Sarah Bedolfe
Iceland resumes hunting endangered fin whales; LA largest city to ban plastic bags; acidification reduces coral skeleton density & more news
Dive into the latest edition of The Weekly Dive, where we bring you the big ocean news!
L.A. becomes largest city to ban plastic bags. The ordinance will go into effect in 2014 and will require shoppers at food stores, mini marts, and big retail chains alike, to bring a reusable bag or pay a 10-cent fee for a paper bag. [The Los Angeles Times]
Iceland resumes hunting endangered fin whales. After a two year break, Iceland has triggered international controversy by resuming this hunt. They have set a quota of 184 fin whales, which are classified as Endangered. [Live Science]
Acidification reduces coral skeleton density. A study on corals that live in underwater springs with low pH levels shows that the more acidic environment causes the coral to grow less robust skeletons, which are more vulnerable to erosion. [Science Daily]
First right whale in 60 years seen in British Columbia. The North Pacific right whale was spotted off the west coast of Haida Gwaii, in British Columbia. The endangered species’ numbers never recovered from whaling, and only six individuals of this species have been recorded here in the last century. [CBC News]
Americans less concerned about climate change than rest of world. More than half of those surveyed in Europe, Asia, Latin America, and Africa said climate change was a “major threat.” In the US, which was least concerned, 40% called climate change a major threat. [Pew Global]
Gulf of Mexico whales get reprieve from seismic testing. For the next 2.5 years, there will be no seismic testing during peak calving season in three critical whale and dolphin habitats in the Gulf of Mexico. This is an unprecedented collaboration and compromise between environmental groups and oil and gas companies. [Bloomberg Businessweek]
Photos by:
velkr0 via flickr, Creative Commons License; Jim E Maragos, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service via Wikimedia Commons, Public Domain; Lori Mazzuca via Wikimedia Commons, Creative Commons License; John Durban, NOAA via Wikimedia Commons, Public Domain; NASA via Wikimedia Commons, Public Domain; David Csepp, NOAA/NMFS/AKFSC/ABL via Wikimedia Commons, Public Domain.
