A 70,000 mile expedition by a tiny research ship gives us a snapshot of life in the depths of the world's seas.
Up to one million new species of microscopic sea life have been observed for the first time, promising new revelations about the marine ecosystem that could revolutionise our understanding of climate change's impact on the world's oceans.
Each new life form was discovered by the crew of just one small research vessel, the Tara, which has recently completed a two-and-a-half year, 70,000 mile expedition.

Qualifiers keep dropping with Go-Eco Phuket as the environmental group prepares for its official launch on September 30 with the biggest reef cleanup of any kind in the world.
“On September 30, the eyes of the world will be attracted to Phuket,” Tony Andrews, Thailand’s West coast PADI Regional Manager and Project AWARE Ambassador, said at a press conference with Phuket government officials at Kata Beach Resort today.

New research which could help conserve sharks has confirmed that many of the ocean predators are probably completely colour blind.
The joint study by The Universities of Western Australia (UWA) and Queensland looked at the visual adaptations of two species of wobbegong sharks, which are also known as carpet sharks.
Wobbegongs spend most of their time on the sea floor and hunt mostly at night using an unusual sit-and-wait ambush strategy, the journal The Royal Society's Biology Letters reports.

Measures to protect the critically endangered grey nurse shark have been announced by the NSW government. Minister for Primary Industries Katrina Hodgkinson introduced regulations that include banning baited hook fishing in key breeding areas for the species along the NSW coastline.
"Our overall goal is to protect the grey nurse shark," she told reporters at Manly Sea Life Sanctuary today.
"They are the puppies of the ocean - they're not Jaws.They are very gentle creatures but we're down to the last 1500 or so."

Shark populations and high-quality reefs in the Marshall Islands received high praise last week from two visiting conservationists from the United States.
“I’ve filmed reefs all over the world,” said filmer Shawn Heinrichs. “I’m really impressed here. This is a gold mine for tourism.”

WWF and TRAFFIC today released a new report that shows the need for a more concerted effort in managing shark fisheries in the Coral Triangle, to help conserve dwindling populations of these threatened species.

Cathay Pacific, responding to pressure from an array of environmental groups in Asia, has announced that it will no longer carry shark fin on its cargo flights.
The Hong Kong-based carrier, one of the world’s largest cargo airlines, said in a statement that it would “stop shipping unsustainably sourced sharks and shark-related products.”

In the final day of the legislative session on Friday, the State Senate failed to act on AB 298, a bill to ban single-use plastic bags statewide. This bill would have been a major step forward in protecting the Pacific Ocean from plastic pollution, according to Environment California.
“Nothing that we use for a few minutes should pollute the ocean for hundreds of years” said Dan Jacobson, Legislative Director for Environment California. “Californians understand this and are taking action in their communities to protect the Pacific.”

The Cook Islands announced the creation of the world’s largest marine park at the opening of the Pacific Islands Forum on Tuesday, a vast swathe of ocean almost twice the size of France.
Prime Minister Henry Puna said the 1.065 million square kilometre (411,000 square mile) reserve “(is) the largest area in history by a single country for integrated ocean conservation and management”.
Puna said protecting the Pacific, one of the last pristine marine ecosystems, was the Cooks’ major contribution “to the well-being of not only our peoples, but also of humanity”.

The United Nations has launched a new "Oceans Compact" to combat pollution, over-fishing and rising sea levels.
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today launched a new initiative to protect the oceans and the people whose livelihoods depend on it, and called on countries to work together to achieve a more sustainable management of this precious resource and address the threats it is currently facing.
"The seas and oceans host some of the most vulnerable and important ecosystems on Earth, but the diversity of life they host is under ever-increasing strain," Mr.