Indonesian program pays fishers to collect plastic trash at sea
Each of the 1,721 participating fishers will receive the equivalent of $10 a week for collecting up to 9 lbs of plastic waste from the sea daily.
Marine conservation
Fish return off coast of Brazil’s Rio Grande do Sul after state’s trawling ban
Trawl nets literally sweep the ocean floor, turning a complex ecosystem into a desert.
World’s largest shipping line reroutes its ships to avoid hitting blue whales
Researchers believe that moving the shipping lanes just 15 nautical miles would stop hundreds of often fatal collisions between oil tankers and vast container ships and the whales.
Indonesia announces plan to protect 10% of its seas by 2030, and 30% by 2045
The move is part of the country’s contribution to the global “30 by 30” conservation goal, which aims to protect 30% of the world’s seas and lands by 2030.
The Ocean Cleanup removes first 100,000kg of plastic from Great Pacific Garbage Patch
Since deployment in August 2021, System 002 (or “Jenny”) has now collected 101,353 kg of plastic over 45 extractions, sweeping an area of over 3000km2 – comparable to the size of Rhode Island.
In comeback moment, up to 150 fin whales spotted feeding off Antarctica
The recovery of a large whale population is not only a glimpse of hope; it is also likely to have a stimulating effect on primary production in the Southern Ocean, enhancing CO2 uptake and carbon sink capacities.
Kenya’s Kuruwitu corals make remarkable recovery, thanks to local conservation drive
In 2005, residents of the area took the unprecedented step of setting aside a 30-hectare Marine Protected Area (MPA). Seventeen years on, the area has made a remarkable recovery.
Colombia launches $245-million initiative to create and maintain protected areas
Heritage Colombia is a $245-million initiative to support the creation, expansion and improvement of 32 million hectares (nearly 80 million acres) of protected land and marine areas in the country over the next decade.
California passes first sweeping US law to reduce single-use plastic
The bill states that 30% of plastic items sold or bought be recyclable by 2028 and economic responsibility falls to producers
Colombia launches largest ocean reef restoration project in the Americas
The project aims to grow one million fragments of coral and restore 200 hectares of reefs by 2023.