...

Feds downplay risk of leak when well cap moved: Click here

AP: The federal government's point man on the Gulf of Mexico spill response said Wednesday there is no "significant risk" that more oil will leak into the sea when engineers remove the temporary cap Thursday that first contained the gusher in mid-July. Retired Coast Guard Adm. Thad Allen said vessels will remain on standby just in case to collect any leaking oil. "We do believe the risks are small for any hydrocarbon release," Allen said during a teleconference he held from BP's ...

Killer whales 'evolving rapidly': Click here

BBC: Researchers have discovered that two distinct types of orca, a large and a pygmy form, are rapidly diverging, evolving away from each other. The scientists' study reveals each type of orca carries a unique gene mutation that benefits its particular lifestyle. The genetic change has occurred in the past 150,000 years, adding to evidence that the orcas are quickly evolving into two distinct species. Details of the research are published in the journal Biology Letters by an ...

Climate Change Implicated in Decline of Horseshoe Crabs: Click here

U.S. News and World Report: A distinct decline in horseshoe crab numbers has occurred that parallels climate change associated with the end of the last Ice Age, according to a study that used genomics to assess historical trends in population sizes. The new research also indicates that horseshoe crabs numbers may continue to decline in the future because of predicted climate change, said Tim King, a scientist with the U.S. Geological Survey and a lead author on the new study published in Molecular ...

LA mayor, Latino activists take on oil companies over Proposition 23: Click here

LA Times: Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa on Tuesday rebuked Valero Energy Corp. and Tesoro Corp., which operate refineries in Wilmington, for bankrolling a measure that would effectively scuttle the state's efforts to curb greenhouse gas emissions. "Go home, Texas oil companies," Villaraigosa urged at a news conference aimed at encouraging voters to oppose Proposition 23, a November ballot initiative to suspend California's 2006 climate change law until the state's unemployment rate ...

Rogue ship dumps oil, coating famed Indian beaches: Click here

Ancient reef uncovered in Pacific: Click here

BBC: An ancient reef found in the Pacific may provide clues to what will happen to coral when sea temperatures rise. A team of researchers from Australia and New Zealand have discovered a huge 9,000-year-old reef surprisingly far south. Lord Howe Island is 600km east of the Australian mainland and has a small modern coral reef - the furthest south in the world. The ancient reef however is nearly 30 times as large as the modern reef. The scientists, headed by Colin ...

Study: Marine life at risk in CO2 rise: Click here

United Press International: A "natural laboratory" in the Mediterranean revealing effects of carbon dioxide levels in oceans paints a bleak picture for future marine life, researchers say. Scientists from the University of Plymouth in England, along with Brazilian researchers, studying single celled organisms called Foraminifera around natural volcanic carbon dioxide vents off of Naples, Italy, found that increasing levels of the gas caused diversity of the creatures to fall from 24 species to 4, ...

Official: La. oil command center to shut over rent: Click here

AP: A parish official says a Louisiana oil spill command center is shutting down over a dispute with BP over rent and other expenses St. Bernard Parish President Craig Taffaro says the owner of the property that has been home to the operation since May is ordering workers to vacate by the end of the week because BP has failed to make payments. Taffaro says the company owes millions in rent and that its policy of reviewing invoices before cutting checks has made some payments weeks ...