Iucn News

In the depths of the Pacific Ocean between Mexico and Hawaii, trillions of potato-shaped rocks are scattered across the seabed - containing minerals such as nickel, cobalt and manganese vital for new green technologies in the global energy transition.In this ocean region - the Clarion-Clipperton Zone (CCZ) - an abundance of the rocks, known as polymetallic nodules, is increasingly fuelling debate about the mining of metals needed to produce technology such as batteries for electric…

An innovative ship is being designed to collect plastic waste from the world’s oceans and then convert it into clean hydrogen, allowing surplus hydrogen to be shipped back to shore.At least 14 million tons of plastic end up in the ocean every year, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). This type of debris—which is currently the most abundant type of litter in the ocean, making up 80% of all marine debris found from surface waters to deep-sea sediments—could more than double in oceans and other bodies of water by 2030…

Japanese shipping giant Nippon Yusen Kaisha (NYK Line) said that it has started a new approach to track loggerhead sea turtles (listed on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species) in the Kishu Minabe Sea Turtle Research Project sponsored by NYK and conducted by the NPO Earthwatch Japan.Earthwatch, a non-profit organization established in 1971 in Boston, is an international nongovernmental organization. It provides researchers with both human and financial support for overseas field research and surveys."This research project is conducted at Minabecho in Wakayama prefecture, which is where most loggerhead sea turtles lay their eggs on the main island of Japan.

The collaboration of Commonwealth and Nekton Foundation  and other partners, First Descent will launch a multidisciplinary exploration of never-before-accessed ocean territory.The expedition ship, a floating research station, will set sail from Seychelles in March equipped with cutting-edge subsea technologies, including a submersible capable of descending hundreds of metres into the ocean, and some of the world’s top scientists on board to test the health of the ocean.A launch of the initiative will take place at Marlborough House, the Commonwealth headquarters in London, on Wednesday, 6th of February. More than a hundred people, including Commonwealth High Commissioners…

Following on from the incredibly successful 2014 campaign, Sea Shepherd Global launches Operation Siracusa 2015. Led by Sea Shepherd Italia, the campaign aims to defend the fragile ecosystem of the Plemmirio Marine Reserve, off the Eastern coast of Siracusa in Sicily, against illegal fishing. Already, the impact of the 2015 campaign has been felt. On Friday May 22, the first day of patrols for Operation Siracusa 2015, Sea Shepherd volunteers came across a vessel that they suspected to be engaged in illegal fishing activity. The vessel was discovered at night, with two divers close-by in the water, at the border of the “A-Zone” - the maximum protected area in the Reserve. Sea Shepherd immediately notified local authorities of the suspicious activity.

United Nations has agreed to convene an intergovernmental conference aimed at drafting a legally binding treaty to conserve marine life and govern the mostly lawless high seas beyond national jurisdiction. By calling to preserve vast areas threatened by pollution, overfishing and global warming, the eventual UN treaty would be the first to specifically address protection of marine life, says an AFP report. But the agreement was reached only after a small group of countries engaged in fishing and ocean mining blocked a more rapid timeline during the discussions between experts from the 193 member countries. A majority of nations called for quick action but several countries such as the United States, Russia, Canada, Iceland and Japan expressed reluctance.

Representatives from 11 countries and territories from North America, the Caribbean and Europe have committed support for the conservation of the Sargasso Sea eco-system for the benefit of present and future generations, informs the Sargasso Sea Alliance (SSA). The Alliance explains that for more than two years, it has collaborated with the Bermuda government  in a push for the establishment of safeguarding measures for the Sargasso Sea, a unique two-million-square nautical mile ecosystem in the North Atlantic that is without effective legal protection…

Caterpillar agree multi-year partnership with OCEARCH to help global research on sharks, key members of the ocean's ecological system. "Most people think sharks are invincible," said OCEARCH founder Chris Fischer . "But they are in real danger*. We must find a sustainable path forward because sharks play a crucial role in maintaining balance in the delicate oceanic ecosystem. Fischer's vessel, the MV OCEARCH, already relies on Cat® power in the water. The boat with its team of scientists and crew runs on two Cat engines and has three Cat generators on board that power an at-sea laboratory, custom-built hydraulic lift and 55,000-pound capacity research platform with the capability of handling 5,000-pound sharks.