Hi everyone,
Firstly, congrats to Yasmin who won some epic Under the Sea Art goodies in our World Ocean Day giveaway.
Welcome to our newest members - it’s lovely to see so many people join the Baleen pod as we enter UNESCO’s Ocean Decade and the UN Decade on Ecosystems Restoration.
“It looks like a muppet…”
Before we jump into this week’s ocean news, turn on your sound and have a giggle at this video of Nautilus researchers’ reactions to a gulper eel. Best thing I’ve seen all week!
How to save a whale
Did you know putting a stranded marine animal straight back into the water without calling for help can make the situation worse? Find out what you should do in my latest piece in Footprint magazine. You might save a life!
🤝G7
Felling fail: The G7 didn’t get off to a great start with outrage at the venue cutting down trees for new meeting rooms (Independent)
& flying fail: Not to mention Boris arriving on a private jet from London (Independent)
Paddle out protest: Hundreds of protestors ask world leaders to prioritise the environment (BBC)
Biggest in human history: David Attenborough stressed the importance of the G7’s climate change decisions (Sky News)
Point of no return: the UN’s António Guterres is concerned about wealthy countries not greening their economies after Covid-19 (Guardian)
Bold commitments: 70+ CEOs have written an open letter to G7 leaders demanding action to reach net zero (World Economic Forum)
30 by 30: As the summit came to a close, the G7 nations agreed to proect 30% of land and sea by 2030 (SBS News)
$5tn a year: will be lost if global temperatures rise by 2.6 degrees (Guardian)
The G7 nations agreed to move away from coal plants and raise contributions to help poorer countries cut carbon emissions. What do conservationsists think of the commitments?
Former climate negotiator Laurence Tubiana describes it as "a plan to make a plan"
Greenpeace: “…leaders have buried their heads in the Cornish sand”
Action Aid: “…doesn't come close to addressing the urgency and scale of the crisis.”
What do you think of the G7’s environmental commitments? Share your thoughts in the comments.
🐳 Whales
Pacific protections: In the USA, Pacific humpback whales will receive better protections (Good News Network)
Cruel testing: Norway’s minke whale experiments are still due to go ahead despite opposition (Guardian)
New record: a grey whale travelled halfway around the world in the longest known migration of any non-human mammal (New Scientist)
Secret population: Scientists discover new population of pygmy blue whales (Live Science)
Know someone who would love this story?
🐬🐙 Marine animals
Shark fin trade ban: The US Senate has now passed a bill that would ban shark fin trade in the USA (Oceana)
10 by 10: WCS unveils shark and ray conservation programme
Lost generation: a drone has wiped out a generation of seabirds (Phys.org)
Let’s go out for dinner: snowflake moray eels documented feeding out of the water (IFL Science)
Enjoying Baleen? Make sure you’re subscribed so you never miss an edition:
🚯 Pollution
Vegan spider silk: could this plant-based material replace single-use plastics? (Phys.org)
WA plastic ban: Western Australia brings forward plans to ban single-use plastics (ABC News)
GM microbes: genetically modified Escherichia coli could turn plastic waste into an industrial important chemical called vanillin (Chemistry World)
Take (it) out: Containers from takeaway meals and convenience food are littering the oceans (BBC)
💰 Funding & opportunities
Graduate research assistant: position available helping count turtle nests on Montserrat’s beaches. Apply by 20 June
PhD position: Refining the tagging of wild fish and sharks. Apply by 5 July
🐚🐠 Ecosystems
The fifth ocean: The National Geographic Society has recognised a new Southern Ocean in Antarctica (USA Today)
Historic win: the UK government has agreed to pilot highly protected marine areas but does the move come soon enough? (Guardian)
Sea snot: Cleanup efforts are underway to protect marine life from marine mucilage on the Turkish coast (Telegraph)
Could dumping save the GBR? Dumping crushed rocks could counter ocean acidification but with unknown side effects (Mother Jones)
Biodiversity loss and climate change: new report stresses these issues need to be tackled together (IPBES)
Tropicalisation: WWF warns the Med is becoming a tropical sea (Ekathimerini)
Sustainability research: developing nations are more focused on sustainability, (BBC)
Fine sand: tourist fined for stealing sand from Sardinian beaches (Mirror)
🎣 Fisheries
Blockchain tech: could digital tracking tags hold the fishing industry to account and help marine conservation? (Guardian)
Dam it! Salmon in the USA are under threat of extinction from four dams (Guardian)
That’s all for this week. Thanks for reading and see you next Monday!
Melissa
Baleen is provided completely free each week to help you keep on top of the latest marine conservation news - if you find it useful, support me with a coffee (thanks!)