The MarineBio Conservation Society

Trump's "utter contempt" for ocean protection faces first legal action ~ Before leaving office in January this year, the former President Joe Biden moved to protect large swathes of ocean around the North American coastline from future oil and gas leasing - an order that current President Trump is now trying to revoke. https://lnkd.in/gEkaZjKE

How to find climate data and science the Trump administration doesn’t want you to see Information on the internet might seem like it’s there forever, but it’s only as permanent as people choose to make it. That’s apparent as the second Trump administration “floods the zone” with efforts to dismantle science agencies and the data and websites they use to communicate with the public. The targets range from public health and demographics to climate science. https://lnkd.in/e_eFhfXT

Science friends, under pressure from the Trump administration, the National Science Foundation, one of the largest funders of scientific research in the world, fired a lot of their key personnel this week. This is horrible for our NSF colleagues, and will also have ripple effects throughout the US's research infrastructure for at least this and next year. A fired NSF program officer shared the following advice on how the rest of the scientific community can work together on how to fix the latter part of this problem. Please share widely. https://lnkd.in/eZx3VfGf

Trawl fishing is 'economic and climate time bomb' say UK scientists More than 20 of the UK's leading names in marine science have signed an open letter to the UK government calling on the implementation of a promised blanket ban on bottom-trawl fishing across the UK's Marine Protected Areas before it's too late for the environment https://lnkd.in/eb8XE7-r

Ten new sponge species discovered off Hawaii The amount of new marine species being discovered around the globe is testament to the fact how much there is left to explore in the oceans. The latest discoveries - ten new marine sponge species - were made off Hawaii. https://lnkd.in/g3WaziAy

Melting glaciers behind nearly 2cm in sea level rises Melting glaciers around the world have been losing ice at a rate of 273 billion tonnes a year for the last 25 years, making them the second-largest contributor to global sea level rises, a new international study has detailed. https://lnkd.in/gpxJrDsS

New Videos Show Massive Bleaching On One Of World's Most Pristine Coral Reefs Reefs worldwide are in trouble, but Ningaloo should be one of those best-placed to weather the threats. https://lnkd.in/gFAYMAAb

Exclusive: These universities have the most retracted scientific articles A first-of-its-kind analysis by Nature reveals which institutions are retraction hotspots. https://lnkd.in/gwdZPkHW

Microplastics found at higher concentrations in human brains https://lnkd.in/gJrCSqjS

The effects of vessel speed and size on the lethality of strikes of large whales in U.S. waters Vessel strikes are a substantial source of mortality for large whales worldwide and may pose conservation threats for small populations. Model-based estimates of mortality rates, which inform management strategies to reduce vessel strike mortality, typically assume a reduced likelihood that a whale-vessel collision will be lethal to the whale at slower vessel speeds. In this study, we reviewed and updated available data on observed whale-vessel interactions in U.S. waters and developed a new model characterizing the probability that an interaction will be lethal to the whale as a function of vessel speed, length (as a proxy for mass), and whale taxon. We found a significant effect of vessel size class on the probability of lethality. In addition, decreasing vessel speeds reduced the likelihood of a lethal outcome for all vessel size classes, but this effect was strongest for vessels less than 108m in length. The probability that a strike by a very large ocean-going vessel will be lethal exceeded 0.80 at all speeds above 5 knots. Whale taxon also affected both the likelihood of a lethal strike and the effect of vessel speed. Humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) had significantly lower rates of lethal strikes compared to other large whales. This difference may be associated with data limitations, differing behavioral responses between species, varying vessel types between regions or differences in body composition and blubber thickness. The model is consistent with biophysical models that demonstrate a high rate of strike lethality for large vessels with high masses. Vessel speed restrictions are one of the primary approaches to reduce the risk of vessel strikes to whales in the face of continued industrialization of the oceans, and the model presented here will help better inform management efforts. https://lnkd.in/gAWsGHHH