Hagfish, eel-like creatures known for secreting buckets of slime, are among the ocean’s most ancient species. They dwell on the ocean floor feeding on dead and dying sea life, filling an important ecological niche. Human activities, however, may be threatening their numbers and new research looks into the population decline of these shadowy creatures.
The seafloor is littered with underwater mountains, a new global survey has revealed.
Continue reading Seamounts: Undersea mountains ‘litter’ ocean floor
CHARLESTON, South Carolina. (ENS)
Protection for over 23,000 square miles of complex deepwater corals located off the coasts of the Carolinas, Georgia, and eastern Florida was advanced last week by a unanimous vote of the members of the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council, SAFMC, a federal government advisory body. Upon implementation by the Secretary of Commerce, the measure will protect specific areas of sensitive habitat, designated as Coral Habitat Areas of Particular Concern, inhabited by coral species living in waters ranging from 1,200 feet to 2,300 feet deep.
Continue reading South Atlantic Deepwater Corals Protected From Fishing Gear
18 September 2009 As the opening round this year of the United Nations (UN) negotiations for the sustainable fisheries resolution took place in New York from Sept. 15-18, the Deep Sea Conservation Coalition (DSCC) organized a side event to remind negotiators about the vulnerability of the deep oceans. 2009 is an important year for deep ocean protection as it marks the review and assessment of how States and regional fisheries management organizations have implemented UN General Assembly resolution 61/105 to protect deep-sea biodiversity on the high seas from the harmful impacts of fishing.
MANADO OCEAN DECLARATION
(ADOPTED ON 14 MAY 2009, IN MANADO)
We, the Ministers and the Heads of Delegations assembled at the World Ocean Conference to discuss threats to the ocean, the effects of climate change on the ocean, and the role of ocean In climate change, held in Manado, Indonesia, on May 14, 2009,
10 March 2009 Commercial fishing in the north-east Atlantic could be harming deep-sea fish populations a kilometre below the deepest reach of fishing trawlers, according to a 25-year study published on Wednesday. Scientists have long known that commercial fishing affects deep-water fish numbers, but its effects appear to be felt twice as deep as previously thought.
The second meeting of the Ad Hoc Open-ended Informal Working Group of the United Nations General Assembly to study issues relating to the conservation and sustainable use of marine biodiversity beyond areas of national jurisdiction (the Working Group) concluded today (2nd May) at the United Nations (UN) headquarters in New York.
Continue reading STATES ACKNOWLEDGE DESTRUCTIVE IMPACT OF DEEP-SEA FISHING
A report released by Marine Conservation Biology Institute (MCBI) and Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), suggests that deep sea life holds major promise for the treatment of human illnesses (1). But scientists are increasingly concerned that bottom trawling may be destroying medically beneficial species before they are even discovered.
Continue reading Potential cancer cures from the deep sea threatened by high seas bottom trawling
On 18 and 19 April, Dr. Sylvia Earle met with Spanish scientists and government officials to advocate that Spain, a major fishing nation, has an opportunity to act constructively for the conservation of deep sea marine biodiversity by supporting a UN General Assembly moratorium on high seas bottom trawling.
Leading deep sea scientists today spoke out against the European Community’s failure to fulfil its commitments to protect the seabed from high seas bottom trawling. Addressing a gathering at the European Parliament, hosted by MEPs Paolo Casaca and Elspeth Attwooll, the scientists echoed concerns already raised by the United Nations (UN) General Assembly and the European Community itself, over the enormous damage caused by bottom trawl fishing to deep-sea corals and other rare and unique species, fish populations and sensitive deep ocean habitats worldwide.
