Following months of careful planning and coordination, the Malaysia Day Dive 2013 (MDD) concluded on a high note with a total of 64.5kg of marine debris successfully collected from in and around the WWII shipwreck of the Hiyoshi Maru, about 30km off the Santubong coast.
A stinking mess of abandoned fishing nets piled high on the boat ramp may not be anyone’s idea of the catch of the day but for the 15 volunteer divers taking part, it was a beautiful sight because it meant these nets would no longer pose a danger to ocean life.

Cathay Pacific's policy banning cargoes of non-sustainable shark fin will not come into effect until next year, about 18 months after it was announced, marine experts drawing up the guidelines say.
The experts defended the carrier's drawn-out approach, saying Cathay had "grasped a serious nettle" and that its stance would be more effective for marine conservation in the long term.
Cathay said on September 4 last year it would no longer carry shark fin from unsustainable sources, saying it expected to implement the policy within "approximately three months".

There is no easy way to tackle the issue of marine litter: it is complicated and has many causes, impacts and inputs. As a high percentage of marine litter comes from land based sources, EU legislation is possibly the best way to address the problem and look for solutions.

Twelve months before the entry into force of CITES regulations on shark and rays, the European Union approves a 1.2 million euro project to ensure their effective implementation. Brazil, China, Germany, Japan and the United States have also offered support and technical assistance.
The 178 Parties to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) are preparing for the implementation of the shark and ray listings that they adopted at the 16th meeting of the Conference of the Parties (CoP16) in March 2013 in Bangkok, Thailand.

Increasing amounts of litter are ending up in the world’s oceans and harming the health of ecosystems, killing animals when they become trapped or swallow the litter. Human health is also at risk, as plastics may break down into smaller pieces that may subsequently end up in our food. These are just a few of the problems emerging from the waste collecting in our seas.

The Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock , Aquaculture and Fisheries (MAGAP) has ordered the implementation of management and ordering measures of the incidental catches of hammerhead shark in Ecuadorian waters.
The species covered by the Ministerial Agreement N° 116 are two: scalloped hammerhead (Sphyrna lewini) and smooth hammerhead (Sphyrna zygaena).

Debris divers and rubbish wranglers are being called on for the coming Macandrew Bay clean-up.
Project AWARE co-ordinator Emma Young said the range of marine rubbish on the harbour floor at Macandrew Bay was diverse.
It ranged from ''the smallest bits of plastic, car batteries and appliances, to enormous fishing nets''.
The bay also included several species of marine life, including sea-horses, octopus and sea lions, she said.
''Let's keep it clean for them.''

Green turtles are swallowing plastic at twice the rate they did 25 years ago, according to a University of Queensland study.
Researchers from the School of Biological Sciences and CSIRO's Wealth from Oceans Flagship who analysed global research data from the past 25 years have found green and leatherback turtles are eating more plastic than ever before.
Study leader and PhD candidate Qamar Schuyler said turtles ate more plastic than any other form of debris.

Each June and July near the full moon, the northern Gulf of Mexico hosts a mysterious gathering of whale sharks.
Dozens of the hulking black sharks with white spots glide about with mouths agape as they skim the water’s surface during a 12-hour tuna egg buffet of sorts.
A decade ago, records of these unusual gatherings existed only in fishermen’s tales.
Scientists have spent the past decade piecing together an understanding of the fish’s existence in the northern Gulf and tracking these gatherings that have also been reported in other parts of the world.

A new TRAFFIC study examines how implementation of trade controls through CITES regulations can ensure that seven species of sharks and manta rays are only sourced sustainably and legally before entering international trade.