EnvironmentNews
Greenpeace: Most Salt Brands Found to Contain Microplastics
Over 90 percent of sampled salt brands globally were found to contain microplastics, with the highest number coming from salt sourced in Asia, according to a new study co-designed by Kim Seung-Kyu, Professor at Incheon University and Greenpeace East Asia. The study, which has been published in Environmental Science & Technology, a peer-reviewed scientific journal, analyzed 39 various salt brands globally, showing that plastic contamination in sea salt was highest, followed by lake salt, then rock salt - an indicator of...
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Founder of Clean Up Australia Ian Kiernan Passes
The Founder and Chairman of Clean Up Australia Ian Kiernan has passed away. Kiernan’s work, including cleaning up Australia's beaches and oceans and educating people on plastic bags, was fundamental to shaping Australia’s attitude towards preventing pollution of the marine environment. This extended to the thousands of people who take actions such as saying “no” to a plastic bag at the checkout or refuse a single use item. His vision created Clean Up Australia, the nations largest community mobilization effort which...
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New Technology Promises to Save Marine Species from Bycatch
Hundreds of thousands of marine creatures are killed every year after becoming accidentally tangled in fishing lines and nets. Unlike fish, marine mammals need to surface to breathe, so if they get entangled they drown. Bycatch, as it is known, is one of the most disturbing issues associated with commercial fishing and one of the biggest threats to a number of iconic species. Modern fishing gear, which is extremely strong and often can’t be seen, is very efficient at catching...
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Sea Shepherd Undertakes Med FAD Campaign
Sea Shepherd has undertaken a campaign working with local authorities to remove fishing aggregating devices (FADs) from the waters of the Aeolian Islands in the Mediterranean Sea. The organization's M/V Sam Simon carried out an undercover operation in the South Tyrrhenian Sea in collaboration with the Maritime Management Port Authority of Catania, Lipari Coast Guard and the Italian Revenue and Custom Authorities Milazzo. The 178-hour patrol led to the removal of 52 illegal FADS along with 100 kilometers of polypropylene...
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EJF Alleges Chinese Involvement in Illegal Fishing Practices in Ghana
Around 90 percent of Ghana’s industrial fishing fleet is linked to Chinese ownership, according to an investigation by the Environmental Justice Foundation (EJF). However, Ghana’s laws clearly forbid any foreign ownership or control of vessels flying its flag. To ensure that the financial benefits from industrial fisheries go directly to Ghana, rather than being sent overseas, Ghana’s Fisheries Act states that these craft cannot be owned, or part owned, by any foreign interest, with the sole exception of tuna vessels....
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Hurricane Michael Makes Landfall as Category 4 Storm
Hurricane Michael strengthened to an "extremely dangerous" Category 4 hurricane as it made landfall in the Florida Panhandle, and emergency response officials are concerned that residents of the region are not experienced in dealing with storms of this intensity. “Only eight major hurricanes on record have passed within or near the projected landfall of Michael, and only three of those . . . were in the past 100 years,” said Marangelly Fuentes, a scientist with NASA’s Global Modeling and Assimilation...
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Australian Government Plans Would Block Shark Cull Photography
Australia's Queensland state government is proposing laws that critics say will block independent observation of shark control equipment. As part of a suite of amendments to the QLD Fisheries Act, the Government is proposing implementing exclusion zones of 20 meters around shark control equipment, making it almost impossible to independently capture photography and videos of sharks and other marine animals caught on lethal drumlines and in shark nets throughout the state. Humane Society International (HSI) and the Australian Marine Conservation...
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Hurricane Michael Heads for U.S. Gulf Coast
Tropical storm Michael has become a hurricane, and it is expected to strengthen rapidly as it heads north past Cuba towards the Florida Panhandle. The National Hurricane Center forecasts that it will make landfall on the Gulf Coast on Wednesday, bringing winds of up to 100 knots, a storm surge of 8-12 feet, and rains of 4-8 inches (with isolated areas of up to 12 inches). "As Hurricane Michael nears landfall, we are working with state and local officials in Florida...
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Video: The Ocean Cleanup Trial Success
The NGO The Ocean Cleanup has released video footage of its System 001's Pacific trials. Tests conducted with the help of a Maersk Supply Service offshore tug were successful, fulfilling key requirements for the 600-meter snake-shaped system, like its u-shaped formation; its speed through the water; its ability to reorient itself when wind and wave directions change; and its resistance to damage in the harsh Pacific Ocean environment. “There has never been a cleanup system of this magnitude deployed in...
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IEA: Ocean Plastic Waste May Double by 2030
In a market analysis released Friday, the International Energy Agency predicts that the petchem industry will create almost half the growth in world oil demand between 2018 and 2050, adding nearly seven million barrels of consumption per day. Plastics are the primary constituent of this demand growth, thanks in large part to exploding consumption in developing nations - and this has serious implications for the ocean environment. According to the IEA, about 80 percent of the plastic in the ocean derives from...
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