Local scuba divers have spotted large sevengill sharks swimming off the coast of La Jolla this week.
The shark is one of the newest creatures to call the area home, and also happens to be one of the largest local predators. 
Divers are pushing for a scientific explanation to explain this recent phenomenon inside La Jolla Cove. 
In the past several years there has been a dramatic increase in the number of sevengill shark sightings.

An exhausting battle spanning nearly 20 years for a new marine reserve in Akaroa Harbour is nearly at an end. 
The Akaroa Marine Protection Society, a group of about 20 determined locals headed by husband and wife team Brian and Kathleen Reid, has been fighting for a 530-hectare marine reserve in Akaroa Harbour since 1996.
The reserve, near Dan Rogers Bluff, would protect about 12 per cent of the harbour from fishing.
This afternoon, Conservation Minister Nick Smith announced his approval of the reserve. 
Akaroa Marine Protection Society secretary K

Today, the Obama Administration released its final plan for translating the National Ocean Policy into on-the-ground actions to benefit the American people.

Many terrestrial animals are frequently observed scavenging on other animals– whether it is a hyena stealing a lion kill in the Serengeti or a buzzard swooping down on a dead animal.

Sea turtles can get accidentally caught and killed in fishing operations, and new research out Monday seeks to map this phenomenon for the first time in a bid to save the endangered creatures.
The study in the journal Ecosphere said sea turtles in the East Pacific, North Atlantic, Southwest Atlantic and Mediterranean face the highest bycatch mortality rates.

As part of the last meeting of the Convention on International Trade of Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), held this week in Bangkok (Thailand), the national government banned fishing for oceanic whitetip shark (Carcharhinus longimanus) in Brazilian waters.
The decision was made in order to preserve this endangered species.
According to a Normative Instruction of the Ministry of the Environment published in the Official Journal of Unión, the ban on fishing this resource

Citizen science surveys compare well with traditional scientific methods when it comes to monitoring species biodiversity -- according to new research from the University of East Anglia.
Research published today in the journal Methods in Ecology and Evolution shows that methods to record marine diversity used by amateurs returned results consistent with techniques favoured by peer-reviewed science.

Shark fin soup is a delicacy in Asia. But its popularity is helping to decimate shark populations. However, governments voted Monday (today) to protect five species of the predators. Preliminary approval came at a U.N. meeting on wildlife trade in Bangkok, Thailand.

Conservationists look to final plenary to cement positive yet tentative decisions
Bangkok, 11 March 2013. In a highly anticipated Committee vote today, proposals to list under CITES* five species of sharks were supported by more than the two-thirds majority of voting countries needed for adoption. Conservationists are pleased yet mindful that decisions must still be confirmed in the final plenary session later this week.

Thailand signals opposition to CITES listings while Senegal proclaims support
Debate is heating up on proposed protections for sharks and rays at a major global trade meeting. Shark conservation experts have united to urge governments to vote in favour of the measures and thereby ensure the survival of the threatened species. Roughly 150 of the 178 governments that are party to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) are expected to vote on these proposals over the coming days.