The Azores is a key location for understanding the migration of sea turtles in the Atlantic. All loggerhead turtles found in these waters come from the laying beaches of North America and the Caribbean islands. The biggest longline fishing fleets in this area are the Spanish and Portuguese, searching for swordfish and tuna. Other major … Read more
Deep-sea corals and sponges, some of the oldest animals on Earth, grow at the rate of just a few millimeters each year and can live for thousands of years. In recent years, scientists worldwide have discovered that the majority of the coral species found in the world’s oceans live in deep or cold waters. Deep-sea … Read more
Nine of the 20 areas around the world with the highest amounts of fish discarded at sea (in terms of the amount of fish discarded compared to the amount landed) can be found in the North-East Atlantic. Six of these are fisheries worked by bottom trawling and the other three are worked by vessels that use … Read more
Receding sea ice will open new shipping lanes across the Arctic, increasing the danger of a shipping accident or disastrous fuel spill in the far north. The remoteness and shifting ice of the Arctic not only make shipping incredibly challenging but also make any efforts to respond to shipping accidents equally daunting. Increased Arctic shipping … Read more
This area is fundamental to the entire North Atlantic, although not many people know about it. It is an important spot for species such as sea turtles, where the young turtles recently born on the beaches of Georgia and Florida spend their “lost year”. In addition, crustaceans, the common dolphin, triggerfish, nudibranchs and many other … Read more
In order to reduce sea turtle injury and death, modifications can be made to certain types of fishing gear, including the following examples: Circle hooks Circle hooks can significantly reduce the number of hooks that are lethally ingested by turtles. Unlike J-hooks, which tend to be swallowed by sea turtles as they ingest the baited … Read more
The most recent world report (FAO, 2005) estimates that, during the period from 1992 to 2001, 7.3 million tons of marine organisms were discarded each year around the world, representing 8% of the total catch. Unfortunately, the discarded specimens are not likely to survive and are often caught before they have had time to reproduce. … Read more
Large-scale industrial fishing has adversely affected much of the world’s ocean ecosystems. The high Arctic has some of the last few ocean areas that are is still relatively pristine. Yet large-scale industrial fisheries are burgeoning in the sub-Arctic seas. Already, there is evidence of northward migration of fish stocks and the fleets in these seas. … Read more
In the Bahamas, it was possible to document the environmental impact of cruise ship traffic. It is also an excellent spot for documenting wildlife, both on the surface — seabirds, marine mammals, etc. — and under the water. The Atlantic spotted dolphin, humpback whales and coral reefs offered other avenues for study and documentation in … Read more
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