Missed out on December 2023’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
Oceanography
People and the Sea

Animals and Plants

• With the Florida (USA) manatee population diminishing, conservationists fear for the gentle giants’ future. Some are calling for manatees to be listed as endangered under the federal Endangered Species Act. Read more.
  
  

• A new sensor on the submersible Alvin discovered reactive oxygen species for the first time in deep-sea corals, broadening our understanding of fundamental coral physiology. Read more.
  
  

• In sea fireflies’ underwater ballet, the males sway together in perfect, illuminated synchronization, basking in the glow of their secreted iridescent mucus. Read more.
  
  

• Bird flu is spreading in the Antarctic, with hundreds of elephant seals found dead, and fears it could bring “one of the largest ecological disasters of modern times” if the highly contagious virus reaches the remote penguin populations. Read more.
  
  

• Tropical coral reefs are among our most spectacular ecosystems, yet a rapidly warming planet threatens the future survival of many reefs. However, there may be hope for some tropical reefs in the form of feathered friends. A new study has found that the presence of seabirds on islands adjacent to tropical coral reefs can boost coral growth rates on those reefs by more than double. Read more.
  
  

• Researchers have discovered that electric eels can alter the genes of tiny fish larvae with their electric shock. Their findings help to better understand electroporation, a method by which genes can be transported using electricity. Read more.
  
  

• Dr. Dewi Langlet, a scientist at the Evolution, Cell Biology and Symbiosis Unit at the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology (OIST), studies foraminifera, single-cell organisms with shells made of calcium carbonate. He and his collaborators have shown for the first time that the burrowing of single-celled organisms in marine ecosystems affects oxygen distribution and bacterial diversity in sea sediments. Read more.
  
  

• It’s a challenge for all new parents: Getting enough sleep while keeping a close eye on their newborns. For some penguins, it means thousands of mini-catnaps a day, researchers discovered. Read more.
  
  

• A recent study looked at how Posidonia australis seagrass (or strap weed) loss related to the cumulative effects of human impacts such as foreshore development, poor water quality, vessel traffic and prop scour, and anchor damage. It found that human disturbances are impacting seagrass beds with consequences for fish productivity and biodiversity. Read more.
  
  

• A web-based taxonomic resource tool has been developed to improve the accuracy and consistency in soft sediment estuarine and coastal benthic intertidal and shallow subtidal macroinvertebrate identification across New Zealand. Read more.
  
  

• Researchers have described a Japanese mosasaur the size of a great white shark that terrorized Pacific seas 72 million years ago. The mosasaur was named for the place where it was found, Wakayama Prefecture. Researchers call it the Wakayama Soryu, which means blue dragon. Read more.
  
  

• Stressful childhoods can affect an individual’s adult years and influence future generations. Scientists at the University of California, Davis, found a similar pattern holds true for red abalone exposed as babies, and again as adults, to the stress of ocean acidification. Read more.
  
  

• One of the world’s rarest turtles has washed up on a Welsh beach more than 4,000 miles from home. Read more.
  
  

Climate Crisis

• During a two-year survey of soft corals in the Florida Keys, scientists identified three species of octocorals that have survived heat waves. While the coral animal itself may be heat tolerant, scientists concluded that the symbiotic algae inside the coral serve as a protector of sorts. Read more.
  
  

• New research has shown that fire-ice – frozen methane which is trapped as a solid under our oceans – is vulnerable to melting due to climate change and could be released into the sea. Read more.
  
  

• Record breaking marine heatwaves will cause devastating mass coral bleaching worldwide in the next few years, according to a coral reef scientist. Read more.
  
  

• Across the south-eastern coast of Australia this summer, sea temperatures are predicted to be up to 2.5°C warmer than normal by the Bureau of Meteorology. Read more.
  
  

Fisheries and Aquaculture

• The Marine Institute has published the 2023 edition of the Stock Book. This detailed annual publication provides the latest impartial scientific advice to government on the status of 74 key fish stocks of interest to Ireland. Read more.
  
  

• ICES has published a new Faroes Ecosytem Overview. The Faroes ecoregion boasts a rich and diverse marine ecosystem shaped by the dynamic forces of the surrounding currents and the rugged topography of the seafloor. The Faroes ecosystem supports a myriad of marine life, including various fish species, seabirds, and marine mammals. The waters are renowned for their productive fisheries that play a vital role in the local economy. However, the ecosystem faces challenges from climate change, fishing pressures, and the need for sustainable management practices to ensure the continued health and resilience of the Faroes marine environment. Read more.
  
  

• The percentage of overfished stocks in the Mediterranean and Black Sea has fallen below 60 percent for the first time, following a decreasing trend that started a decade ago. While overfishing remains a concern, The State of Mediterranean and Black Sea Fisheries 2023 report (SoMFi 2023) records a drop of 15 percent in this figure over the last year, an improvement consistent with a continuous reduction in fishing pressure, which has fallen by 31 percent since 2012. Read more.
  
  

• The EU concluded agreements with the UK and Norway, and bilaterally with Norway, securing valuable fishing opportunities for 2024 for the EU fleets and provide predictability for stocks in the Northeast Atlantic and the North Sea. Read more.
  
  

• For years, oysters have been lauded as one of the most sustainable and healthy seafood options. But our food is only as healthy as the environment it is grown in. In new research published in Environmental Pollution, we found something unfortunate. These filter-feeding shellfish eat by straining particles from water. This, alas, makes them very good at soaking up pesticide residue. Read more.
  
  

• The entanglement of a North Atlantic right whale in Canadian lobster gear earlier this year will increase scrutiny this season on the lucrative southwestern Nova Scotia lobster fishery. In order to be certified as sustainable, the fishery must now prove its actions will not hinder the recovery of the critically endangered species. Read more.
  
  

• Tasmanian fisheries forensics technology set to improve global catch management. Read more.
  
  

Marine Technology

• Finish marine technology group Wärtsilä is rolling out methanol-burning versions of its Wärtsilä 20, Wärtsilä 31, Wärtsilä 46F and Wärtsilä 46TS engines Read more.
  
  

• Royal Australian Navy divers were recently injured in an incident between Chinese and Australian warships, all without either side touching the other. The divers, working underwater at the time of the incident, were injured by one or more sonic blasts from a Chinese destroyer’s sonar system. Read more.
  
  

• A team of scientists had a close encounter with a non-human (aquatic) intelligence. The Whale-SETI team has been studying humpback whale communication systems in an effort to develop intelligence filters for the search for extraterrestrial intelligence. In response to a recorded humpback ‘contact’ call played into the sea via an underwater speaker, a humpback whale named Twain approached and circled the team’s boat, while responding in a conversational style to the whale ‘greeting signal.’ During the 20-minute exchange, Twain responded to each playback call and matched the interval variations between each signal. Read more.
  
  

• The U.S. Navy has provided what appears to be the first look at a new underwater drone called Yellow Moray that can be launched and recovered via a standard submarine torpedo tube. The uncrewed system recently completed its first end-to-end test. The service hopes to begin fielding this capability next year, which will give all of its submarines an additional tool for scouting for mines and other hazards, gathering intelligence, and otherwise improving their situational awareness. Read more.
  
  

• Melting Arctic ice caps–a defining symbol of the climate crisis–could deliver an unexpected benefit for green power generation by making new swathes of ocean suitable for harnessing wave energy, say researchers. Read more.
  
  

Oceanography

• Ireland’s national seabed mapping programme, INFOMAR (Integrated Mapping for the Sustainable Development of Ireland’s Marine Resource) announces the completion of its “Blue Scale Map Series”, culminating with the release of the stunning Aran Islands Map. In parallel, INFOMAR are also delighted to announce the release of all 18 maps as Gaeilge. Read more.
  
  

• The ocean is a global life-support system, and climate change causes such as ocean warming, acidification, deoxygenation, and nitrogen-deposition alter the delicate microbial population in oceans. The marine microbial community plays an important role in the production of greenhouse gases like nitrous oxide and methane. Scientists have explored the climate change impact on marine microbes. Their research helps raise awareness about climate change severity and the importance of ocean resources. Read more.
  
  

• A recently published study puts forth a new theory that volcanic eruptions combined with widespread ocean detoxification pushed Earth’s biology to a tipping point in the Late Devonian era, triggering a mass extinction. Read more.
  
  

• The ocean’s capacity to store atmospheric carbon dioxide is some 20% greater than the estimates contained in the latest IPCC report. Scientists looked at the role played by plankton in the natural transport of carbon from surface waters down to the seabed. Plankton gobble up carbon dioxide and, as they grow, convert it into organic tissue via photosynthesis. Read more.
  
  

• Marine organisms play a crucial role in the global carbon cycle. Phytoplankton absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and sequester it in organic matter that sinks to the deep ocean where it can be stored for long periods of time. Until now, this process – the biological carbon pump – was thought to be particularly efficient in oxygen-poor areas. A new study suggests that the influence of certain zooplankton species on the biological carbon pump has been underestimated. Read more.
  
  

• In March 2022, the world was abuzz with news of the Conger ice shelf’s collapse in East Antarctica. The shelf, measuring 460 square miles—an area larger than New York City—was a region as obscure to the public as it was remote. And for good reason: an ice shelf had never before collapsed in East Antarctica. So, how did this one? Read more.
  
  

• Scientists are revisiting historical records and developing paleo proxies, alongside satellite and real-time observations in the Indian Ocean, to enhance the understanding of anthropogenic changes. Read more.
  
  

• Deltares presented the annual calculation of the sea level on the Dutch coast. The last, more comprehensive, four-yearly, report noted for the first time, in addition to the worldwide observation, an acceleration in sea level rise along the Dutch coast. That conclusion has been confirmed now that the data for 2022 have been added. The sea level data on the Dutch coast can, as concluded last year, best be described by a trend of 1.8 mm/year until thirty years ago, and an increase in the average annual rise to 2.9 mm/year thereafter. Read more.
  
  

• Recent years have seen dramatic global effects due to the Earth’s changing climate. In a new study, the result of 40 years of ocean research, scientists identify changes in the subtropical North Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Bermuda. The research has implications for oceans worldwide. Read more.
  
  

• ARGANS, a leading Earth observation company, has contributed a significant dataset of 8,000 square kilometres to The Nippon Foundation-GEBCO Seabed 2030 Project – the project seeking to inspire the complete mapping of the entire ocean floor by 2030. This contribution was made possible thanks to the European Space Agency (ESA), which supported projects leading to the generation of satellite-derived bathymetry. Read more.
  
  

• From space to the seafloor, an Australian and international research voyage has mapped a highly energetic “hotspot” in the world’s strongest current simultaneously by ship and satellite, and uncovered an underwater mountain range. Read more.
  
  

People and the Sea

• The European Commission, in collaboration with the European Investment Bank (EIB), is launching the new pilot scheme ‘EU Blue Champions’. It will be supported by the BlueInvest platform. Read more.
  
  

• Kyle de Bouter holds up a pair of Patagonia board shorts made of recycled fishing nets, smiling as workers nearby slice old nylon nets to stack into seven-foot square, one-ton bales. De Bouter’s company, Brikole, is a startup “circular business” that recycles discarded nets from the industrial tuna fishing industry. Read more.
  
  

• At COP28, partners and donors involved in the Blue Mediterranean Partnership reinforced their support for developing the sustainable blue economy in the southern Mediterranean region. The parties involved signed a letter of intent to make their participation in the Partnership official and to make the Partnership operational in early 2024. Read more.
  
  

• The United Nations is advocating for a “Blue Deal.” That highlights the potency of the ocean economy while potentially calling attention to related investment implications. Those are accessible via the KraneShares Rockefeller Ocean Engagement ETF (KSEA). The fund is a new ETF, but it could be a well-timed one. That’s because the blue economy is gaining more attention as a credible investment thesis. Read more.
  
  

• Researchers at UC Santa Barbara’s Marine Science Institute have published a new study on the impact of MPAs on the recreational scuba diving industry in California’s Northern Channel Islands. Their conclusions provide strong evidence of the benefit of MPAs for the scuba diving industry in Southern California and highlight that the diving community should be considered a key stakeholder in decision-making about the future of MPAs. Read more.
  
  

• Belgian mussels have long satisfied hungry diners, but an experiment is now underway to see if they can also protect Belgium’s North Sea coast. Read more.
  
  

• \$60-million surge in provincial funding will protect the “extraordinary beauty” of B.C.’s Great Bear Sea, said Premier David Eby on Tuesday. The Indigenous-led funding allows coastal First Nations to push forward with a vast marine conservation network in their traditional territories to protect marine ecosystems, create new jobs and economic opportunities, and foster sustainable fisheries and tourism, the premier said. Read more.
  
  

• New research estimates 55 million marine organisms worth \$2.15bn are sold in the marine aquarium trade each year, making it as valuable as global fisheries such as tuna. Read more.
  
  

• The release of the New South Wales (Australia) Marine Estate Community Wellbeing Framework provides a new way to measure the social, cultural and economic, or ‘human’ components of the marine estate and helps us understand how the marine estate contributes to community wellbeing. Read more.
  
  

• An ambitious plan in Nova Scotia to build North America’s first coastal refuge for captive whales has reached a critical phase involving environmental testing-and one of the findings is concerning. Read more.
  
  

• The Sea Change Impact Financing Facility (SCIFF) announced plans for the creation of a blue marketplace platform and an impact fund, among other instruments that are designed to mobilise billions of dollars into ocean finance. Read more.
  
  

• The Marine Institute, in collaboration with the Socio Economic Marine Research Unit (SEMRU) in the University of Galway, has published an update on the performance of Ireland’s Ocean Economy. The 2023 Ocean Economy Report provides an update on Ireland’s ocean economy for 2022 across three main economic indicators: turnover, gross value added (GVA) and employment. Read more.