Enrico Pirotta
Contributor
A new study finds worrying overlap between shark hotspots and human fisheries in the high seas, leaving these animals little space in the ocean to evade the threat of being caught.
What is ghost fishing and why is it a problem All fishing nets, lines and traps that get lost or abandoned at sea continue to operate long after we lose track of them. The main resulting threat for the marine environment is so-called ghost fishing: abandoned floating nets keep catching fish and other marine animals
“Blow at 2 o’clock!”, shouts a member of the research team onboard the motorsailer Pelagos. For five endless minutes everyone has been scanning the sea in a state of alert silence, looking for a white puff to indicate the blow of a male sperm whale coming to the surface to breathe and rest. The researchers
As the name suggests, seismic surveys use seismic waves, like the ones generated during an earthquake, to explore the structure and features of the Earth’s subsurface. This type of exploration in the oceans is expanding at a rapid rate due to technological improvements and the increasing needs of our fossil fuel-based economy, so that it
While most species of large whales are recovering from the collapse caused by commercial exploitation in the past two centuries, some populations are still struggling. A recent report, authored by experts of the Marine Mammal Commission in the U.S., reviews their status and highlights the main threats that these giants of the oceans are currently
In response to the growing concerns regarding energy security and climate change, many countries across the globe are investing in the development of marine renewable energy installations. These include offshore wind farms as well as wave and tidal devices, the so-called wet renewables. The benefits of these investments for our society are indisputable, but scientists
The vaquita, little cow in Spanish, is also known as the desert porpoise: it is the smallest cetacean on Earth and was discovered as recently as the 1950s. Its distribution is restricted to a small region in the Upper Gulf of California in Mexico. In recent years the species has undergone a rapid decline that
