Missed out on November 2022’s ocean news? Here’s a glimpse into what went down in Davy Jones’ Locker this month

Sections

Animals and Plants
Climate Crisis
Fisheries and Aquaculture
Marine Technology
People and the Sea
Other

Animals and Plants

• Researchers from Memorial Institute are teaming up with SubC Imaging to find, film, and study the colossal squid in the deep sea for the first time.
  
  

• After investigating massive crab and lobster mortalities in the northeast of England, the UK Government’s Department of Environment, Food & Rural Affairs concluded a harmful algal bloom was responsible. Accurate? Scientists and fishers are pointing to another possible cause; intensive dredging of the River Tees that has released industrial toxins at deadly levels.
  
  

• Apparently tiger sharks make great research fellows. Scientists strapped cameras to the backs of tiger sharks in the Bahamas. The data collected revealed the world’s largest known seagrass ecosystem.
  
  

• In more seagrass news, Pew, the International Union for Conservation of Nature, Minderoo Foundation, Oceankind, and Bloomberg Philanthropies’ Vibrant Oceans Initiative have joined forces to map Indian Ocean seagrass.
  
  

• The Global Mangrove Alliance’s updated “The State of the World’s Mangroves” report shows a decline in the overall rate of mangrove loss.
  
  

• Marine scientists and published a letter to policymakers, government agencies and ocean conservation groups to take major steps to preserve Egypt’s coral reefs, which they argue is “one of the world’s few marine refuges from climate change.”
  
  

• In Hong Kong, The Nature Conservancy’s shellfish habitat restoration project in Tolo Harbour is showing promising results.
  
  

• COP 19 saw over 50 shark species listed under Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna (CITES).
  
  

• Off Israel’s Mediterranean coast, common dolphins are becoming much less common.
  
  

• New species alert! This time five new species of black corals living ~760 meters depthin the Great Barrier Reef and Coral Sea.
  
  

• Researchers have built models that offer a glimpse into the influence the now-extinct Steller’s sea cow had on kelp forests.
  
  

• A new study suggest seagrass can reduce cliff erosion by up to 70%, thanks to its root mats binding the sand.
  
  

• Green turtle breeding in Cyprus is on the rise! However, breeding beaches are few and far between, leading to concerns that the turtles are vulnerable to unfavourable changes in conditions.
  
  

• An international expedition is heading to Antarctica this December in an attempt to find and film the the colossal squid.
  
  

• New research creates a benchmark of what constitutes successful recovery of oyster reefs and identifies the most successful methods of oyster reef restoration.
  
  

• An expedition to Cocos (Keeling) Islands Marine Park has uncovered a host of weird and wonderful marine life.
  
  

• Researchers have found a red algae 100 metres below the surface of the Arctic Ocean.
  
  

Climate Crisis

• The Surfrider Foundation have released their 4th annual State of the Beach Report. They found 74% of US coastal states are doing “a mediocre to poor job” of managing shorelines and preparing for future sea level rise.
  
  

• Warming sea temperatures and loss of sea ice in the Arctic is thought to be the cause of a 40% decline in the number of Pacific gray whales to transit along the Oregon coast, USA.
  
  

• Research suggests weak tropical cyclones have become 15% more intense over the past thirty years.
  
  

• Researchers used fossils to rebuild four different ancient marine foodwebs. They say the findings can help us understand how marine foodwebs may change with the climate crisis.
  
  

• Researchers are studying ancient seas from the tiny pockets of trapped liquids stored in many types of minerals and gems.
  
  

Fisheries and Aquaculture

• The WTO’s Fisheries Funding Mechanism to assist developing countries and LDCs is now operational.
  
  

• The Canadian seal summit ” to explore ways of getting Canadian seal products to market while “respecting the latest science advice”” started and finished this month. Discussions included exploring new markets for seal products and addressing seal population data gaps.
  
  

• The International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) received some praise from the Pew Charitable Trusts for ”adopting a modernized fisheries management plan for Atlantic bluefin tuna.”
  
  

• Australia has pledged some A$2 million to the World Trade Organization’s Fisheries Funding Mechanism, which aims to help build capacity in developing and least-developed countries.
  
  

• Turns out some ballan wrasse and lumpfish are better at delousing than others, and AI can help pick out the best performers.
  
  

• One salmon producer is seeking to climate-proof their fish with a milt bank.
  
  

• Canada and the USA want to ban wire leaders and shark lines Pacific fisheries. Research suggests that banning these types of fishing gear would reduce fishing mortality of oceanic whitetip sharks by ~41% and silky sharks by ~31%.
  
  

• A FAO assessment has found that the majority of countries failed to collect gender-specific data that properly reflected women’s roles in official statistics, and that women were largely unaccounted for in government schemes to help out the sector, such as social security benefits.
  
  

Marine Technology

• SkyTruth and Indonesia Ocean Justice Initiative have joined forces to catch ocean polluters, improve compliance, and strengthen enforcementwith AI data, satellite imagery, and AI.
  
  

• Company Hexagon AB has announced it will “supply multi-dimensional intelligent mapping services of The Bahamas’ seabed”.
  
  

• Marine robotics engineer Oscar Pizarro is developing an autonomous vehicle that he hopes will make studying the seabed cheaper and easier.
  
  

• The Skravik project, which aims to revive wind propulsion for artisanal fishing, is testing it’s catamaran under real fishing conditions with traps, longlines, lines and nets.
  
  

• Researchers at SINTEF are optimising the functional and aesthetic character of the world’s first fully electric high-speed ferry. They say that design is part of a positive user experience, encouraging users to travel on the vessel again.
  
  

• Sea ice models are underestimating the impact of storms on Arctic Sea ice.
  
  

• Researchers have developed a new science-based indicator to assess the state of health of the oceans and species extinction risk.
  
  

• India launched the Oceansat 3 satellite. The satellite will measure ocean winds and water temperature.
  
  

• Iron-based fertilizers, engineered into nanoparticle, could help store excess carbon dioxide in the ocean.
  
  

People and the Sea

• A new tagging program hopes to help avoid swimmers and great white sharks coming into contact.
  
  

• Synthetic fibres have been found in the Antarctic air, seawater, sea ice, and sediment.
  
  

• UN efforts to prevent the oil and other substances leaking out of the imperilled FSO Safer are set to begin.
  
  

Other

• Maritime green corridors - maritime routes between major port hubs where zero-emission solutions are supported and demonstrated - are apparently gaining traction, says the Gloal Maritime Forum.Most initiatives are still in the very early stages of development.
  
  

• The Government of Canada has announced further investment in marine emergency preparedness, response and partnerships as part of the next phase of their Oceans Protection Plan.
  
  

• Gitga’at and Gitxaala Nations and the Government of Canada have announced new guidelines to improve marine safety and reduce conflict among Indigenous, public, and commercial waterway users on the North Pacific Coast.
  
  

• The World Bank announced a new Blue Economy program that they say will catalyze financing and provide an operational response to development challenges in coastal-marine areas of the African continent.
  
  

• Five B-24 bombers that crashed into the Adriatic Sea during World War II have recently been located off the coast of Croatia.
  
  

• A decline in the element molybdenum across the planet’s oceans preceded a significant extinction event approximately 183 million years ago.
  
  

• The journal Nature has recently released a special issue dedicated to racism in science.