Positive ocean news: July ’25 edition
From the rare sighting of a sea slug and a record number of humpback whale sightings to new marine protections in Portugal and Sweden, we've plenty of good news for you to dive into.
Four shark species recorded in Anguilla for first time
As part of a collaborative project led by the Marine Conservation Society to learn more about Anguilla’s shark populations, project partner the University of Exeter has documented Atlantic six-gill, sandbar, Cuban dogfish and smooth-hound sharks in the country’s waters for the first time ever.
Through the Anguilla Shark Conservation Project, a partnership that also involves the Anguilla National Trust, the Anguilla Government and the University of Exeter installed baited underwater video stations to identify which shark species were present and assess their health. It also worked with local communities to understand how they value sharks and their views on managing them.
As well as formally recording the new species in Anguilla, the project collected vital ecological and social data to help shape conservation measures to benefit sharks in Anguilla, and beyond.
Learn more about the Anguilla Shark Conservation project
Rare sea slug photographed off England’s southwest coast
The Warty Doris sea slug taken at Studland Bay
Credit: Maria Munn
Warty Doris, a species of sea slug typically found in warmer waters and rarely seen around the UK, has been captured on camera near Old Harry Rocks in Studland Bay, England.
Maria, who volunteers with Seasearch and the Marine Conservation Society's Ocean Voice programme, saw several of the bright yellow and orange creatures which have warts all over their bodies. After doing “a double take”, she photographed them and one of their egg cases.
The finding was a rare occurrence; the Warty Doris was first recorded off the UK in 2023 when one was spotted near Southampton and is usually found off France, Belgium and Spain, and in the Mediterranean, Adriatic and west Atlantic.
Maria regularly snorkels along the Dorset coast, blogging her findings to “raise awareness of the marine life that we can find around here and how colourful and beautiful it is.”
Read more on the BBC News website
Sweden to ban bottom trawling in its Marine Protected Areas
Boats docked around Stockholm
Credit: Patrick Federi
The move comes after David Attenborough’s documentary, Ocean, exposed the harmful impacts of bottom trawling on the marine environment and reinforced the need to protect the seabed from the damaging fishing gear.
Sweden’s Minister of Rural Affairs, Peter Kullgren, acknowledged the effects of bottom trawling, stating that protecting sensitive areas of the ocean is important to the country’s government. It’s hoped that the incoming ban will help improve the health of Sweden’s seas and act as a strong step towards long-term sustainable fishing.
Read more on the Oceanographic website
Record number of humpback whales reported along Australia’s coast
A humpback whale
Credit: Craig Lambert Photography via Shutterstock
More than 600 participants have taken part in an annual citizen science activity to record humpback whale sightings, with over 5,000 whales spotted – the highest number to date.
Set up over 159 locations along Australia’s New South Wales’s coast, volunteers looked out for humpbacks as they migrated north, recording any they saw for the Organization for the Rescue and Research of Cetaceans whale census. 5,000 were reported in 2024, with that number exceeded by early July this year – with still one month left in the whales’ migratory period.
In the 1960s, only a few hundred humpback and minke whales would travel north from Antarctica. However, since the 1980 whaling ban came into effect, humpback populations have recovered remarkably, with 40,000 expected to make the trip this year.
Read more on the Good News Network website
Portugal announces new 38,000 square-mile Marine Protected Area
Coral, fish and kelp at Portugal's Gorringe seamount
Credit: EUO © OCEANA Juan Carlos Calvín
Following the United Nations Ocean Conference in June, Portugal is establishing a new Marine Protected Area (MPA) which will mean 27% of the country’s waters are protected – only 3% off its 30x30 commitment.
The MPA will cover Gorringe seamount, which, although underwater, is technically Portugal’s tallest mountain. It boasts a vast array of marine life among its 1,100 reefs and algae forests, with 850 species recorded living there.
Emanuel Gonçalves, chief scientist at Oceano Azul Foundation, which mapped the area with the Portuguese navy, said: “[The MPA] will provide a fertile nursery and feeding ground for turtles, sharks, marine mammals, sea birds and tunas, expand or restore kelp and coral forests and create a sanctuary for the unique breeding aggregation of torpedo rays.”
Read more on the Good News Network website
Coral thought to be extinct rediscovered in the Galápagos
Wellington's solitary coral next to a sea urchin
Credit: Punta Vicente Roca, Billy Bensted-Smith/ Charles Darwin Foundation
Scientists have rediscovered a species of coral only found in Ecuador’s Galápagos Islands for the first time in almost 25 years, including in four areas it’s never been recorded before.
Following several dives, a research team from the Charles Darwin Foundation, the Galápagos National Park Directorate, and the California Academy of Sciences found more than 290 of Wellington’s solitary coral off the Isabela and Fernandina islands, offering hope for a species that was almost wiped out.
It’s thought that rather than becoming extinct, the species moved to the cooler deep sea following the 1982-1983 El Niño warming event before reappearing after the La Niña event led to cooler temperatures between August 2000 and March 2023.
Read more on the Mongabay website
Over one tonne of fishing gear gathered for recycling
A large fishing net on a beach
Credit: Joshua J. Cotten
The exercise aimed to prevent fishing gear being abandoned or discarded in the marine environment, where it can cause harm to wildlife. Instead, the nets will be sent off to be shredded, with the pellets used to create new products and the ropes turned into composite mixed plastic board.
Read more on the BBC News website
