Making plastics recyclable, biodegradable and into fuel ♻️
Plus manta, tuna, seagrass and coral news... and much more!
Hi everyone,
First of all welcome to all the new pod members this week and thanks to everyone who shared Baleen. Helping us reach new pod members by sharing each edition is a great (and free!) way for you to support the weekly digest so a big thanks for your support.
Thanks to everyone helping us reach new pod members by sharing Baleen!
I don’t know about where you are but, here, the sun is shining and I’m keen to catch some rays ☀️ so let’s get this show on the road…
👀 Wildlife sightings 👀
Wally the Walrus: is still entertaining tourists in Pembrokeshire… by balancing a starfish on his nose! (The Sun)
Basking sharks: were hanging out with kayakers off the coast of Cork (Irish Independent) and Land’s End (Falmouth Packet) - very cool!
A grey whale: sighting was reported in the Bay of Naples (Reuters)
Rock star humpback: Migaloo the white whale may have been spotted off the Victorian coastline (ABC)
Socially distant: Remember, if you are lucky enough to see marine animals, please give them their space (WCS) and report any wildlife crimes (WDC)
🐳🐬 Marine life 🐙🦈
Give us a cuttle(fish): Love fun fish facts? Then check out my latest Nat Geo article all about the weird world of cuttlefish (Nat Geo)
Great… what? Despite the clickbait headline, a great white shark is likely not headed to the UK, say experts (Cornwall Live)
Manta madness: Fernando de Noronha Archipelago, Brazil, might be a feeding ground for juvenile manta rays (Andrea Marshall, MMF)
Bluefin tuna-round: Research shows bluefin tuna has returned to UK territorial waters (Oxford Academic)
What did you say? Scientists hope to learn more about whale communication (Nat Geo)
Think your friends would be interested in the latest ocean conservation news? Share Baleen:
🚯 Plastic & pollution 🚯
To infinity and beyond: Can infinitely recyclable plastic compete with conventional plastics? (Phys.org)
Now you see it… Meanwhile, have researchers found a way to make biodegradable plastics actually disappear? (EcoWatch)
Fuelling less waste: Other scientists have been figuring out how to turn a common type of plastic into fuel (Science Alert)
“Hey Google, fight plastic pollution”: The fight against plastic pollution will now use AI and machine learning (UNEP)
PPE: As if we needed a reminder of the threat posed by PPE litter, volunteers found a fish that died trapped in a disposable glove (Nat Geo)
Enjoying Baleen? Make sure you’re subscribed so you never miss an edition:
💰 Funding, grants & opportunities💰
GRAVITY Challenge: is accepting applications from corporates, entrepreneurs and universities who are designing and building solutions to real industry, social and environmental problems using space data and capability.
🐚 Ecosystems 🐠
It’s o-cean so quiet: 2020 was the quietest recent year for our ocean (Guardian)
Red Sea Corals: could risk bleaching if temperatures drop (Jerusalem Post)
Ocean acidification: New research shows how our ocean has become more acidic over the last 30 years (ESA)
Seagrass seedlings: Volunteers are helping to restore seagrass meadows in Plymouth in England’s biggest seagrass planting project (BBC, Positive News)
🎣 Fisheries 🎣
Shark fin ban: A US bill to ban the buying and selling of shark fins has been reintroduced (Oceana)
Shark fishing: The Maldives government has confirmed it will not lift its shark fishing ban (DIVE)
Rock bottom: Why should bottom trawling be banned? (Independent)
Supposedly sustainable: Are sustainable fishing methods worse for carbon emissions? (Independent)
Salmon stock: Fish rearing may have caused lower genetic diversity in Sweden’s Atlantic salmon population (Guardian)
🌊 Other ocean news 🌊
That’s swell: Can the height of rogue waves be measured from space? (Guardian)
Investing in oceans: Australia’s prime minister has announced $100m of ocean protections (Guardian)
NOAA leader: President Biden to nominate Rick Spinrad to head up the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NY Times)
Deep-sea volcanoes: eruptions in the ocean could release enough energy to power the USA (Sci Tech Daily)
That’s all for today - have a lovely week 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, shout me a coffee (thanks!)
📢 If you’d like to chat about how my comms consultancy or copywriting services can help you (from June), please get in touch 🤓